{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_32736/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_32736","id":"gutenberg_32736","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32736","summary":null,"tags":["Bible stories, English","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Category: Teaching & Education"],"text":"Produced by Don Kostuch\n\n\n\n\n[Transcriber's notes]\n Thanks to Jim and Carol Presher of Timeless Antiques in Valley\n Alabama for providing access to the original texts.\n\n This is the complete text of all six volumes of the set. \"HOW TO USE\n THE BIBLE STORY\" (the first volume), organizes the use and access of\n the other five volumes.\n\n Page numbers in this book are indicated by numbers enclosed in curly\n braces, e.g. {99}. They have been located where page breaks occurred\n in the original book.\n\n Each photograph is printed on the back of a separate page with the\n description on the front side. In the following example the\n description is on page 29 and the photograph on page 30.\n\n {29}{30}\n\n [Illustration]\n THE DIVINE MOTHER AND THE CHILD\n ...\n [End illustration]\n\n Quotation marks are often unbalanced. This transcription copies\n the original text.\n\n Colons (:) are frequently used instead of commas or semicolons.\n[End transcriber's notes]\n\n\n{1}\n\nHOW TO USE THE BIBLE STORY\n\n\nTHE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY\nSPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS\n\n{2}\n\nCOPYRIGHT, 1917,\n\nBY THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY,\nSPRINGFIELD, MASS.\n\n{3}\n\nFOREWORD\n\nThe five volumes of THE BIBLE STORY have served to beautify and\nclassify the Bible and are simple and complete in themselves. They do\nnot require explanation or enrichment. It is the desire, however, by\nthe addition of this volume to suggest definite ways of using the\nwork.\n\nThis book contains a series of suggestions to fit the occasion, the\ntemperament, and the time of the user. It may be picked up often and a\npart of it used as opportunity offers. We believe there may be those\nwho will wish to use all the suggestions. We are sure that all who own\nTHE BIBLE STORY will wish to use some of them.\n\nThis volume has the following aims:--\n\nIn General:\n\nTo give a better knowledge of the Bible and thus to make reading it a\ndelight instead of a task.\n\nSpecifically:\n\n To show how to use the work with children and how children may use\n it.\n\n To make the Bible as useful as possible in character building.\n\n To bring out the connection of the Bible with its land.\n\n To show the connection of the Bible with literature.\n\n{4}\n\n{5}\n\nCONTENTS\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\n PAGE\n\nKey. 10\n\nWhy Read the Bible? 11\n\nWhy are Bible Readers so Few? 12\n\n\nPART I\n\nTHE CHILD AND THE BIBLE\n\nThe Mother's Part: How Can I Use THE BIBLE STORY with My Child? 15\n\n1. What Do I Have to Know in Order to Make the Best Use\n of THE BIBLE STORY with My Child? 15\n\n2. How Can I Encourage My Child to Memorize Bible Verses? 15\n\n3. How Can I Help My Child to Understand God's Relation\n to the World? 16\n\n4. How Can I Know the Best Bible Stories to Tell to Children? 17\n\n5. How Can I Get My Child to Read the Bible? 19\n\n6. How Can I Help My Child to Understand Life in Bible Times? 19\n\n7. How Can I Get My Child to Use THE BIBLE STORY for Himself? 20\n\n8. How Can I Interest My Child in the Great Works of Art\n in THE BIBLE STORY? 21\n\nQuestions to Ask Little Children, for general review of all the\nforegoing lessons. 26\n\n{6}\n\nPART II\n\nCHARACTER AND LIVING\n\nPAGE\n\nMake the Bible Heroes your Friends. 31\n\nJesus' Character-Building Stories 32\n\nFoundation Stones 33\n\nTry Lincoln's Way 37\n\nHistory and the Bible 38\n\n 1. The World in Bible Times 38\n\n 2. The Bible in History 39\n\nLiving with the Bible 42\n\nQuestions on the Text 45\n\n\nPART III\n\nTHE LAND OF THE BIBLE\n\nA Bird's-eye View of the Land 97\n\nUnderstanding Geography by Pictures 100\n\nLocating Bible Characters in the Land 105\n\n\nPART IV\n\nTHE BIBLE IN LITERATURE\n\nThe Bible's Place in Literature 113\n\nQuestions bringing out the Bible's Literary Value 116\n\n 1. The Poetry of the Bible 116\n\n 2. The Oratory in the Bible 118\n\n 3. Other Literary Forms Found in the Bible 119\n\n 4. The Literary Value of the Books of Prophecy 120\n\n 5. The Bible--an Inspiration to Writers 121\n\nThe Bible's Gift to Our Language 125\n\n{7}\n\nPART V\n\nTHE BIBLE AND THE TEACHER\n\n PAGE\nHow the Foregoing Suggestions for the Use of THE BIBLE\n STORY may be Employed by the Bible School Teacher 161\n\n 1. In the Primary Department 161\n\n 2. In the Junior, Intermediate, and Senior Departments 162\n\n\nPART VI\n\nPRONOUNCING DICTIONARY\n\n{8}\n\n{9}\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\n{10}\n\nKEY\n\nThroughout this volume initials are used to indicate titles of volumes\nin which references are found, as follows:--\n\nG.B. Golden Book.\n\nH.T. Hero Tales.\n\nT.J. Tales of Old Judea.\n\nL.J. Life of Jesus.\n\nS.A. Songs of the Ages.\n\n{11}\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\nWhy Read the Bible?\n\nIf Bible readers everywhere could return their answers what diverse\nand interesting points of view the replies would bring!\n\nFor instance, one perceives in the Bible record the worst and the best\nthat men have always thought and felt; for him it is full of the\nuniversal motives of humanity. He has noticed, too, that in sketching\noften but the single act of a character, the Book brings the essential\nman or woman vividly out of the darkness and into the light for all\ntime. As a student of men, we can imagine such a one replying that the\nBible is \"The Book of Human Nature.\"\n\nAnother knows that it has been the inspiration of countless writers,\nand that its sayings and teachings are woven by the hundreds and\nthousands through and through the texture of our English masterpieces.\nA student of books might well say that the Bible is the chief\n\"Source-Book of Our Literature.\"\n\nStill another would say, \"The Bible is the beginning of many of our\ncustoms. Our common law is largely founded on its laws and many of our\ninstitutions are based upon those it sanctions.\" So a business man, a\nman of affairs, might very naturally call it, \"The Foundation-Book of\nChristian Civilization.\"\n\nFor many the Bible is \"The Book of Salvation,\" pointing the way into\nthe presence of God.\n\nStill others draw from it counsel and strength for those who depend\nupon them for guidance. \"God could not be everywhere, so he made\nmothers.\" And in their hands the Bible becomes \"The Book of\nCharacter.\"\n\nThe marvel of it is that each of these viewpoints is true. And many\nothers are equally true. For the Bible, like the diamond, reflects its\nlight from many facets. Which one you see depends upon where you\nstand, upon your point of view. How clear and strong the light for you\ndepends upon how far you have come within the circle of its radiance.\n\n{12}\n\nWhy are Bible Readers so Few?\n\nTruly the harvest of Bible enlightenment is plentiful beyond measure;\nwhy then are those who reap it for themselves so few? It is because we\nlack time to understand. Our Bible Schools might solve the problem if\nonly they had time, but one hour a week with the Bible is scarcely an\nintroduction to it, never a fellowship with it. The Book of books is\nno shallow friend to give up all its treasures upon a superficial\nacquaintance. Rather it is a friend to be lived with in the home.\n\nThis book of suggestions is an invitation to you to come farther\nwithin the charmed circle of the Bible's light. Its aim is to save\nyour time by helping you to use it to the greatest advantage. However\nmuch or little of the Bible light has been coming to you, may this\nbook help to increase, to clarify, to beautify it. If it shall help\nyou to bring more time, the most precious of modern possessions, to\nthe understanding of the Bible, the most precious wisdom of the ages,\nits purpose will have been abundantly fulfilled.\n\n{13}\n\nPART I\n\nTHE CHILD AND THE BIBLE\n\n_Answering Mothers' Questions_\n\n{14}\n\n\"So great is my veneration for the Bible, that the earlier my children\nbegin to read it the more confident will be my hopes that they will\nprove useful citizens to their country and respectable members of\nsociety.\"\n --_John Quincy Adams_.\n\n\n{15}\n\nTHE CHILD AND THE BIBLE\n\nTHE MOTHER'S PART--HOW CAN I USE THE BIBLE STORY WITH MY CHILD?\n\nThis is the most important part of the work, because it helps you to\nunderstand and use all the rest, and answers your questions in regard\nto the religious life of your child. These suggestions are largely for\nthe use of \"The Golden Book.\"\n\n\n1. What Do I Have to Know in Order to Make the Best Use\n of THE BIBLE STORY with My Child?\n\nYou must know three things:--\n\nThat a child will not appreciate and use this work at first unless you\nappreciate and use it too.\n\nThat in order to appreciate and use it, you do not need to read all\nfive volumes through at once. You may begin with any one of the\nsuggestions here given, that pleases and interests you most, and use\nonly what little time you may have. Little by little interest will\ngrow and the child will be finding keen enjoyment in acquiring Bible\nknowledge for himself.\n\nThat even though you had time for immediate and thorough reading, the\nwork is of such proportion that its worth cannot be grasped at once.\nIt is by constant daily use in the home that the beauty and\neffectiveness of THE BIBLE STORY are revealed and the Bible made an\n\"open book\" to many a child as well as adult.\n\n\n2. How Can I Encourage My Child to Memorize Bible Verses?\n\nThis is not difficult. Childhood is the time when verbal memory is\nmost acute. The best way to encourage the memorizing of verses is\n{16} to make a game out of it instead of a task. Do this by using the\nBible alphabet in \"The Golden Book\" (page 25) and thus linking up the\nBible with something familiar. Teach a verse each week and ask for\ndaily repetition of it. After several are learned, a drill on the\nverses is suggested as a spur to memory. Ask what verse in the Bible\nbegins with A? B? C? etc. For the older children there are memory\nverses given, one for each week in the year, in the back of each of\nthe first four volumes. Let the child himself, so far as he can,\narrange these in alphabetical order.\n\nMemorizing is much quickened by making as many natural connections as\npossible, the known with the unknown. Many hymns are readily recalled\nby associating them with Psalms of which they are explanations.\nChildren like to learn poetry. Give them the poems suggested below as\nwell as the accompanying Bible passages to learn. Go over them first\nand let the children understand the parallelism.\n\n Psalm 23 ( 35 S.A.) Hymns (309, 291 G.B.)\n\n Psalm 117 (139 S.A.) Hymn (494 S.A.)\n\n Psalm 19 ( 30 S.A.) Hymn (434 G.B.)\n\n The Birth of Jesus (37 L.J.) Hymns (405, 409 G.B.)\n\nThese hymns are well worth memorizing, for they are among the best in\nour language and knowing them will be an added inducement to\nmemorizing the Bible verses that tell the same story.\n\n\n3. How Can I Help My Child to Understand God's Relation to the World?\n\nBegin with familiar things.--This is very easily done when the child's\nthoughts of God are related to his knowledge of the things of home.\nYou will find a splendid treatment of these relationships in the\nprimer pages in \"The Golden Book\" (27-68). Give these lessons to a\nchild who is learning to read. He will like them because the pages\nlook just like his school book and he will be helped in his reading at\nthe same time that he is learning truths which explain the Bible verse\ngiven at the bottom of each page. There is no better way of helping a\nyoung child to understand love for God, faith in God, the presence of\nGod, and other great truths that are usually given in the abstract.\n\n(The questions at the end of this chapter will be helpful in getting\nthe child to express himself.)\n\n{17}\n\n4. How Can I Know the Best Bible Stories to Tell to Children?\n\nRemember two things: that, as children develop, different types of\nstories appeal to them, and that everyone of these types is found in\nTHE BIBLE STORY. It is a fact that, while the Bible is a universal\nstory book, many of its best lessons cannot be put in story form and\nare therefore left out of any collection of Bible stories.\nConsequently the child is missing much that he might profitably have.\nTHE BIBLE STORY meets a great need of the times by bringing to\nchildren all the lessons of the Bible, some by means of simple\ntreatments of interesting things and some by means of longer stories\nof its heroes and heroines.\n\n\n_Simple Good-Night Talks for Little Tots_\n\nThe following paragraphs in \"The Golden Book\" contain the sweetest,\nmost constructive lessons to be found in the whole Bible and are\nbeautiful good-night talks for very young children. The questions at\nthe end of this chapter are listed according to pages in \"The Golden\nBook\" and will help in getting the child to repeat the story.\n\n God Sees Me. 81 G.B.\n\n What Does God Want Me to Do? 82 G.B.\n\n What God Gives. 85 G.B.\n\n Jesus and His Friends. 86 G.B.\n\n Jesus Had no Home. 89 G.B.\n\n The People Loved Jesus. 93 G.B.\n\n The Boyhood of Jesus 97 G.B.\n\n Jesus and Sick People. 98 G.B.\n\n Talking with Our Father. 101 G.B.\n\n God is Our Father. 105 G.B.\n\n What Jesus Said about Birds and Flowers. 106 G.B.\n\n What Jesus Said about Trees. 109 G.B.\n\nIt will be helpful to the mother who is constantly appealed to by her\nchildren for special kinds of stories to know where to find them in\nTHE BIBLE STORY.\n\n\n_Stories about Other Children_\n\nChildren are fond of listening to stories about other children like\nthemselves. THE BIBLE STORY contains many such.\n\n Jesus and the Little Girl. 110 G.B.\n\n The Baby Hid in a Basket. 117 G.B.\n\n The Boy Who Came when He was Called. 132 G.B.\n\n The Boy Who was Raised from the Dead. 193 G.B.\n\n The Little Captive Maid. 205 G.B.\n\n{18}\n\n_Hero Stories_\n\nThe favorites of all children beyond the first year or two of school\nare the stories of great heroes. A large part of \"The Golden Book\" is\ngiven up to stories of Bible heroes, and the following volume is made\nup of the lives of these same heroes in the words of the Bible text\nand is consequently more difficult. The beauty of this arrangement is\nthat after reading the easy story in \"The Golden Book\" a child will\nwant to read more, and as soon as he is able will enjoy going further\nwith his great heroes in the volumes that contain the Bible text. He\nwill understand seemingly difficult passages in the succeeding volumes\nof the set because of the substantial background formed by the simple\ntreatments in \"The Golden Book.\" The list of simple hero stories is\nhere given together with the corresponding stories in the Bible text\nin other volumes.\n\n The Shepherd Boy Who Killed a Giant. 139 G.B.\n\n David and Goliath. 386 H.T.\n\n David and King Saul. 151 G.B.\n\n David an Outlaw. 406 H.T.\n\n David and Jonathan. 156 G.B.\n\n The Jealousy of Saul. 396 H.T.\n\n David and His Three Brave Soldiers. 163 G.B.\n\n A Knightly Deed. 438 H.T.\n\n David and His Son Absalom. 167 G.B.\n\n The Rebellion of Absalom. 443 H.T.\n\n The Story of a Good King. 170 G.B.\n\n Solomon's Temple. 461 H.T.\n\n Joseph and His Brethren. 177 G.B.\n\n Joseph. 91 H.T.\n\nIn the same way you may read the Bedtime Stories, beginning on page\n245 of \"The Golden Book,\" and then go naturally to the same stories in\nthe Bible text itself as told in the volume \"The Life of Jesus.\"\n\n The Story of the First Christmas. 245 G.B.\n\n Nativity. 37 L.J.\n\n The Story of Palm Sunday. 251 G.B.\n\n The Entry into Jerusalem. 233 L.J.\n\n How Jesus Gave His Life for the World. 257 G.B.\n\n The Crucifixion. 281 L.J.\n\n The Story of the First Easter Sunday. 265 G.B.\n\n The Resurrection. 297 L.J.\n\n{19}\n\n Who was the Neighbor? 279 G.B.\n\n The Good Samaritan. 88 L.J.\n\n The Good Shepherd. 282 G.B.\n\n The Good Shepherd and the Sheep. 200 L.J.\n\n\n5. How Can I Get My Child to Read the Bible?\n\nIn no better way than that suggested in the two foregoing paragraphs.\nBegin at once with the simpler parts of \"The Golden Book,\" proceed\ngradually, awakening new interest, daily if possible, by means of the\nQuestions (page 26) and Things to Do (page 20). It will take a little\ntime and much thought, but it is the great privilege of the mother to\nwatch for the opportunity and lead the child by means of \"The Golden\nBook\" into the treasure house of the Bible, which, despite its\nwonderful interest and character-building values, has up to this time\npresented almost a closed door to children. As soon as the child has\npassed out of \"The Golden Book\" and found an interest in the other\nvolumes make use of the suggestions and questions in the next chapter\nfor the \"Hero Age,\" and hold the interest once gained.\n\nVery early in life little children begin to ask about Christmas, Palm\nSunday, and Easter. Why not seize this opportunity and give them\nanswers to their questions from the Bible?\n\n\n6. How Can I Help My Child to Understand Life in Bible Times?\n\nBy \"Seeing Palestine with THE BIBLE STORY.\"\n\nRead these Stories:--\n\n How the People Traveled in the Lands of the Bible 208 G.B.\n\n Houses in the Lands of the Bible. 214 G.B.\n\n Children in the Lands of the Bible. 217 G.B.\n\n Jerusalem. 218 G.B.\n\n The Jordan. 224 G.B.\n\n The Dead Sea. 226 G.B.\n\n Bethlehem. 229 G.B.\n\n Palestine in the Days of the Lord Jesus. 17 L.J.\n\n{20}\n\nAnswer these questions:--\n\n(_Be sure to read the story on the back of each picture._)\n\n What do you know about plowing in Palestine? 50, 84 G.B.\n\n How do they thresh in the lands of the Bible? 128, 274 G.B.\n 440 H.T.\n\n What is the town of Nazareth like to-day? 88, 100 G.B.\n\n How do they draw water in old Philistia? 142 G.B.\n\n What do you know about an Eastern shepherd\n and his sheep? 146, 210,\n 284, 308 G.B.\n\n Who said, \"I am the good shepherd\"? 288 G.B.\n\n Tell about winnowing in Bible lands. 158, 162 G.B.\n\n Look at the pictures on pages 294, 298,\n 302, 312, 368, 374 G.B., then tell what\n Jesus said about animals. 304 G.B.\n\n What were some of the streets like in\n ancient Palestine? 356 T.J. 278 L.J.\n 300 S.A.\n\n Name the lake on which Jesus so often sailed\n with his disciples. 108 G.B. 462 T.J.\n\n Why were the disciples so often to be\n found on the lake? 146 L.J.\n\n Tell two stories about Jesus and\n the Lake of Galilee. 94, 307 L.J.\n\n How did the people fish in Palestine? 487 L.J.\n\n Why is it necessary in Palestine to separate\n the tares from the wheat before harvest? 22 L.J.\n\n What did the army of the Midianites look like\n when they came to fight the children of Israel? 318, 322 H.T.\n\n Read the story. 319 H.T.\n\n How and by whom is meal ground in Palestine? 176 S.A.\n\n The extent of Solomon's kingdom was from \"Dan\n to Beersheba\"; find northern and southern points 14 T.J.\n\n\n7. How Can I Get My Child to Use THE BIBLE STORY for Himself?\n\nBy giving him some _Things to Do_. It is a splendid plan to take\nadvantage of the child's natural eagerness to look at the pictures in\nTHE BIBLE STORY, so as to make that desire of real educational value.\nThe following are delightful for a child to do:--\n\nStudy closely the pictures on pages 176, 196, 204, and 254 of \"The\nGolden Book,\" read the interesting notes on the back of each picture,\nand the story on page 208 of \"The Golden Book.\" Then tell the\ndifference between traveling in Bible lands and in our land.\n\n{21}\n\nLook at the pictures of Bethlehem on pages 138 and 248 of \"The Golden\nBook\" and page 28 L.J. and read the story on the back of each. Then\ntell how David's home and life were different from yours. Read the\nstory on page 229 G.B. and see what wonderful things happened in this\nlittle town.\n\nRead the story on page 214 G.B. and look at the pictures on pages\n88,92,188, of \"The Golden Book\" and 192 T.J., then compare a house in\nthe Holy Land with your house.\n\nRead the story on page 217 of \"The Golden Book\" and look at the\npictures opposite and on page 172 of \"The Golden Book.\" Then tell or\nwrite what you think are the pleasant things about living in Bible\nlands. Look at the picture on page 236 and tell why it was good to\nlive there in the year 33 A.D.\n\nIn your sand pile build a tiny city of Jerusalem. You will know just\nhow to make it after you have read the story on page 218 of \"The\nGolden Book.\" Put it on a hill with valleys on three sides of it. Use\nstones to build the wall. (See page 216 T.J.) Put a large white stone\nwhere you think the temple stood. The picture on page 480 in \"Hero\nTales\" will show you how the city really looked. After you have built\nthe city and neighboring hills and valleys as well as you can, show\nthem to your mother and father and explain all the interesting\nfeatures. Tell about the path on the wall and its use; tell why the\ncity was built on a hill; tell about the gates in the wall. (See page\n215 T.J.) Explain who built the temple and tell anything else you may\nknow about the greatest city of the Bible lands.\n\nIn the back of the volume, \"The Songs of the Ages,\" you will find an\nindex of illustrations and can easily turn to all the pictures of\nJerusalem in these volumes and learn some interesting things.\n\n\n8. How Can I Interest My Child in the Great Works of Art in\n THE BIBLE STORY?\n\nThe interest of children in works of art, if unguided, usually lasts\nonly for a moment. Let some one, however, begin to talk about the\npicture and the child fixes eager eyes upon it and follows every word\nwith breathless attention. \"Talking about a picture is simply letting\na picture talk,\" and many of these pictures are volumes in themselves\nwhich one must read carefully to know all they are meant to tell. The\nfollowing paragraphs furnish questions and suggest lines of study\nwhich will often open the door of the child's mind to artistic\nappreciation.\n\n{22}\n\n\n_Talking about Pictures_\n\n What painter of Madonnas was called the\n \"peasant painter of Spain\"? 30 G.B.\n\n There are four Madonnas by this artist in\n \"The Golden Book\" 30, 348,\n 436, 450 G.B.\n\n Which two most resemble each other?\n How do even these two differ?\n\n Which is thought to be the most beautiful of all?\n\n Which is your favorite? Why?\n\n Find the one painted without the child.\n\n Did you notice two little seraphs that are in\n almost the same position on pages 436 and 450 G.B.?\n\n In which of the pictures do you think the painter\n has shown the most loving mother?\n\n Describe some other children's pictures painted\n by this great man. 336, 480 G.B.\n\n Who is generally considered the greatest\n of all painters? 220 G.B.\n\n Name the most famous Madonna in the world 220 G.B.\n\n(Notice how lines drawn from the head of the Madonna to the heads of\nthe two supporting figures and across their base make a triangle. This\nbalance gives strength to the picture and makes it more pleasing to\nlook at. One reason why art critics say this picture is \"without one\nfalse note\" is its perfect balance. Remember that this regularity and\nbalance of composition mean repose in a picture while a combination of\nslanting lines and lessening figures suggests motion. (See 38 T.J.) If\nslanting lines suggest motion, perpendicular ones show rest, as seen\nin the figure of Ruth (44 T.J.). These perpendicular lines are very\nmuch used by the great artists; for instance, look at pages 262, 372,\n382, 390 S.A.)\n\nRaphael painted many pictures besides Madonnas. One of his most famous\npictures is on page 366 L.J. There are two other Madonnas by this same\nartist in \"The Golden Book\" (pages 356, 444). Describe them and learn\ntheir names.\n\nWhat do you think is interesting about the Madonna picture by Carlo\nDolci on page 340 G.B.?\n\nWhere does the light come from in the Madonna picture on page 396?\n\n{23}\n\nNote another very much like Dolci's (page 400): Can you explain this\nlight?\n\nIn the picture on page 414 G.B. notice how glad every one is that the\nChrist Child has come: Why do you think the artist made them look so\nhappy?\n\nWhich of the Madonnas on pages 364, 392, 418, 432, 470 G.B. do you\nlike best, and why?\n\nFind on page 42 G.B. one of the most popular modern Madonnas. This is\nsomething like the Madonna on page 450 but it is not considered so\ngood. What do you think is the difference between the two?\n\nWhat does the Bible call the three men represented as looking at the\nbaby in the Madonna picture on page 408 G.B.?\n\nWhat is unusual about the picture by Bouguereau on page 332 G.B.?\n\nDescribe the picture by the same artist on page 426.\n\nIn what way is the picture on page 332 like the one by Murillo on page\n450?\n\nHow is the picture on page 404 like the Adoration of the Angels on\npage 426?\n\nThere are many pictures of the face of Jesus in \"The Golden Book\" that\nare worth studying and comparing. Turn, one after another, to the\npictures on pages 74, 104, 288, 308; look at each of the faces, and\nsay which you like best, and why.\n\nName a very great French artist who was\na painter of landscapes. 38 G.B.\n\nWhat sort of subject did Sir Joshua Reynolds\nchoose for many of his paintings?\nIn what country did he live? 46,374,382 G.B.\n\n(A group of men in England called the Pre-Raphaelites were fond of\npainting pictures that tell a story. One of the most famous of these,\nan allegorical picture, is given on page 466 G.B. It is interesting to\ntrace out its meaning. See how many prominent features of this picture\nyou can pick out. Notice the three lights: the moonlight, symbol of\nearth's dimness; the lantern light, symbol of the searching light of\nconscience; the light around the Master's head, symbol of the light of\nlove. One of the Master's hands is bound by the light of conscience,\nbut the other is free to knock at the door of the heart of man. The\nbrambles and vines of neglect and sin have grown over the door and it\nhas no latch. It can be opened only from within.)\n\n{24}\n\nWhat woman is ranked among the most famous animal\npainters of the world? 378 G.B.\n\nOf what form of art was Thorwaldsen a master?\nNotice how this form can tell a story 48 H.T.\n\nWho painted the famous frieze of the Prophets\nin the Boston Public Library? 89 H.T.\n\nWhat prophets are represented in each of the\nfour sections? 262, 372,\n 382, 390 S.A.\n\nTell the history of the great statue of David by\nMichael Angelo. 384 H. T.\n\nWho was Michael Angelo?\n\nMurillo, great painter of Madonnas, also painted other pictures. Can\nyou tell the story of the two pictures on 64, 246 H.T.?\n\nAn interesting picture is given on page 38 H.T. Can you tell where\nthis family is going and why?\n\nYou can tell a story of Jesus from the pictures in the volume, \"The\nLife of Jesus.\" Follow those in the order suggested and see how much\nyou can tell about Jesus' life from pages 16, 40, 48, 52, 56, 76, 114,\n232, 236, 274, 312.\n\nThe pictures of Jesus that we see most often were painted by Hofmann.\nThis artist has painted a great many pictures of Jesus and several are\ngiven in the volume, \"The Life of Jesus,\" on pages 84, 164, 210, 266.\nWould you know from looking at them that these pictures were all\npainted by the same man? Why?\n\nLeonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest of Italian\npainters. What is his most famous picture? 252 L.J.\n\nCan you explain who the men are, represented in this picture (252\nL.J.), and what they are all talking about? Do you know why Jesus'\nface is so sad? Look on page 256 L.J. for a larger picture of the face\nof Jesus. This is a study made by Da Vinci for his great painting,\n\"The Last Supper,\" and is called \"The Unfinished Christ.\" It is said\nof this picture: \"Never had such a vision of the face come to mortal\nbefore. Never has it been approached in beauty or power by any painter\nsince.\"\n\nThe following is an interesting observation test as well as a help\nin fixing the beautiful stories in mind. Turn to the picture on page\n254 G.B. Ask the child to examine it closely for a few minutes and\nthen tell you in detail what he sees in the picture. Some children\nwill see many things, others will need suggestions to help them in\nbringing out {25} the interesting points of characters and setting.\nAfter the picture is well in mind turn to page 251 G.B. and read the\nstory of Palm Sunday, letting the child fit his observations to the\nstory.\n\nOther pictures and stories that may be used in the same way are:--\n\n Pictures. 16 L.J., 388 G.B.\n Story. 245 G.B.\n\n Picture. 458 G.B.\n Story. 49 L.J.\n\n Picture. 112 G.B.\n Story. 110 G.B.\n\n Picture. 236 G.B.\n Story. 188 L.J.\n\n Pictures. 290,300 L.J.\n Story. 265 G.B.\n\n Picture. 188 G.B.\n Story. 214 G.B.\n\n Picture. 366 L.J.\n Story. 469 L.J.\n\n Picture. Frontispiece H.T.\n Story. 177 G.B.\n\n{26}\n\n\nQUESTIONS TO ASK LITTLE CHILDREN\n\nIf possible, set a regular time for reading \"The Golden Book\" with the\nchild, taking it page by page. Use these questions to recall the\nprevious lesson before going on to a new story.\n\n\n_Making the Child Think_\n\nWho gives you \"every good gift\"? 32 G.B.\n\nTell something about the beautiful grass\nand flowers 35, 36 G.B.\n\nTo whom do you say your prayers? 40 G.B.\n\nWhat shines in the sky when you sleep?\n(See picture in front of G.B.) 43 G.B.\n\nWhat do you know about one great star? 245 G.B.\n\nWhat shines down on the flowers and the birds\nand the little children when they waken? 44 G.B.\n\nHow do you thank the Father in heaven\nfor his goodness? 47 G.B.\n\nWho is glad when the rain falls? 48 G.B.\n\nHow does God help the seeds to grow into flowers? 51 G.B.\n\nWhat beautiful things does God bring to us\nin the summer? 52 G.B.\n\nTell some good and beautiful things which you\nthank God for in the autumn. 55 G.B.\n\nWhy do you like the cool winter days? How\ndoes God keep the flowers warm? The animals? 59 G.B.\n\nWhat can you do beside the big ocean? 63 G.B.\n\nWhy do the beautiful hills and mountains\nmake you think of God? 68 G.B.\n\nTell some things you can do to make the\nFather in heaven glad. 81 G.B.\n\nHow many things can you do that God wants done? 82 G.B.\n\nWhy do you thank God every day? 85 G.B.\n\n{27}\n\nWhy did Jesus' friends love him? 86 G.B.\n\nDid Jesus have any home? 89 G.B.\n\nTo whose home did Jesus love to go? (Look at\npicture, page 260 G.B., also page 218 L.J.) 90 G.B.\n\nWhat did Jesus do when the people came to see him?\n(Look at pictures on pages 114 and 132 L.J.) 93 G.B.\n\nTell a little story about the Sea of Galilee.\n(Look at picture, page 108.) 94 G.B.\n\nWhen Jesus was a boy, how many things did he do\nthat you do? (Read page 73 G.B. and look at\npicture on page 56 L. J.) 97 G.B.\n\nDo you know why Jesus was called the Great\nPhysician? (Look at pictures pages 104 and 200.) 98 G.B.\n\nWhy do you like to talk to your Father in heaven?\n(Look at the picture on page 192 T.J. and see how\npeople in the East sometimes prayed.) 101 G.B.\n\nTell how a good father is like the Father in heaven. 105 G.B.\n\nWhat did Jesus say about birds and flowers? 106 G.B.\n\nDid you know that there are good trees and bad\ntrees? Tell what Jesus said about them. (Look at\npictures pages 460 and 102 H.T.) 109 G.B.\n\nHow was Jesus very kind to Jairus, whose little\ngirl was sick? 110 G.B.\n\nWhat baby was hid in a basket and afterward grew\nup to be a great man? (Look at page 140 H.T.,\nfor one of the wonders of the country where this\nbaby was born. Look on page 90 H. T. and see how\na great artist represents him as a man.) 117 G.B.\n\nTell how the churches in the Bible lands were\ndifferent from our churches. Where did they get\nthe songs they sang? 121 G.B.\n\nCan you tell one of the stories that Jesus told? 126 G.B.\n\nHow many of the important things that Jesus\ntaught the people can you remember? 130 G.B.\n\nWhat was the name of the little boy who came when\nhe was called? How was his mother unselfish? What\ndo you think made him a great man? (Look at\npicture, page 45.) 132 G.B.\n\n{28}\n\nTell about the shepherd life that made David a\nstrong, brave boy. How did he use his strength\nand bravery when his country needed him? (Look\nat pictures, pages 384 and 388 H.T.) 139 G.B.\n\nWhat did David do for the great King Saul and\nhow did Saul treat David in return? (Look on\npage 404 H.T. and see\nthe place where David hid from Saul.) 151 G.B.\n\nHow did Jonathan show his friendship for David? 156 G.B.\n\nTell what three brave soldiers did to show\ntheir friendship for David. 163 G.B.\n\nTell the name of a wicked son of David and\nwhat happened to him. 167 G.B.\n\nWho was called the \"wisest king,\" and what was\nthe greatest thing he ever did?\n(Look at picture on page 454 H. T.) 170 G.B.\n\nTell the name and the story of the little boy\nwho was put in a pit by his brothers. (Look at\npicture on page 94 H.T. to see how the little\nboy traveled to Egypt.) 177 G.B.\n\nHow did this little slave boy become a great\nruler in Egypt? 181 G.B.\n\nTell how, as a great ruler, he did a kind thing\nto the brothers who had been unkind to him.\n(See picture in front of H.T.) 185 G.B.\n\nTell about the woman who did a good deed to the\nprophet Elijah and how she was richly rewarded. 193 G.B.\n\nWhen Jesus refused to be king in Palestine and\ntold the people that he was king over a greater\nkingdom than they had, what did he mean? By what\nstories did Jesus explain what he meant? 201 G.B.\n\nTell what the little captive girl did to bring\nhealth to the great general Naaman.\n(Look at picture, page 150 T.J.) 205 G.B.\n\nTell all you know about the Jordan river.\n(Look at pictures, pages 284 and 340 H.T.) 224 G.B.\n\nWhat is the strangest lake in the world? Why\nwould you dislike to live near it? (Look at\npicture on page 228 G.B., also on page 34 H.T.) 226 G.B.\n\n\n{29}\n\nPART II\n\nCHARACTER AND LIVING\n\n_For Growth in Knowledge and Character_\n\n{30}\n\n\"Written in the East, these characters live forever in the West;\nwritten in one province, they pervade the world; penned in rude times,\nthey are prized more and more as civilization advances; product of\nantiquity, they come home to the bosoms of the folk of modern days.\"\n\n --_Robert Louis Stevenson_.\n\n{31}\n\nCHARACTER AND LIVING\n\nMAKE THE BIBLE HEROES YOUR FRIENDS\n\nWe ever demand a person for an ideal instead of a principle. By living\na year with a masterful character one would gain more than from a\ndozen years of moral precept. President King of Oberlin College says,\n\"Character is not taught, but caught.\"\n\nSince character is contagious, mere teaching of the bare and unadorned\nmoral principle is almost always vain. But a hero personifies virtue,\ncommands admiration, becomes an ideal.\n\nThis explains the power of stories in creating character. The heroes\nof the Bible fire us with enthusiasm we could never feel for\nimpersonal virtue. To make them our friends is to be influenced by the\nnoblest associates.\n\nWhen Jesus wished to build up character in His disciples He told them\na story, or parable, to supply their lack.\n\nThe method meets the need of mankind to-day as well as in Jesus' time.\nThe Bible has a wonderful story for forming every single trait of\ncharacter. Its heroes illuminate virtue by their heroic deeds. We see\nthe man, admire his deeds, then his motives, and then his character.\nUnconsciously, but none the less surely, we catch his spirit and share\nthe quality of his soul.\n\n\n{32}\n\nJESUS' CHARACTER-BUILDING STORIES\n\nDo you know which parable teaches:--\n\n True neighborliness? 88 L.J.\n\n Spreading of truth? 106 L.J.\n\n Consistent and false profession? 117 L.J.\n\n Hearers divided into classes? 133 L.J.\n\n The spread of Christianity? 134 L.J.\n\n The law of growth in religion? 134 L.J.\n\n Gratitude for pardon? 170 L.J.\n\n The duty of forgiveness? 186 L.J.\n\n Joy over penitence? 202 L.J.\n\n Fatherly love? 203 L.J.\n\n Faithfulness to trust? 204 L.J.\n\n That the Divine call is universal? 207 L.J.\n\n Concerning worldly-mindedness? 212 L.J.\n\n The rejection of Jesus by the Jews? 238 L.J.\n\n The use of advantages? 244 L.J.\n\n That love is the test of life? 246 L.J.\n\nWhen Jesus told the parable of the Sower, he first told the story and\nthen because some of the people did not understand, he went back\nover it, giving full explanation. Read the story of the Sower (133\nL.J.), noting Jesus' method of explanation, and then read the parables\nsuggested below and follow the reading with your own explanation of\nthem.\n\n The Story of the Faithful Servant. 244 L.J.\n\n The Story of the Foolish Rich Man. 212 L.J.\n\n The Story of the Lost Money. 202 L.J.\n\n The House Built on the Rock. 117 L.J.\n\n The House Built on the Sand. 118 L.J.\n\n The Story of the Mustard Seed. 134 L.J.\n\n\n{33}\n\nFOUNDATION STONES\n\nTo what chapter would you turn in your Bible to find how you can best\nserve other people? Can you turn instantly to the Bible's finest\nteachings of charity, of purity, or of faith?\n\nThe Bible is the mine for the Builder of Character, the storehouse of\nFoundation Stones. And yet--can you always go to it and bring back\njust the stone you are needing for the Building?\n\nFew can. But many desire to do so. Above all, parents wish to make the\nBible a power in forming the characters of their children.\n\nBuilding character consists of seizing opportunities. You cannot often\nwait to search out these Bible teachings. They should be at hand for\nthe opportune time when they can be used to correct, or guide, or\ninspire.\n\nSuppose a child is disobedient; suppose he is given to falsehood, or\nis selfish. \"What part of the Bible,\" you ask, \"will be of most help\nin overcoming his fault?\" And, \"How can I be sure of finding the part\ndesired at just the time it should be used?\"\n\nTo answer these and many other such practical questions, the teachings\nof the Bible are here classified so that you may instantly choose the\none you need and apply it at the time the need arises.\n\nCharity\n\n L.J., 88, The Good Samaritan.\n L.J., 110, It is a Sin to Think Evil of Others.\n L.J., 169, Conflict about the Treatment of Sinful People.\n L.J., 207, The Story of the Men Who Made Excuses.\n L.J., 243, The Poor Widow.\n L.J., 246, The Judgment of the King.\n\nCourage\n\n H.T., 386, David and Goliath.\n H.T., 430, How a Brave Prophet Rebuked a King.\n T.J., 183, Daniel.\n L.J., 339, The First Martyr.\n L.J., 396, The Macedonian Cry.\n L.J., 469, The Shipwreck.\n S.A., 447, The Christian Warrior.\n\n{34}\n\nCourtesy and Kindness\n\n H.T., 22, Abram and Lot.\n H.T., 438, A Knightly Deed.\n L.J., 169, Conflict about the Treatment of Sinful People.\n L.J., 221, Zacchaeus, the Publican.\n S.A., 428, An Unruly Tongue.\n S.A., 429, The Peaceable Spirit.\n\nFaith\n\n H.T., 41, The Testing of Abraham.\n L.J., 92, Jesus and the King's Officer.\n L.J., 115, Trust God, and He will Take Care of You.\n L.J., 121, The Roman Soldier's Faith.\n L.J., 180, The Transfiguration.\n L.J., 297, The Resurrection.\n L.J., 301, On the Way to Emmaus.\n L.J., 305, Doubting Thomas.\n L.J., 310, The Ascension.\n S.A., 20, A Morning Prayer.\n S.A., 21, An Evening Prayer.\n S.A., 68, God is Our Refuge.\n S.A., 106, The Lord is Our Refuge.\n S.A., 179, Job.\n\nFaithfulness\n\n H.T., 69, Jacob and Rachael.\n T.J., 35, Ruth.\n L.J., 133, The Story of the Sower.\n L.J., 270, How Peter Denied His Lord.\n S.A., 179, Job.\n\nForgiveness\n\n H.T., 76, Jacob Fears the Wrath of Esau.\n H.T., 91, Joseph.\n H.T., 406, David an Outlaw.\n H.T., 411, Saul's Pursuit of David.\n L.J., 185, Teaching the Disciples.\n L.J., 202, Stories of the Divine Forgiveness.\n\nHonesty and Truthfulness\n\n H.T., 201, The Giving of the Commandments.\n L.J., 106, The New Way of Right Living.\n L.J., 110, It is a Sin to Think Evil of Others.\n L.J., 116, God Wants Deeds, not Words.\n L.J., 335, Ananias and Sapphira.\n S.A., 39, I have Walked in Thy Truth.\n\nHope\n\n L.J., 79, At the Passover.\n S.A., 61, A Song in Time of Trouble.\n S.A., 63, In the Day of Adversity.\n S.A., 79, The Rock that is Higher than I.\n S.A., 91, Give Ear, O Shepherd of Israel.\n S.A., 158, De Profundis.\n S.A., 278, The Coming Messiah.\n S.A., 284, Comfort Ye My People.\n S.A., 288, The Triumph of the Man of Sorrows.\n S.A., 293, Arise, Shine.\n S.A., 449, The Hope of Immortality.\n\n{35}\n\nHumility\n\n T.J., 143, How a Great Soldier was Healed of Leprosy.\n L.J., 105, The Beatitudes.\n L.J., 110, It is a Sin to Think Evil of Others.\n L.J., 111, The Right Way to Do Good Deeds and the Right Way to Pray.\n L.J., 185, Teaching the Disciples.\n L.J., 188, Jesus and Little Children.\n L.J., 207, The Story of the Men Who Made Excuses.\n\nLove\n\n H.T., 396, The Jealousy of Saul.\n T.J., 35, Ruth.\n L.J., 74, The First Disciples.\n L.J., 110, The Right Way to Love Your Enemies.\n L.J., 149, Jesus and John the Baptist.\n L.J., 200, The Good Shepherd and the Sheep.\n L.J., 215, The Raising of Lazarus from the Dead.\n L.J., 240, The Greatest of All Commandments.\n L.J., 248, The Last Supper.\n S.A., 159, Brotherhood.\n S.A., 425, The Greatest Thing in the World.\n S.A., 435, The Gospel of Love and Sonship.\n\nObedience\n\n H.T., 338, Samuel.\n H.T., 370, Saul.\n T.J., 19, A Story of Disobedience.\n\nPatience\n\n L.J., 109, It is a Sin to Get Angry.\n S.A., 55, Wait Patiently.\n S.A., 179, Job.\n\nPatriotism\n\n H.T., 137, Moses.\n H.T., 319, Gideon.\n T.J., 60, Esther.\n T.J., 212, Nehemiah.\n\nPurity\n\n H.T., 202, The Commandments.\n L.J., 105, The Beatitudes.\n S.A., 143, The Songs of the Pure in Heart.\n S.A., 256, Praise of the Wise and Virtuous Woman.\n S.A., 426, Temptation.\n\nReverence\n\n H.T., 470, The Dedication of the Temple.\n T.J., 15, The Story of Creation.\n L.J., 41, The Wise Men.\n L.J., 111, The Right Way to Pray.\n L.J., 237, In the Temple.\n S.A., 30, Song of the Earth and Sky.\n S.A., 42, The Glory of the Lord.\n S.A., 113, The Lord Reigneth.\n S.A., 120, God the Creator.\n S.A., 245, Remember also Thy Creator.\n\n{36}\n\nService\n\n H.T., 91, Joseph.\n T.J., 113, Elijah and Elisha.\n L.J., 78, The First Miracle.\n L.J., 92, Jesus and the King's Officer.\n L.J., 121, The Roman Soldier's Faith.\n L.J., 125, Days of Service.\n L.J., 130, The Miracle at Nain.\n L.J., 136, The Tempest.\n L.J., 141, The Little Girl Who Died.\n L.J., 143, Learning to Serve.\n L.J., 144, The Feeding of the Multitude.\n L.J., 167, The Enemies of Jesus.\n L.J., 197, At the Feast of the Dedication.\n L.J., 229, The Supper at Bethany.\n L.J., 244, The Story of the Faithful Servant.\n L.J., 376, The First Missionary Journeys.\n L.J., 396, The Macedonian Cry.\n\nSympathy\n\n L.J., 141, The Little Girl Who Died.\n L.J., 144, The Feeding of the Multitude.\n L.J., 215, The Raising of Lazarus from the Dead.\n\nThankfulness and Cheerfulness\n\n S.A., 22, A Little Lower than God.\n S.A., 26, A Song of Deliverance.\n S.A., 35, The Good Shepherd.\n S.A., 40, The Lord is My Salvation.\n S.A., 45, Weeping may Endure for a Night, but Joy Cometh in the Morning.\n S.A., 85, Let the Peoples Praise Thee.\n S.A., 116, Thanksgiving and Praise.\n S.A., 118, Our Father.\n S.A., 170, Songs of Praise.\n S.A., 277, God is My Salvation.\n S.A., 286, Awake, O Zion.\n S.A., 290, Beautiful Zion.\n S.A., 291, Ho, Every One that Thirsteth.\n\nUnselfishness\n\n H.T., 91, Joseph.\n T.J., 143, How a Great Soldier was Healed of Leprosy.\n L.J., 70, The Temptation in the Wilderness.\n L.J., 115, The Golden Rule and the Right Way to be Rich.\n L.J., 211, The Rich Young Man;\n L.J., 258, Jesus is the True Vine.\n L.J., 261, Jesus Prays for His Disciples.\n L.J., 346, Simon the Sorcerer.\n\n{37}\n\nTRY LINCOLN'S WAY\n\nDo you know Abraham Lincoln's plan of learning English? It was a very\nsimple and direct way of making the Bible English his own. The Bible,\nwe are told, was one of the four or five books which Lincoln read and\nloved as a boy. He knew it well and to his study of it he owed the\nsimple, strong, and beautiful English which gave his speeches--his\naddress at Gettysburg, the Second Inaugural address, and many\nothers--their high place among the most perfect and enduring of all\nwritings.\n\nThis was his plan: He would read a story, or a part of one, very\nslowly and thoughtfully, oftentimes aloud. When every detail of it was\nclear in his mind, he would close the book, take pencil and paper and\nwrite the story for himself, using as many of the Bible words as he\ncould remember, and trying always to tell the story as _well_ and as\n_completely_, and yet in as _few words_ as the Bible.\n\nHe tells us his stories were never quite so clear, so brief, and yet\nso perfect, as those of his model. But he did learn to command its\nsimplicity, its strength, its brevity, and its imagery.\n\nTry Lincoln's way, using the following selections:--\n\nA Cowardly Deed. 91, 92, 95, 96 H. T.\n\nAn Old Fable. 333, 334 H.T.\n\nThe Story of the Shepherd Boy Who Became King. 382,385,386 H.T.\n\nThe Passing of David. 451 H.T.\n\nThe Wise Men. 41, 42 L.J.\n\nThe First Miracle. 78 L.J.\n\nThe Good Samaritan. 88, 91 L.J.\n\nThe Man Let Down through the Roof. 127, 128 L.J.\n\nThe Miracle at Nain. 130 L.J.\n\nThe Story of the Sower. 133 L.J.\n\nLearning to Serve. 143 L.J.\n\nThe Story of the Lost Sheep. 202 L.J.\n\nThe Story of the Prodigal Son. 203, 204 L.J.\n\n\n{38}\n\nHISTORY AND THE BIBLE\n\n1. The World in Bible Times\n\nThe following great empires of the world held\nfirst place during different periods of the\nhistory of the Jews. Can you recall Israel's\nrelationship to each of these great powers? 488 T.J.\n\n Babylon\n\n During the time of what Hebrew captive was\n Babylon in the ascendency? 183 T.J.\n\n Assyria\n\n During what king's reign did the hordes of\n Assyria, under its greatest king, Sennacherib,\n descend upon Jerusalem? 299 T.J.\n\n Persia\n\n What great Hebrew statesman was associated\n with the splendor of the Persian court? 212 T.J.\n\n Greece\n\n In the time of what brave men was the attempt\n made to force Grecian customs and worship\n upon Palestine? 418, 496 T.J.\n\n Rome\n\n During what time did Rome rule over all the\n lands of Western Asia, including Palestine? 19 L.J.\n\n\n How did the capture of Babylon by Cyrus, in\n 538 B.C., affect the Jews? 397 S.A.\n\n What was the effect of the captivity in Babylon\n upon the Jewish people? 397 S.A.\n\n By what name was the great king Xerxes known\n in the Bible? What historical estimate of his\n character is supported by THE BIBLE STORY, and how? 60,488 T.J.\n\n{39}\n\nFrom your knowledge of general history, link up the stories of Daniel,\nEsther, and Nehemiah in point of time, remembering that:--\n\n (1) Daniel lived for a short time in the court\n of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the\n Persian Empire 206 T.J.\n\n (2) Ahasuerus, who was king of Persia in\n Esther's time, was the well-known Xerxes. 60 T.J.\n\n (3) The incidents of Nehemiah's life began\n \"in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes,\"\n king of Persia 214 T.J.\n\nWhat was the national standing of Egypt during\nOld Testament times? 492 H.T.,\n 488 T.J.\n\nWhat custom in the ancient world explains the question:\n\n \"Is not this the cup from which my lord\n drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth?\" 118,492 H.T.\n\nIt is said that no Bible story more faithfully\ndescribes the customs of the Ancient Orient than\nthe story of Esther. What do you learn of Eastern\ncourt life and the manners and customs of the\npeople from a reading of this story? 60-79 T.J.\n\nWhat Egyptian superstition led to the custom of\nembalming? 493 H.T.\n\nBy whom was the embalming done and how long is\nit said to have taken in the case of Jacob? 130 H.T.\n\nFrom what name is the term \"Palestine\" derived? 493 H.T.\n\nHow did Phoenicia come to have a special influence\nupon the Jews in the time of Jezebel? 113,490 T.J.\n\nA short time before the birth of Jesus, Jerusalem\nwas captured by Pompey and the Jews made tributaries\nto Rome. Herod the Great was appointed king of\nJudea. What was the spirit of the Jews under the\nrule of Herod? 485, 486 L.J.\n\nWhat Caesar was in power in Rome when Jesus was born? 443 L.J.\n\nDescribe the Roman Provincial Government and Army in\nthe time of Paul. 494 L.J.\n\n\n2. The Bible in History\n\nWhy do you consider \"A Morning Prayer\" (20 S.A.)\nappropriate for the use made of it by the English? 497 S.A.\n\nWhat romantic use was made of \"A Morning Prayer\"\n(20 S.A.) by the Huguenots? 497 S.A.\n\n{40}\n\nWhat men considered \"An Evening Prayer\" (21 S.A.)\na consolation for their last moments, and what can\nyou find in the psalm to justify their preference? 497 S.A.\n\nWhat interesting uses have been made of\nPsalm 8 (22 S.A.)? 497 S.A.\n\nTo what use were lines 18 and 19 of Psalm 17\n(25 S.A.) put? 497 S.A.\n\nWhat great university has chosen the first two\nlines of Psalm 27 (40 S.A.) as a motto? 498 S.A.\n\nPick out the line in Psalm 31 (47 S.A.) which\nwas used by Jesus on the cross and has since\nbeen used by many Christian martyrs 498, 499 S.A.\n\nName some martyrs who have died with these\nwords on their lips 498, 499 S.A.\n\nWhat was the secret of Livingstone's great work\nin Africa, judging from his constant use of lines\nnine and ten of Psalm 37 (55 S.A.)? 499 S.A.\n\nWhat great English ceremony is said to be founded\non Psalm 45 (66 S.A.)? 499 S.A.\n\nWhat terms make this Psalm appropriate for such use? 66, 499 S.A.\n\nBy what great men and for what purposes has Psalm 46\n(68 S.A.) been used? 499, 500 S.A.\n\nOn what occasions in English history has Psalm 51\n(75 S.A.) been used? 500 S.A.\n\nHow was Psalm 68 (86 S.A.) used by the friends of\nSavonarola at the crisis of his career? 500 S.A.\n\nTo what general use has Psalm 68 (86 S.A.) been put? 501 S.A.\n\nWhat famous early English poem is full of allusions\nto the Psalms? 502 S.A.\n\nWhat lines in Psalm 90 (104 S.A.) make its place\nin the burial service of the church of England\nespecially appropriate? 502 S.A.\n\nPick out the lines in Psalm 91 (106 S.A.) that\nwere, according to legend, repeated by Pope\nAlexander as he set his foot on the neck of the\nkneeling Emperor Barbarossa over whom he had\njust triumphed. 502 S.A.\n\nFind the line in Psalm 98 (108 S.A.) which was\nused as a proof of the fixity of the earth by\nthe opposers of the Copernican theory. 502 S.A.\n\nIn what way was Psalm 117 (139 S.A.), the\nshortest Psalm, used at the battle of Worcester? 504 S.A.\n\n{41}\n\nWhat did Luther say of Psalm 118 (140 S.A.)? 504 S.A.\n\nName some of the uses that have been made of\nPsalm 118 (140 S.A.) in celebrating success\nand triumph. 504, 505 S.A.\n\nTo what use did the missionary, James Harrington,\nput Psalm 121 (155 S.A.) and what did he name it? 505 S.A.\n\nFind the lines in Psalm 144 (166, 167 S.A.) that\nhave often been used in England and France as a\nmotto on the face of sundials. 506 S.A.\n\nThe moral awakening of the world in our day is,\nit is said, due in no small degree to the\nrediscovery of the prophets of Israel. Isaiah is\nthe specialist on the great social problem of the\ncity, its sins, its volatile and vibrant life, its\nopulence, and its pride. The principles which Isaiah\napplied to the evils of his day are the principles\nof our age and of all times. From a study of the\nmessages of Isaiah what can you say of his stand on\nthis question? 264-296 S.A.\n\n{42}\n\nLIVING WITH THE BIBLE\n\nThe Bible is a mirror \"in which each man sees the motions of his own\nsoul. Many of the Psalms express in exquisite words the kinship which\nevery thoughtful human heart craves to find with a supreme,\nunchanging, loving God, who will be to him a protector, guardian, and\nfriend.\" Many of the Bible passages give utterance to the ordinary\nexperiences and the familiar thoughts of men.\n\nReaders will get more help from the Bible if they know where to look\nfor just what they need. Following is an index to many of the great\npassages in THE BIBLE STORY, arranged under names suggestive of their\npurpose.\n\nA Morning Song of Good Hope. 20 S.A.\n\nEvening after Business. 21 S.A.\n\nVerses about Home Safety. 24 S.A.\n\nOn Going Forth to Something Hard. 32 S.A.\n\nAt a Time of Despondency. 40, 61 S.A.\n\nOn Enduring Gossip. 47, 77 S.A.\n\nA Song of Good Experience. 52 S.A.\n\nA Song of Happy Service. 54 S.A.\n\nFret Not. 55 S.A.\n\nA Cheerful Heart on a Dark Day. 57 S.A.\n\nOn the Wedding of a Kingly Son. 66 S.A.\n\nGod our Rock and our Brook. 68 S.A.\n\nThe Time when I Conquered. 69 S.A.\n\nAfter Church. 70 S.A.\n\nWhen I am Sorry. 75 S.A.\n\nGod is my Home. 79 S.A.\n\nOn a Bright Spring Day. 80 S.A.\n\nWhen Trouble is Over. 82 S.A.\n\nIn Sudden Trouble. 87 S.A.\n\nIn a Storm at Sea. 90, 108 S.A.\n\nGoing to Church. 95 S.A.\n\nMaking Good Resolutions. 98 S.A.\n\nIn a Happy Old Age. 104 S.A.\n\nThe Young Eagle under his Father's Wings. 106 S.A.\n\n{43}\n\nIn His Beautiful World. 111, 112, 120 S.A.\n\nThe Doxology. 116 S.A.\n\nOur Unchangeable God. 117 S.A.\n\nOur Father. 118 S.A.\n\nFor Travelers, Toilers, the Sick Sailors, Strangers. 130 S.A.\n\nAfter Illness. 37 S.A.\n\nAfter a Great Victory. 140 S.A.\n\nA Pilgrim Song. 156 S.A.\n\nThe Sower's Faith. 157 S.A.\n\nWaiting in Darkness. 158 S.A.\n\nThe Loving Brothers. 159 S.A.\n\nThe Song of Cain. 164 S.A.\n\nThe Te Deum. 168 S.A.\n\nThe Nature Lover. 187, 222,\n 236, 238 S.A.\n\nThe Helpful Woman. 256 S.A.\n\nA Trumpet Song of Good Cheer. 284 S.A.\n\nThe Best of Good News. 286 S.A.\n\nThe Man of Sorrows. 288 S.A.\n\nHappy Days are Coming. 290, 291, 293 S.A.\n\nEach of us May be Helpful. 415 S.A.\n\nForgiveness. 422 S.A.\n\nLove Abides. 425, 436 S.A.\n\nThe Glory of Strength. 438, 443, 447 S.A.\n\nThe Hope of Immortality. 449, 490 S.A.\n\nHeaven on Earth. 476 S.A.\n\nJesus Rewards Us. 487 S.A.\n\nNot only from Israel's experience come many words of comfort and cheer\nbut also from the lives of early saints, from the Catholic Newman, the\nreformer Luther, the non-conformist Watts, the American bishop Brooks,\nand others. They are helpful because they are rich with life.\nScattered through these pages they will be to many, from their\nassociations, \"like withered flowers that make the pages sweet.\"\n\nThankfulness. 75 G.B.\n\nAlone with God. 78 G.B.\n\nGod is Our Light. 233, 238 G.B.\n\nJesus and Our Children. 235, 237 G.B.\n\nThe Value of a Single Day. 239 G.B.\n\nWhat even Children can Do. 240 G.B.\n\nGod our Burden Bearer. 241 G.B.\n\nGod our Shepherd. 291, 310, 314 G.B.\n\n{44}\n\nDo not be Anxious. 304 G.B.\n\nContentment. 383 G.B.\n\nGod is never Discouraged. 402 G.B.\n\nThe Best Christmas Giving. 412 G.B.\n\nGod Knows it All. 429 G.B.\n\nGod was in all my Past. 442 G.B.\n\nMore Stately Mansions. 477 G.B.\n\nJesus Calls Us. 101 L.J.\n\nBuried with the Kiss of God. 274 H. T.\n\n{45}\n\nQUESTIONS ON THE TEXT\n\nDo not use these questions simply to \"Mark Time.\" Let their message to\nyou be--\"Forward March.\" Interrogation, not statement, stirs the mind.\nThe questions are framed to draw out the reader's knowledge and\nprovoke discussion that will bring to light interesting points without\nconsuming too much time.\n\nTry the questions in this way: Select one of the following stories and\nread it. After the reading, ask the questions that bear on the story.\nBy means of the subtitles and page numbers the desired questions may\nbe readily found in the pages that follow. The whole family may join\nin this test and it will be doubly interesting if conducted as a game,\nsuch as the old-fashioned \"spell-down.\"\n\nOther stories than those here suggested may be chosen and used in the\nsame way. Select from the titles any part of the Bible that you may\nwish for any particular reason,--its bearing on the Bible School\nlesson perhaps, its seasonal interest, or personal message,--you can\nfind the text by means of the page reference. So using these questions\nyou can make definite strides in knowledge of the Bible.\n\nJoseph in Egypt. 96-108 H.T.\n\nGideon. 319-331 H.T.\n\nDavid and Goliath. 386-394 H. T.\n\nThe Story of the Flood. 24-31 T.J.\n\nEsther. 60-79 T.J.\n\nSamson. 172-182 T.J.\n\nDaniel. 183-190 T.J.\n\nBoyhood of Jesus. 49-53 L.J.\n\nThe Feeding of the Multitude. 144-148 L.J.\n\nThe Rich Young Man. 211, 212 L.J.\n\nThe Raising of Lazarus from the Dead. 215-220 L.J.\n\n{46}\n\nHERO TALES\n\nAbraham\n\nWhat leaders in Hebrew history held a place similar\nto that of Sheik Ilderim in the story \"Ben Hur\"? 19 H.T.\n\nWho tented with his flocks on the upland pastures of\nPalestine, and became the father of a great nation? 21, 487 H.T.\n\nInto what land, later known as Palestine,\ndid Abram come? 21 H.T.\n\nAfter making the journey to the new land with\nAbram, why did Lot not stay with him? 22 H.T.\n\nIn what way was Abram unselfish toward Lot? 22 H.T.\n\nHow did Lot show that he was not so kind and\ngenerous as Abram? 22-25 H.T.\n\nIn what words did God promise Abram that he was\nto be the father of a great nation? 25 H.T.\n\nWhat part did Abram take in the battle of the\nfive kings against the four and why? 25-27 H.T.\n\nWhat pay did Abram take for his service in\nthis campaign? 26 H.T.\n\nHow did God tell Abram that his own children\nwere to be heirs to the land of Canaan? 27 H. T.\n\nWho was Ishmael? 28 H.T.\n\nHow was Abram's name changed to mean\n\"father of a multitude\"? 29 H.T.\n\nHow did God answer Abraham's plea for Sodom? 31, 32 H.T.\n\nWhat became of the \"cities of the Plain\"? 32-36 H. T.\n\nWho was Isaac? 36 H.T.\n\nWhy was Hagar driven out? 36-39 H.T.\n\nHow was the life of Ishmael saved in the desert? 39 H.T.\n\nWhat became of Ishmael? 39 H.T.\n\nIn what way was Abraham tested? 41, 42 H.T.\n\nWhat two ideas of sacrifice did the Hebrews hold and\nwhich idea was symbolized in the offering of Isaac? 41, 491 H.T.\n\nWhat cave did Abraham buy for a family tomb? 45, 46, 491 H.T.\n\n\n{47}\n\nIsaac\n\nWhat kind of man was Isaac? 49 H.T.\n\nBy whom and in what way was a wife sought for Isaac? 49-50 H.T.\n\nHow was the servant received by Rebekah and Laban? 50-56 H. T.\n\nWhat did she say as to going to Isaac? 56 H.T.\n\nIn receiving Rebekah, how did Isaac prove his\nnative courtesy? 59 H.T.\n\n\nJacob\n\nWhat son of Isaac struggled much between right\nand wrong, and suffered many things? 60 H.T.\n\nTell the difference in character between\nEsau and Jacob. 60 H. T.\n\nWhat is a birthright? 60, 491 H. T.\n\nHow did Esau sell his birthright? 60 H.T.\n\nWhat is pottage? 60, 491 H.T.\n\nWhat trick did Jacob play upon his father\nand brother? 61-65 H.T.\n\nWhat threat of Esau's forced Jacob to leave home? 67 H.T.\n\nDescribe Jacob's dream. 67-69 H.T.\n\nWhat was the meaning of setting up stones for\na pillar and pouring oil upon them? 69, 492 H. T.\n\nWhat vow did Jacob make at Bethel? 69 H.T.\n\nWhere did Jacob go to work? 69, 70 H.T.\n\nFor whom did he work? 70 H.T.\n\nWhy did Jacob say he left Laban's home? 72 H.T.\n\nWhat covenant was made between Jacob and Laban? 75 H.T.\n\nHow can you explain the two names given to the\nheap of stones, \"Jegar-sahadutha\" and \"Galeed\"? 75, 492 H. T.\n\nWhat does the word \"Mizpah\" mean? 75 H.T.\n\nIn what ways did Jacob plan to appease Esau? 76-80 H.T.\n\nIn wrestling with the angel what did Jacob\nask of him? 80 H.T.\n\nDescribe the generous way in which Esau\ntreated Jacob. 83, 84 H.T.\n\nHow did Jacob keep his former vow made at Bethel? 69, 87 H.T.\n\nWhat is the origin of the name \"Israel\"? 80, 87, 88 H.T.\n\n\nJoseph\n\nWhat shepherd boy was sold into bondage and\nbecame ruler in a great nation? 91 H.T.\n\n{48}\n\nWhy did Joseph's brothers hate him? 91 H.T.\n\nWhat gift did Jacob give Joseph? 91 H.T.\n\nWhat did Joseph's dreams mean? 91, 92 H.T.\n\nWhat conspiracy did Joseph's brothers\nform against him? 95 H.T.\n\nWhat did Reuben suggest, and why? 95 H.T.\n\nState Judah's proposition and his two reasons. 95 H.T.\n\nWhere was Joseph taken as a slave? 96 H.T.\n\nHow did the brothers deceive Jacob as to Joseph? 96 H.T.\n\nWhen Jacob saw the coat stained with blood,\nwhat did he say and what three things did he do? 96 H.T.\n\nWho bought Joseph as a slave? 96 H.T.\n\nWhat is said of Joseph's business success? 99 H.T.\n\nWhy was Joseph put in prison? 99 H.T.\n\nHow did Joseph prosper in the prison? 99 H.T.\n\nWhat was the baker's dream and\nJoseph's interpretation? 103 H.T.\n\nWhat four requests did Joseph make of the butler? 103 H.T.\n\nDescribe Pharaoh's dream of the fat and lean kine? 104 H.T.\n\nDescribe Pharaoh's second dream 104 H.T.\n\nWho suggested Joseph as an interpreter? 104, 105 H. T.\n\nWhat was Joseph's interpretation of the dreams? 106 H.T.\n\nTell how Joseph was made prime minister 107 H.T.\n\nHow did Joseph provide for the coming famine? 108 H.T.\n\nWhat did Joseph name his two sons? 108 H.T.\n\nWhy did the sons of Jacob come to Egypt? 111 H.T.\n\nWhich one of the brothers was left at home and why? 111 H. T.\n\nDid Joseph know his brothers? 111 H.T.\n\nDid the brothers know him? 111 H.T.\n\nWhat do you think was Joseph's object in his\ntreatment of his brothers? 112 H.T.\n\nHow did the brothers' consciences trouble them? 112 H.T.\n\nWhat demand did Joseph make of his brothers? 112 H.T.\n\nTell the story of the brothers' return to Jacob\nand what did Jacob say to them upon their arrival? 113, 114 H.T.\n\nOn their return to Egypt how did Joseph receive his\nbrothers? 114-117 H.T.\n\nHow did Joseph test the brothers? 117-120 H.T.\n\n{49}\n\nWhat treatment did he finally give them? 120-123 H.T.\n\nWhat command did God give to Jacob? 123 H.T.\n\nHow did Joseph receive his father? 124 H.T.\n\nWhat did Pharaoh do for Joseph's father? 124, 125 H.T.\n\nWhat did Joseph's brothers fear when\ntheir father died? 131 H.T.\n\nHow did Joseph return good for evil? 132 H.T.\n\n\nMoses\n\nWhat is the meaning of the word \"Captain\" used in\nits general sense? 133 H.T.\n\nWho led a race of slaves out of bondage and became\nthe emancipator of a great nation? 137 H.T.\n\nWhat name, formerly applied to the family of Jacob,\nnow signifies the race? 138 H.T.\n\nWhy was there a change in the treatment of the\nEgyptians toward the Israelites? 137 H.T.\n\nUnder this treatment, what did the Israelites become? 137 H.T.\n\nTell the story of the escape of one of the Hebrew\nchildren. 138 H. T.\n\nWho was the nurse found for Moses? 138 H.T.\n\nWhy did Moses smite the Egyptian? 141 H.T.\n\nWhy did Moses flee and to what land did he go? 141 H.T.\n\nWhat were the three leading occurrences that\nmarked Moses' sojourn in Midian? 141, 142 H. T.\n\nWhat was the message from the burning bush? 142, 143 H.T.\n\nHow did Moses show weakness in his answer? 143 H. T.\n\nWhat did God tell Moses to say to the\nchildren of Israel? 144 H.T.\n\nWho was Moses' brother and companion in the task of\nsaving his people? 146, 149 H.T.\n\nWhat demand did Moses and Aaron make of Pharaoh and\nwhat was his answer? 149 H.T.\n\nWhat way did Pharaoh take of still further\noppressing the Israelites? 150, 151 H.T.\n\nWhat was the first plague of Egypt? 155, 156 H.T.\n\nWhat was the second plague of Egypt? 156, 158 H.T.\n\nWhat was the third plague of Egypt? 158 H.T.\n\nWhat was the fourth plague of Egypt? 158,159 H.T.\n\nWhat was the fifth plague of Egypt? 160 H.T.\n\n{50}\n\nWhat was the sixth plague of Egypt? 160, 161 H.T.\n\nWhat was the seventh plague of Egypt? 166, 168 H.T.\n\nWhat was the eighth plague of Egypt? 168-171 H.T.\n\nWhat was the ninth plague of Egypt? 171-173 H.T.\n\nWhat was the feast of the passover; when was\nit celebrated and what was its meaning? 173-177 H.T.\n\nWhat was the tenth and last plague of Egypt? 177 H.T.\n\nWhat did the Egyptians tell the Hebrews to do? 178 H.T.\n\nWhat two routes out of Egypt were possible\nto the Hebrews? Which route was chosen and why? 179 H.T.\n\nHow did Pharaoh change his mind? 180 H.T.\n\nDescribe the escape of the Israelites? 183-187 H.T.\n\nWhy did the children of Israel murmur at Marah? 191 H.T.\n\nWhere did they find an oasis? 191 H.T.\n\nHow were the people fed in the wilderness? 192-197 H.T.\n\nDescribe the part played by Moses and the part\nplayed by Joshua in the battle with the Amalekites 197 H.T.\n\nWhat mountain did Moses climb to talk with God? 201 H.T.\n\nGive the chief idea of the first commandment 202 H.T.\n\nGive the chief idea of the second commandment. 202 H. T.\n\nGive the chief idea of the third commandment. 202 H. T.\n\nGive the chief idea of the fourth commandment. 202 H.T.\n\nGive the chief idea of the fifth commandment. 203 H.T.\n\nGive the chief idea of the sixth commandment. 203 H.T.\n\nGive the chief idea of the seventh commandment. 203 H. T.\n\nGive the chief idea of the eighth commandment. 203 H.T.\n\nGive the chief idea of the ninth commandment. 203 H.T.\n\nGive the chief idea of the tenth commandment. 203 H.T.\n\nWhat did the people do while Moses was on\nthe mountain? 204 H.T.\n\nWhat did Moses do when he came down? 207 H.T.\n\nHow did he punish them? 211 H.T.\n\nHow were the broken tables replaced? 212 H.T.\n\nWhat was Moses commanded to build in the\nwilderness as a dwelling place of God? 214-216 H.T.\n\nWhat things did the people give of their own\nfree will for the furnishing of the tabernacle? 214-216 H.T.\n\n{51}\n\nWhat were the qualifications for the workmen? 219 H.T.\n\nName some of the furnishings of the tabernacle. 220-225, 231,\n 232 H.T.\n\nWhat went before and behind the marching host? 241, 242 H.T.\n\nWhat did the spies report as to the land and\nthe people of Canaan? 243-244 H.T.\n\nAfter hearing the report what did the people\nthink about going on into Canaan? 244, 245 H.T.\n\nWhat was the courageous counsel of Caleb and Joshua? 247 H.T.\n\nWhat did the people decide to do about going forward? 247, 248 H.T.\n\nIn what way did Moses disobey the Lord in\nsmiting the rock? 248, 249 H.T.\n\nWhat was his punishment? 249 H.T.\n\nWhat is told of the brazen serpent? 250, 253 H.T.\n\nHow did the princes of Moab try to bribe Balaam? 256 H.T.\n\nHow was he at first prevented from going with\nthe princes of Moab? 256, 259 H. T.\n\nWhat people did Balaam bless? 265 H.T.\n\nWhat was Moses' last advice to the people? 268, 271, 272 H.T.\n\nOn what mountain did Moses die? 268 H.T.\n\n\nJoshua\n\nWho was the great warrior who won the land of\nCanaan for Israel? 277 H.T.\n\nHow did Joshua show his leadership in his\nfirst command to the people? 278 H.T.\n\nHow did Rahab render service to the spies\nsent by Joshua? 278-285 H.T.\n\nDescribe the passage of the Jordan. 285-287 H.T.\n\nTell the story of the siege and capture of Jericho. 287-292 H.T.\n\nWhat was \"devoted\" spoil? 294,295 H.T.\n\nWhat sin against the \"devoted spoil\" is given as\nthe reason for the defeat at Ai? 294-296 H.T.\n\nDescribe the final capture of the city. 297-300 H. T.\n\nWhat was the trick played upon Joshua by\nthe people of Gibeon? 300, 301 H.T.\n\nWhat was the fate of this people? 302 H.T.\n\nWhy did the five kings make war against Gibeon? 305 H.T.\n\n{52}\n\nTell how Joshua came to the help of the Gibeonites\nand the result of the battle 306-308 H. T.\n\nWhat was the main point in Joshua's last address\nto the people? 308-312 H.T.\n\n\nEhud\n\nWhat broader meaning did the term \"Judge\" have\nin Bible times than at present? 313 H.T.\n\nWhat position did Ehud hold in Israel? 315 H.T.\n\nWhat was the \"summer room\"? 315, 493 H.T.\n\n\nGideon\n\nName the brave judge who freed his people\nfrom oppression. 319 H. T.\n\nDescribe the oppression of the Midianites. 319 H.T.\n\nWhere was Gideon when the angel found him,\nwhat was he doing and why, in such a place? 320, 493 H.T.\n\nWhy was Gideon faint-hearted at first and how\nwas he convinced of his place in Israel? 320, 323 H. T.\n\nWith what act did Gideon begin his campaign? 323, 324 H.T.\n\nWhat is meant by the \"altar of Baal\"? 494 H.T.\n\nBy what sign was Gideon reassured? 324,325 H.T.\n\nIn what ways was the number of Gideon's army reduced? 325,326 H.T.\n\nHow many men remained? 326 H.T.\n\nWhat dream did Gideon hear related in the\nenemies' camp? 329 H.T.\n\nWhat was his plan of attack? 329 H.T.\n\nHow did Gideon's strategy work out? 329-331 H.T.\n\nExplain how the breaking of the pitchers would\ncause a panic among the hosts of the enemy. 494 H.T.\n\n\nAbimelech\n\nWith what evil act did Abimelech seize\nthe leadership? 332, 333 H.T.\n\nWhat was the fate of Abimelech? 334, 387 H.T.\n\n\nSamuel\n\nWhy can Samuel be called one of the finest\ncharacters of the Old Testament? 338 H.T.\n\n{53}\n\nWhat great sacrifice did Samuel's mother make\nregarding him? 338 H.T.\n\nDescribe Samuel's call to be a prophet of the Lord 338-342 H. T.\n\nWhat nation defeated Israel in a great battle? 342-346 H.T.\n\nWhat did the Israelites lose in this battle? 346 H.T.\n\nWhat was the cause of Eli's death? 346 H.T.\n\nHow did Samuel rule in Israel? 349 H. T.\n\n\nSaul\n\nName the farmer who became king 349 H.T.\n\nGive at least two reasons which the people gave\nfor demanding a king. 349-351 H.T.\n\nDid Samuel approve the plan of having a king? 350 H.T.\n\nWhat reasons did Samuel give against the plan? 350, 351 H.T.\n\nWhat were Saul's physical qualifications\nfor being king? 352 H.T.\n\nTell the story of how Saul came to meet Samuel. 352, 353 H. T.\n\nWhat honor was Saul shown in the prophet's house? 354 H.T.\n\nDescribe how he was publicly proclaimed king. 357, 358 H.T.\n\nWas this choice unanimous? 358 H.T.\n\nWhat people came up to attack Israel? 359 H.T.\n\nHow did Saul summon the people? 359 H.T.\n\nWhat was the result of the battle? 360 H.T.\n\nHow did Saul disobey the commandment of God? 361, 362 H.T.\n\nWhat was his punishment? 362 H.T.\n\nWhat gallant deed was done by Jonathan and\nhis armor bearer? 365, 366 H.T.\n\nWhat command did Saul give the people in\nregard to food? 367 H.T.\n\nWho disobeyed? 367 H.T.\n\nHow was he saved? 369 H.T.\n\nHow did Saul disobey God's commands in the\ncampaign against the Amalekites? 370, 373 H.T.\n\nWhat excuse did he make? 374 H.T.\n\nWhat did Samuel tell Saul as to obedience? 374 H.T.\n\nWhat ancient foe of Israel troubled the\nnation toward the close of Saul's reign? 376 H.T.\n\nWhat happened at Endor? 376,379,380 H.T.\n\n{54}\n\nExplain how the term \"familiar spirit\" came to\nsignify a medium. 376, 497 H.T.\n\nTell the story of the battle of Gilboa. 380, 381 H. T.\n\nWhat gallant act was done by the men\nof Jabesh-Gilead? 381 H.T.\n\n\nDavid\n\nWho was the shepherd boy that became king of Israel? 382 H.T.\n\nTell the story of the finding and anointing of\nDavid by Samuel. 383, 385 H.T.\n\nWhat people did Goliath represent? 386 H.T.\n\nHow tall was he in feet? 386, 499 H.T.\n\nDescribe his armor and fighting equipment. 386 H.T.\n\nHow did Goliath challenge the Israelites? 386 H.T.\n\nWhat effect did Goliath have upon the army of Israel? 389 H.T.\n\nHow did David chance to come to the Israelites' camp? 389 H.T.\n\nWhat reward was promised to the man who should kill\nGoliath? 390 H.T.\n\nOn meeting Saul what did David propose that he do? 391 H.T.\n\nWhat was Saul's reply and David's response? 391 H.T.\n\nAfter agreeing that David might fight Goliath,\nwhat help did Saul offer? 391 H. T.\n\nWhat weapons did David finally choose? 391 H.T.\n\nTell what happened when David and Goliath met. 392, 393 H.T.\n\nWho became David's best friend? 393, 394 H.T.\n\nWhy did Saul dislike David? 396 H.T.\n\nHow did he try to harm him? 396 H.T.\n\nTell a story to show how Jonathan showed his\ndeep friendship for David. 402-406 H.T.\n\nWhat opportunity did David have to revenge\nhimself on Saul and what did he do? 406-411 H.T.\n\nHow did David a second time spare Saul's life? 411-417 H.T.\n\nWhat sheep master refused to give tribute to David? 417 H.T.\n\nWhat did his wife do? 419 H.T.\n\nWhat became of the sheep master? 424 H.T.\n\nHow did David hear of Saul's death? 424, 425 H.T.\n\nRead the Song of the Bow and tell its purpose. 426, 429 H.T.\n\nWhat evil deed did David do? 430 H.T.\n\nIn what way did Nathan bring his sin home to David? 431-435 H.T.\n\n{55}\n\nHow did David receive the prophet's rebuke? 435 H.T.\n\nIn what spirit did David receive the report\nof the child's death? 435, 436 H.T.\n\nWhat knightly deed was done by three\ncaptains of David? 438 H.T.\n\nWhat did David do with the gift? 438 H.T.\n\nFor what purpose did David buy a threshing floor? 438-442 H. T.\n\nWhat reason did David give for not receiving\nthe threshing floor as a gift? 442 H. T.\n\nWhat event of David's reign brought him more\ngrief than anything else? 443 H.T.\n\nWhat instructions did David give in regard\nto Absalom? 443 H.T.\n\nWhat happened to Absalom in the forest? 444-447 H.T.\n\nTell how the tidings were brought to David. 447-451 H.T.\n\nHow did David receive the news? 451 H. T.\n\nWhat was David's charge to Solomon before he died? 451 H.T.\n\n\nSolomon\n\nWho was the wisest and greatest king Israel ever had? 452 H.T.\n\nWhat does Solomon ask of God in his dream? 452-455 H.T.\n\nWhat did God grant to Solomon in answer to\nhis request? 455 H.T.\n\nTell about the prosperity of Solomon. 455-457 H.T.\n\nWhy was it better for Solomon than for David\nto build a temple to the Lord? 457 H.T.\n\nIn what way did Hiram, king of Tyre, help in\nthe building of the temple? 457-461 H.T.\n\nWhat part did David have in choosing the site\nfor the temple? 461, 441, 442 H.T.\n\nTell some of the things that made Solomon's temple a\nmagnificent structure. 461-466 H. T.\n\nDescribe Solomon's palace. 469 H.T.\n\nWhat was the first ceremony in the dedication of\nthe temple? 470, 471 H.T.\n\nName six supplications in Solomon's prayer at\nthe dedication of the temple. 471-477 H.T.\n\nFor what reason did the Queen of Sheba visit Solomon? 478 H.T.\n\nWhat did she think of the kingdom? 481 H.T.\n\nHow did Solomon use the commodities brought\ninto his country by trade to improve the\nbuildings of the kingdom? 482, 483 H. T.\n\n\n{56}\n\nTALES OF OLD JUDEA\n\nWho created the heavens and the earth? 15 T.J.\n\nWhat was the work of Creation on the first day? 15 T.J.\n\nWhat was the work of Creation on the second day? 15, 16 T.J.\n\nWhat was the work of Creation on the third day? 16 T.J.\n\nWhat was the work of Creation on the fourth day? 16 T.J.\n\nWhat was the work of Creation on the fifth day? 16, 17 T.J.\n\nWhat was the work of Creation on the sixth day? 17 T.J.\n\nWhat did God do on the seventh day? 18 T.J.\n\nWhat was the temptation of Eve? 19 T.J.\n\nWhat was the punishment? 20, 21 T.J.\n\nWho were the first children? 22 T.J.\n\nWhat was the business of each son when he grew up? 22 T.J.\n\nWhat terrible crime did Cain commit? 22 T.J.\n\nWhat was his punishment? 22, 23 T.J.\n\nWhat was the name of the first ship? 24 T.J.\n\nWhy was it built? 24 T.J.\n\nWhat did it carry? 25-29 T.J.\n\nHow long did it rain? 26 T.J.\n\nWhere did the ark land? 30 T.J.\n\nWhat messengers did Noah send from the ark? 30 T.J.\n\nWhat covenant did God make with Noah? 31 T.J.\n\nWhat was the sign? 31 T.J.\n\nWhat foolish plan was made in the land of Shinar? 32 T.J.\n\nWhat was the result? 32 T.J.\n\n\nRuth\n\nOf what nationality was Ruth? 35 T.J.\n\nOf what nationality were Naomi and Elimelech? 35 T.J.\n\nHow did the Hebrew family come to meet\nRuth and Orpah? 35, 36 T.J.\n\n{57}\n\nWhat losses came to Naomi in the land of Moab and\nwhy did she decide to return? 36 T.J.\n\nGive the story of the actions of each\ndaughter-in-law as Naomi begins her return journey 36-39 T.J.\n\nWhat six pledges did Ruth make to show she was\ndetermined to be one with Naomi? 39 T.J.\n\nBy what name did Naomi, upon her return, wish\nher friends to call her and why? 39 T.J.\n\nInto whose field did Ruth go and for what purpose? 39, 40 T.J.\n\nWhat sacred duty was held by a kinsman in the East? 487 T.J.\n\nFor what reasons did Boaz treat Ruth kindly? 40, 41 T.J.\n\nName some things Boaz did to make it a pleasant\nand profitable day for Ruth. 41 T.J.\n\nWhom did Ruth marry? 47 T.J.\n\nGive the line of descent from Ruth to David. 48 T.J.\n\n\nDeborah\n\nDescribe the oppression of the children of Israel\nin the time of Deborah. 51, 52 T.J.\n\nWhat was Deborah's command to Barak? 52 T.J.\n\nOn what condition would Barak obey? 52 T.J.\n\nDescribe the battle with the enemy. 52, 53 T.J.\n\nWhat happened to Sisera, the enemy's captain? 53 T.J.\n\n\nEsther\n\nWhat was the decree of king Ahasuerus\nregarding Vashti? 60-62 T.J.\n\nHow did Esther happen to come to the throne? 63-64 T.J.\n\nWhat nationality was Esther? 63 T.J.\n\nWhat position did Haman hold and why was\nhe angered at Mordecai? 65 T.J.\n\nDescribe Haman's plot against the Jews 65-67 T.J.\n\nHow did Esther risk her life to plead for her people? 68, 69 T.J.\n\nHow was Mordecai exalted and for what reason? 71, 72 T.J.\n\nWhat was Haman's fate? 73 T.J.\n\nWhat did the feast of Purim commemorate and how long\nwas it celebrated? 78, 488 T.J.\n\n\n{58}\n\nJudith\n\nWho was Judith? 80 T.J.\n\nWho was Holofernes? 80 T.J.\n\nWhat king attacked Israel because it had not\naided him in war? 80-82 T.J.\n\nWhat city in the hill country was besieged? 82-86 T.J.\n\nHow did Judith save the city and the nation? 86-105 T.J.\n\n\nElijah\n\nDescribe the hospitality of the widow of\nZarephath and how it was repaid by Elijah. 114-115 T.J.\n\nWhy did Elijah say he \"troubled\" Ahab? 116-119 T.J.\n\nHow did Elijah show that God could do greater\nthings than the heathen god, Baal? 120-122 T.J.\n\nWhy did Elijah flee and what happened on his journey? 123-127 T.J.\n\nHow did Ahab and Jezebel plot to get\nNaboth's vineyard? 127-130 T.J.\n\n\nElisha\n\nUpon whom did the spirit of Elijah rest? 130-134 T.J.\n\nTell the story of Elisha and the woman of Shunem. 138-143 T.J.\n\nHow did a little captive maid do a service to\nthe great general Naaman? 143 T.J.\n\nWhat did Elisha tell Naaman to do? 144 T.J.\n\nTell how Naaman received Elisha's command. 144-147 T.J.\n\nWhat was the result of Naaman's compliance? 144-147 T.J.\n\nHow did Elisha save an enemy from destruction? 148-152 T.J.\n\nTo what straits was the city of Samaria reduced\nwhen besieged by Benhadad? 152 T.J.\n\nHow did deliverance come to the city? 152-157 T.J.\n\nWhat was the fate of the wicked house of Ahab? 157-162 T.J.\n\nWhat part had Jehu in this destruction? 157-162 T.J.\n\n\nJonah\n\nWhat were the three commands given to Jonah? 165 T.J.\n\nHow did Jonah disobey? 165 T.J.\n\nWhen the storm came what two things did\nthe sailors do? 165 T.J.\n\nWhat happened to Jonah on this voyage? 166-169 T.J.\n\n{59}\n\nWhen Jonah got to Nineveh, what did he do? 170 T.J.\n\nGive the words of Jonah's message to the people. 170 T.J.\n\nWhat was the threefold effect of Jonah's preaching? 170 T.J.\n\n\nSamson\n\nWhat man had strength of body above all other\nmen of his time? 172 T.J.\n\nIn what way was Samson weak? 172 T.J.\n\nDescribe Samson's first feat of strength. 172, 173 T.J.\n\nExplain Samson's riddle and how the Philistines\nwere able to guess it. 173,174 T.J.\n\nIn what way did Samson burn the enemy's cornfield? 175 T.J.\n\nHow did Samson escape from Gaza? 176 T.J.\n\nWhat offer did the lords of the Philistines\nmake to Delilah? 177 T.J.\n\nWhat three falsehoods did Samson tell Delilah\nas to how he could be bound? 177, 178 T.J.\n\nHow was Samson finally captured? 178-181 T.J.\n\nIn what way was Samson revenged upon his enemies? 181, 182 T.J.\n\n\nDaniel\n\nName three qualifications of the youths who were\nchosen to stand before king Nebuchadnezzar. 183 T.J.\n\nWhat captive Hebrew boy refused to defile\nhimself by eating the king's food? 184 T.J.\n\nWhat was the outcome of the food test proposed by\nDaniel? 184, 185 T.J.\n\nBy what service was Daniel exalted in\nNebuchadnezzar's court? 185-190 T.J.\n\nThrough what trial did the three Hebrew boys pass? 190-196 T.J.\n\nWhat four miraculous facts were noticed when\nthe three men were taken from the furnace? 195,196 T.J.\n\nWhy did Nebuchadnezzar believe that Daniel could\ninterpret his dream? 196-198 T.J.\n\nWhat was Nebuchadnezzar's fate? 199, 200 T.J.\n\nName two impious actions at Belshazzar's feast. 201 T.J.\n\n{60}\n\nWhat was promised to the interpreter of the\nhandwriting on the wall? 201 T.J.\n\nTell how Daniel was called to interpret the words. 201-205 T.J.\n\nWhat was Daniel's interpretation? 206 T.J.\n\nWhy was Daniel cast into the lions' den? 206-208 T.J.\n\nWhat facts indicate the kind of night spent by\nthe king while Daniel was in the lions' den. 208 T.J.\n\nWhat effect did Daniel's deliverance have\non the king? 208, 209 T.J.\n\n\nNehemiah\n\nWhat great man of the Hebrew people preferred\nhardship in his native land to pleasure and\nplenty in the Persian king's palace? 212 T.J.\n\nWhat was Nehemiah's position in the foreign court? 212, 213 T.J.\n\nWhat facts were the cause of Nehemiah's resolve\nto return to Jerusalem? 212 T.J.\n\nHow did Nehemiah show his practical patriotism? 212-218 T.J.\n\nWhat difficulties and perils from without did\nNehemiah encounter? 218, 219 T.J.\n\nWhat precautions were taken against the enemy? 219-221 T.J.\n\nWhat opposition did Nehemiah have to meet within? 221-225 T.J.\n\nHow did Nehemiah meet the proposals of the enemies? 225-227 T.J.\n\nDescribe the celebration of the people when the\nwalls were dedicated 227-232 T.J.\n\nWhat oaths did the people enter into at this time? 231 T.J.\n\nState Nehemiah's idea of national greatness. 232 T.J.\n\nHow did the people in the restored city of\nJerusalem profane the Sabbath? 233 T.J.\n\nWhat four means did Nehemiah use to rid the\ncity of Sabbath breaking? 233, 234 T.J.\n\nWhat were the characteristics of Nehemiah\nthat made him an all-round man? 212-234 T.J.\n\n\nDivided Kingdom\n\nName the first three kings of the Hebrew people\nin the order of their succession. 236 T.J.\n\n{61}\n\nHow did the splendor of Solomon's kingdom put a\nburden on the people? 237 T.J.\n\n\nRehoboam\n\nGive the reasons for the rebellion of the people\nagainst Rehoboam, Solomon's son and successor. 237-239 T.J.\n\nWhat two tribes remained loyal to Rehoboam? 239, 240 T.J.\n\nGive the names of the two kingdoms after\nthe division. 236 T.J.\n\nWho was the leader and first king of the\nrevolting Northern Kingdom? 237 T.J.\n\nWhat happened to the kingdom of Judah under Rehoboam? 240, 241 T.J.\n\n\nAbijah\n\nWhat great victory was won by Abijah? 242-246 T.J.\n\n\nAsa\n\nWhat was the general condition of Judah under Asa? 247 T.J.\n\nTell the story of Asa's victory over the Ethiopians. 248 T.J.\n\nWhat foreign alliance did Asa make? 250-254 T.J.\n\n\nJehoshaphat\n\nWhat events, favorable to Jehoshaphat, came to\npass in his reign? 255-265 T.J.\n\nWhat mistake did Jehoshaphat make? 256, 257 T.J.\n\n\nJehoram\n\nWith what evil deed did Jehoram begin his reign? 266 T.J.\n\nWhat covenant formerly given saved the kingdom\nfrom destruction? 266, 267 T.J.\n\nWhy was Jehoram smitten? 267, 268 T.J.\n\n\nAthaliah\n\nTell the story of Athaliah's destruction of the\nroyal children and how Joash was saved 271, 272 T.J.\n\nHow did the priest Jehoiada plan to effect a reform? 272 T.J.\n\n{62}\n\nHow was the plot carried out? 272-275 T.J.\n\nWhat was the fate of the wicked queen? 275 T.J.\n\nWhat covenant was made at this time and how was it\nfollowed up? 276 T.J.\n\n\nJoash\n\nHow long did Joash do what was right? 277 T.J.\n\nWhat ingenious method did Joash adopt for\nraising money to repair the house of the Lord? 277-279 T.J.\n\nFor what guilt did wrath come upon the kingdom? 279 T.J.\n\nWhat disasters overtook the people? 279, 280 T.J.\n\n\nAmaziah\n\nWith what victory did Amaziah begin his reign? 281-285 T.J.\n\nWhat foolish challenge did Amaziah send to the\nking of Israel? 285 T.J.\n\nWith what story did the king of Israel reply? 285 T.J.\n\nWhat was the result of the king's boasting? 285, 286 T.J.\n\n\nUzziah\n\nWhat important work did Uzziah undertake\nfor the nation? 287-291 T.J.\n\nWhat act of irreverence did he do? 291 T.J.\n\nWhat was Uzziah's fate? 291 T.J.\n\n\nJotham\n\nWhat good work did Jotham do? 292 T.J.\n\nWhy did he become mighty? 292 T.J.\n\n\nAhaz\n\nDescribe the character of Ahaz. 293 T.J.\n\nWhat was the great guilt of Ahaz? 293 T.J.\n\nTo whom and in what way did Ahaz become a vassal? 295, 296 T.J.\n\n\nHezekiah\n\nWhat made Hezekiah one of the greatest of\nJudah's kings? 299 T.J.\n\nWhat reforms did Hezekiah carry out? 299-302 T.J.\n\n{63}\n\nWhat was done during this reign in regard to the\nPassover feast? 302-307 T.J.\n\nHow did the people show their faithfulness? 307-311 T.J.\n\nDescribe the defense of Jerusalem against the\nhordes of Sennacherib. 311-313 T.J.\n\nWhat piece of engineering skill did\nHezekiah undertake? 314 T.J.\n\n\nManasseh\n\nWhat were the evil deeds of Manasseh? 317-319 T.J.\n\nUnder what circumstances did Manasseh repent? 319 T.J.\n\nDescribe his later deeds. 319 T.J.\n\n\nAmon\n\nTell the story of Amon's reign. 322 T.J.\n\n\nJosiah\n\nWhat work did Josiah order done as soon as he\nwas old enough to assert himself? 323, 324 T.J.\n\nWhat discovery led to sweeping reforms\nin the kingdom? 324-326 T.J.\n\nDescribe the reforms. 326-328 T.J.\n\nWhat tragedy happened in the valley of Megiddo? 328, 329 T.J.\n\n\nJehoahaz\n\nTell the story of Jehoahaz's short reign. 332 T.J.\n\n\nJehoiakim\n\nHow did Jehoiakim come to the throne of Judah? 335 T.J.\n\nWhat was the character of Jehoiakim, judging\nfrom the words of Jeremiah? 335-344 T.J.\n\nWhat disaster came to the kingdom in the time of\nJehoiakim? 344-345 T.J.\n\n\nJehoiachin\n\nInto what country were the people of Judah carried\ncaptive? 346, 347 T.J.\n\nDescribe the host which Nebuchadnezzar carried\noff to Babylon. 346,347 T.J.\n\nWhat besides captives did the enemy take\nfrom Jerusalem? 346 T.J.\n\n\n{64}\n\nZedekiah\n\nWhat was Zedekiah's position in Judah? 348 T.J.\n\nWhy did Nebuchadnezzar again besiege Jerusalem? 348 T.J.\n\nWhat was Zedekiah's fate? 351 T.J.\n\nDescribe the destruction of Jerusalem. 351 T.J.\n\n\nJeroboam\n\nIn what way did Jeroboam seek to keep the loyalty\nof the people? 353, 354 T.J.\n\nTell the story of the prophet from Judah. 354-362 T.J.\n\nWhat was the prophecy of Ahijah, the prophet,\nconcerning Jeroboam's house? 362-364 T.J.\n\n\nNadab\n\nDescribe Nadab's brief reign. 367 T.J.\n\n\nBaasha\n\nHow did the house of Jeroboam come to an end? 368 T.J.\n\nHow did Baasha become king in Israel? 368 T.J.\n\nWhy was the house of Baasha condemned? 368, 369 T.J.\n\n\nElah\n\nHow did Elah differ from Baasha, his father? 370 T.J.\n\nIn what way did Elah meet his death? 370 T.J.\n\n\nZimri\n\nHow long did Zimri reign? 373 T.J.\n\nWho was Omri and how was he made king? 373 T.J.\n\nHow did Zimri die? 373 T.J.\n\n\nOmri\n\nWhat new capital of the northern kingdom did Omri\nestablish? 374 T.J.\n\nWhat was the character of Omri's reign? 374 T.J.\n\n\nAhab\n\nFor what purpose did Ahab join the king of Judah? 377-381 T.J.\n\nHow did Ahab meet his death? 380, 381 T.J.\n\n\n{65}\n\nAhaziah\n\nWhat were the evil deeds of Ahaziah? 382 T.J.\n\nWhat dealings did Ahaziah have with the\nprophet Elijah? 382-386 T.J.\n\n\nJoram\n\nHow did Joram begin his reign? 387 T.J.\n\nDescribe the expedition against Moab and its result. 388-392 T.J.\n\n\nJehu\n\nWhat did Jehu do to the royal family when he came\nto the throne? 395-397 T.J.\n\nDescribe the destruction of the priests of Baal. 397, 398 T.J.\n\n\nJehoahaz\n\nBy what means was the kingdom of Israel almost\nblotted out during this reign? 399 T.J.\n\nWhat were the sins of the people at this time? 399 T.J.\n\n\nJoash\n\nHow did Joash retrieve the kingdom's losses? 400 T.J.\n\n\nJeroboam II\n\nWhat rank does Jeroboam II take among Israel's kings? 401 T.J.\n\nHow did the country prosper under him? 401 T.J.\n\nWhat prophet was associated with Jeroboam II? 401 T.J.\n\n\nZechariah\n\nAfter the reign of Jeroboam II, what largely\ndetermined the succession to the throne? 402 T.J.\n\nWhat word was fulfilled by Zechariah's short reign? 402, 398 T.J.\n\n\nShallum\n\nWhat terminated Shallum's reign? 403 T.J.\n\n\nMenahem\n\nTo what nation was Israel tributary in\nMenahem's reign? 404 T.J.\n\n\nPekahiah\n\nHow did Pekahiah come to the throne? 407 T.J.\n\nHow did Pekahiah fall? 407 T.J.\n\n\n{66}\n\nPekah\n\nWhat nation invaded and overran Israel in\nPekah's reign? 408 T.J.\n\nHow was Pekah's reign terminated? 408 T.J.\n\n\nHoshea\n\nHow did the capital city, Samaria, fall? 411 T.J.\n\nWhat were the great sins of this people? 411-413 T.J.\n\nInto what land were the people of Israel\ncarried captive? 413 T.J.\n\n\nTales of the Maccabees\n\nWho were the Maccabees, and why were they so called? 418 T.J.\n\nWhat great general conquered Palestine? 418-420 T.J.\n\nHow did Antiochus try to force Greek religion\nand customs upon the people? 420-422 T.J.\n\nTell the story of the first revolt of the Maccabees 422, 423 T.J.\n\nTell the story of the disaster which befell\nthe Jewish army because it would not fight\non the Sabbath. 425 T.J.\n\nWhat counsel did Mattathias give his sons before his\ndeath? 426, 427 T.J.\n\nWhat son of Mattathias took command after his death? 428 T.J.\n\nHow did Judas win his sword? 431 T.J.\n\nOn what famous battlefield did Judas\novercome his foes? 431, 432 T.J.\n\nWhat stratagem did Judas use in his campaign\nagainst the Syrians? 432 T.J.\n\nHow did Judas defeat the Syrians under Lysias? 437 T.J.\n\nHow did Judas purify the temple? 438 T.J.\n\nDescribe the great army which the king brought\nagainst the Jews. 439 T.J.\n\nHow did Eleazar die for his country? 443 T.J.\n\nHow did Judas defeat Nicanor? 443, 444 T.J.\n\nWith what great empire did Judas make a treaty? 445-448 T.J.\n\nWho took Judas' place as leader? 451 T.J.\n\nHow did Jonathan and his men escape from a\nsuperior army? 451, 452 T.J.\n\nWhat large city was taken by Jonathan? 452, 453 T.J.\n\nHow did Jonathan and his captains stand\nagainst a host? 459 T.J.\n\n{67}\n\nHow was Jonathan caught at last by his foes? 460, 463 T.J.\n\nWho took Jonathan's place as leader? 463 T.J.\n\nHow were the foes of Israel delayed by a snowstorm? 464-467 T.J.\n\nHow did Jonathan die? 467 T.J.\n\nWhat memorial did Simon build for his valiant\nfather and brothers? 467, 468 T.J.\n\nWith what king did Simon make a treaty? 468, 471 T.J.\n\nWhat great city did Simon capture and what\ncitadel did he take? 471, 472 T.J.\n\nTell the story of Israel's prosperity in the\ndays of Simon. 475, 476 T.J.\n\nWhat great captain was defeated by the sons of Simon? 479,480 T.J.\n\nHow were Simon and his sons betrayed and murdered? 481, 482 T.J.\n\nName two things which the Maccabees' valor secured\nto the spiritual life of the nation. 482 T.J.\n\nWho was the last of the line of the Maccabees? 482 T.J.\n\nGive the history of the collection of books\ncalled the Apocrypha. 489 T.J.\n\n\n{68}\n\nTHE LIFE OF JESUS\n\nThe Nativity\n\nWhere was Jesus born? 37 L.J.\n\nTell three things about the shepherds. 37 L.J.\n\nWhat two signs did the angel give regarding Jesus? 37 L.J.\n\nWhat was the angels' song? 38 L.J.\n\nAfter the angels departed, what did the shepherds do? 38 L.J.\n\nHow did Mary treat the words of the shepherds? 38 L.J.\n\n\nThe Wise Men\n\nWhat question did the wise men ask on\nreaching Jerusalem? 41 L.J.\n\nWhat was the effect of the question\non Herod, the king? 41 L.J.\n\nWhen they saw Jesus, what three things did\nthe wise men do? 42 L.J.\n\nWhat popular stories has fancy woven about\nthe wise men? 485 L.J.\n\n\nFlight into Egypt\n\nWhat was the reason for the flight into Egypt? 45 L.J.\n\nWhen and why was Jesus brought back to Palestine? 46 L.J.\n\nTo what city was he taken to live? 46 L.J.\n\n\nBoyhood of Jesus\n\nTo what great feast at Jerusalem was Jesus taken\nwhen he was twelve years of age? 49, 491 L.J.\n\nWhat happened on the trip home? 49 L.J.\n\nWhat was Jesus' answer to his mother when she\nfound him in the temple? 49 L.J.\n\nWhat was the home life of little children\nof Nazareth? 50 L.J.\n\nDescribe the school life of Nazareth. 50 L.J.\n\nWhat glimpses of the outer world were possible\nto the residents of Nazareth? 50 L.J.\n\nDescribe a journey to the great feast at Jerusalem. 53 L.J.\n\n\n{69}\n\nBaptism of Jesus\n\nWhat was the great message of John the Baptist? 65, 485 L.J.\n\nHow does John the Baptist speak of the\nsuperiority of Jesus? 66 L.J.\n\nWhat did John the Baptist say to the multitudes,\nthe publicans, the soldiers? 66 L.J.\n\nTell the story of the baptism. 66-69 L.J.\n\n\nTemptation\n\nWhere did Jesus go after his baptism? 70 L.J.\n\nWhat was the first temptation? Give Jesus' answer. 70 L.J.\n\nWhat fact made this temptation exceedingly keen? 70 L.J.\n\nWhat was the second temptation?\nWhat did Jesus answer? 70 L.J.\n\nWhat was the third temptation? 70, 73 L.J.\n\nGive Jesus' answer. 73 L.J.\n\n\nFirst Disciples\n\nWhat reason did John the Baptist give for his coming? 74 L.J.\n\nIn what words did John the Baptist introduce Jesus? 74 L.J.\n\nWho were the first disciples that followed Jesus? 74 L.J.\n\nWhom did Andrew introduce to Jesus? 74, 77 L.J.\n\nHow did Philip become a disciple? 77 L.J.\n\nWhom did Philip bring to Jesus? 77 L.J.\n\nFind six names by which Jesus is addressed. 74-77 L.J.\n\nHow many disciples were found in two days? 74-77 L.J.\n\nName the great men in history who have had\ndisciples and give the meaning of the word.\nWhat was the difference between Jesus'\ndisciples and other like groups? 487 L.J.\n\n\nFirst Miracle\n\nWhat were the occasion and place of Jesus'\nfirst miracle? 78 L.J.\n\nDescribe the miracle. 78 L.J.\n\nName an important result of this miracle. 78 L.J.\n\n\nAt the Passover\n\nWhat two classes of business men did Jesus find\nin the temple? 79 L.J.\n\nWhy was this called \"Herod's temple\"? 491 L.J.\n\n{70}\n\nFrom Nicodemus' first sentence,\nwhat would you judge was his attitude\ntoward Jesus and his estimate of him? 79 L.J.\n\nWhat was Jesus' statement to Nicodemus and\nhow did he explain it? 79, 80 L.J.\n\nWhat does the gospel writer say of the nature\nand object of Divine Love? 80, 81 L.J.\n\n\nJacob's Well\n\nWhat brought Jesus to Jacob's well? 82 L.J.\n\nWhy was the Samaritan woman astonished at being\naddressed by Jesus? 82 L.J.\n\nWhat did Jesus say about living water? 82-85 L.J.\n\nWhat did Jesus say about worshiping God? 85 L.J.\n\nWhat were Jesus' words about himself? 86 L.J.\n\nDescribe the woman's work in the city. 86, 87 L.J.\n\n\nThe Good Samaritan\n\nIn the story of the Good Samaritan, what is\nbrought out about the law of right living? 88 L.J.\n\nHow does Jesus reply to the question, \"Who is my\nneighbor?\" 88 L.J.\n\nWhat three travelers met the unfortunate\nman by the wayside? 88 L.J.\n\nDescribe the actions of each traveler upon\nseeing the unfortunate man. 88-91 L.J.\n\nWhich man proved himself a neighbor? 91 L.J.\n\n\nJesus and the King's Officer\n\nWhat event of Jesus' ministry had occurred\nprevious to this time in Cana? 92 L.J.\n\nWhere was Capernaum, in relation to Cana? 24 L.J.\n\nWhat words of Jesus, in regard to his departure\ninto Galilee, bear out the proverb, \"Familiarity\nbreeds contempt\"? 92 L.J.\n\nFor what purpose did the king's officer\ncome to Jesus? 92 L.J.\n\nBy what words did Jesus test the king's officer? 92 L.J.\n\nHow was the officer's persistency and faith rewarded? 92, 93 L.J.\n\n\n{71}\n\nChoosing the Disciples\n\nFrom what occupations did Jesus choose the Apostles? 94 L.J.\n\nFor what purposes did Jesus say he\nappointed the Twelve? 95 L.J.\n\nName the twelve apostles and note some\ninteresting facts of their lives 96, 97 L.J.\n\n\nSermon on the Mount\n\nWhat are the eight characteristics of men\nthat Jesus pronounces blessed? 105, 106 L.J.\n\nTo whom does Jesus promise the exaltation\nof the kingdom of heaven? 105 L.J.\n\nTo which class, the gay or the mourners,\ndoes Jesus promise blessing? 105 L.J.\n\nTo whom does Jesus promise great inheritance? 105 L.J.\n\nWhom does Jesus promise to fill, the satisfied\nPharisee, or those that are hungering after a\nrighteousness they have not attained? 105 L.J.\n\nTo whom does Jesus promise mercy, the\noppressor or the merciful? 105 L.J.\n\nWhat does Jesus promise those who are pure? 105 L.J.\n\nWhat is the reward for the peacemaker as opposed to\nthe warrior? 105 L.J.\n\nHow does Jesus explain that the persecutor\nis far beneath his victim? 105, 106 L.J.\n\nIn what words does Jesus condemn a personal\nrighteousness that does not exert its\nforce upon others? 106 L.J.\n\nWhat command does Jesus give concerning our light? 106 L.J.\n\nWhat does Jesus say about the law? 106 L.J.\n\nWhat four sins does Jesus condemn? 109, 110 L.J.\n\nWhat does he command in regard to these things? 109, 110 L.J.\n\nWhy does Jesus say we should love our enemies? 110, 111 L.J.\n\nGive Jesus' striking words about the right\nway to do good deeds. 111 L.J.\n\nExplain the Jewish custom in regard to the\npoor that made almsgiving a virtue. 487 L.J.\n\nHow does Jesus explain the right way to pray? 111-115 L.J.\n\n{72}\n\nRepeat the Golden Rule. 115 L.J.\n\nWhat does Jesus say about earthly treasure? 115 L.J.\n\nFor what reasons does Jesus say we may trust God\nto care for us? 115, 116 L.J.\n\nHow does Jesus explain the need for deeds, not words? 116, 117 L.J.\n\nWith what dramatic story does the Sermon on the Mount\nclose? 117, 118 L.J.\n\nHow did the multitude receive the teaching of\nJesus on the Mount? 118 L.J.\n\n\nThe Roman Soldier's Faith\n\nWhy did the Roman captain come to Jesus? 121 L.J.\n\nWhat did the captain say of Jesus' power? 121 L.J.\n\nWhat were Jesus' words in reply to\nthe captain's faith? 122 L.J.\n\n\nDays of Service\n\nTell the story of a Sabbath day at Capernaum. 125, 126 L.J.\n\nWhat did the healing of the leper lead to? 126, 127 L.J.\n\nHow did the man sick of the palsy come to\nJesus to be healed? 127 L.J.\n\nWhat was the controversy between Jesus and certain\nscribes in regard to the man sick with the palsy? 127, 128 L.J.\n\nTell the story of Jesus and the two blind men. 128 L.J.\n\nFrom what regions did people come to Jesus\nto be healed? 128, 129 L.J.\n\n\nMiracle at Nain\n\nHow did Jesus help the widow at Nain? 130 L.J.\n\nWhat report about Jesus was the result of\nthe miracle at Nain? 130 L.J.\n\n\nThe Great Teacher\n\nTell Jesus' story of the Sower and\nexplain the meaning 133, 134 L.J.\n\nTo what things does Jesus liken the kingdom of God? 134, 135 L.J.\n\n\nThe Tempest\n\nWhat happened on the sea of Galilee one night\nwhen Jesus was crossing? 136 L.J.\n\nWhat did the disciples say? 136 L.J.\n\n{73}\n\nWhat reply did Jesus make? 136 L.J.\n\nWhat did Jesus say to still the storm? 136 L.J.\n\nWhat happened when Jesus came to the\nother side of the sea? 136-140 L.J.\n\n\nJairus' Daughter\n\nDescribe Jairus' work as ruler of the synagogue 141, 487 L.J.\n\nWhy did Jairus come to Jesus? 141 L.J.\n\nWhat did Jesus do in response to Jairus' request? 141, 142 L.J.\n\n\nLearning to Serve\n\nWhat was Jesus' method of sending out the\ndisciples and what were his instructions to them? 143 L.J.\n\n\nFeeding the Multitude\n\nWhy did Jesus call the disciples apart to rest? 144 L.J.\n\nWhat two things did Jesus do for the multitude? 144, 147 L.J.\n\nHow did a little boy help? 147 L.J.\n\nWhat other miraculous supplies of food\nare mentioned in the Bible? 192 H.T.,\n 114, 123 T.J.,\n 175 L.J.\n\nWhy do you think Jesus was willing to satisfy the\nhunger of the multitude by miracle when he would\nnot satisfy his own hunger by a miracle? 70, 144 L.J.\n\n\nJohn the Baptist\n\nWhat condition in the life of John the Baptist\nmade him doubt Jesus? 149 L.J.\n\nWhat unselfish words did John the Baptist say\nin regard to himself and Jesus? 150 L.J.\n\nHow did John the Baptist test Jesus? 150 L.J.\n\nWhat was Jesus' reply? 153 L.J.\n\nWhat great tribute did Jesus pay John the Baptist? 153 L.J.\n\nWhat was the occasion of John the Baptist's murder? 154 L.J.\n\n\nBread of Life\n\nWhat did Jesus say about \"food that perisheth and\nfood that abideth\"? 161 L.J.\n\n\n{74}\n\nWhat remark of the people showed the high regard in\nwhich the Jews held Moses? 162 L.J.\n\nHow many times in this speech did Jesus refer\nto himself as the Bread of Life? 161-166 L.J.\n\nWhat did Jesus say about the Father's will for him? 162 L.J.\n\nGive the substance of Jesus' reply to the murmurers. 165, 166 L.J.\n\n\nConflicts\n\nWhat led to the discussion about the Sabbath? 167, 168 L.J.\n\nWhat was Jesus' reply concerning the Sabbath? 168 L.J.\n\nWhat did the Pharisees plot, following this conflict? 169 L.J.\n\nDescribe the event at the Pharisee's house\nwhich displeased Jesus' host? 169 L.J.\n\nWith what story did Jesus explain his treatment\nof sinful people? 170 L.J.\n\nDescribe the conflict about Jesus' wonderful deeds 170, 171 L.J.\n\n\nMiracles\n\nWhy did the Greek woman come to Jesus? 172 L.J.\n\nGive Jesus' words to the woman and her reply. 172 L.J.\n\nWhat miracle did Jesus perform on his return\nfrom Tyre and Sidon? 175, 176 L.J.\n\nTell about the miracle at Bethsaida. 177 L.J.\n\n\nAt Caesarea Philippi\n\nWho did various people say Jesus was? 178 L.J.\n\nGive Peter's statement as to who Jesus was. 178 L.J.\n\nState four prophecies Jesus made regarding himself. 178 L.J.\n\nHow did Peter show his weakness? 178 L.J.\n\nWhat were the words of Jesus' rebuke to Peter? 178 L.J.\n\nName three conditions of discipleship given by Jesus. 178 L.J.\n\nWhat further did Jesus tell the disciples\nabout his coming fate? 179 L.J.\n\n\nTransfiguration\n\nWhat disciples did Jesus take with him to the\nsummit of a high mountain? 180 L.J.\n\n{75}\n\nWhat happened while they were there? 180 L.J.\n\nDescribe what happened when they reached\nthe foot of the mountain 181, 182 L.J.\n\nWhat did Jesus tell the disciples was the\ncause of their failure? 182 L.J.\n\n\nTeaching the Disciples\n\nWhat incident drew from Jesus\na lesson about humility? 185, 186 L.J.\n\nGive Jesus' striking statement about forgiveness. 186 L.J.\n\nOf what part of Jesus' prayer to the disciples\ndoes the story of the Ungrateful Servant remind you? 112, 186 L.J.\n\nWhat lesson did Jesus teach when he spoke of\nlittle children? 188, 189 L.J.\n\n\nTeaching of Light and Freedom\n\nWhy did Jesus stay in Galilee? 190 L.J.\n\nWhat did he tell his disciples to do? 190 L.J.\n\nHow did Jesus go to the feast? 190, 191 L.J.\n\nWhen Jesus taught in the temple, what surprised\nthe people? 191 L.J.\n\nDescribe the debate held by the authorities\non the character of Jesus. 192, 193 L.J.\n\nHow did Nicodemus defend him? 193 L.J.\n\nFrom study of the context what do you think is\nthe meaning of Jesus' two statements:\n\"I am the light of the world\" (193 L.J.) and\n\"Ye are the light of the world\" (106 L.J.)?\n\nWhat did Jesus say about the truth? 193 L.J.\n\nWhen Jesus said, \"The truth shall make you free,\"\nwhat kind of bondage did he refer to? 194 L.J.\n\nWhat great trait in Abraham was lacking in those\nwho claimed to be his descendants? 194, 195 L.J.\n\nHow did this conflict between Jesus and the Jews end? 196 L.J.\n\n\nHealing the Blind Man\n\nFrom which commandment did the Jews get their belief\nthat a man suffers from the sins of his parents? 197 L.J., 202 H.T.\n\nWhat connection did Job's friends think exists\nbetween suffering and sin? 195 S.A.\n\n{76}\n\nHow did Jesus heal the blind man? 197 L.J.\n\nIn what way were the Pharisees divided in their\ndiscussion following this healing? 198 L.J.\n\nUpon what point did the man who was healed\nrefuse to express an opinion? 199 L.J.\n\nHow did this grateful man show that the\nPharisees' opinions were illogical? 199 L.J.\n\n\nThe Good Shepherd\n\nGive the picture of a good shepherd that Jesus draws. 200 L.J.\n\nIn what words does Jesus promise safety,\nliberty, and sustenance to his followers? 201 L.J.\n\n\nStories of Forgiveness\n\nTell the story of the Lost Sheep. 202 L.J.\n\nTell the story of the Lost Money. 202, 203 L.J.\n\nTell the story of the Lost Son. 203, 204 L.J.\n\nWhat did Jesus teach by these three stories? 202 L.J.\n\nWhat lesson did Jesus mean to teach by the\nstory of the Dishonest Steward? 204, 205 L.J.\n\nWhat is the lesson in the story of the\nRich Man and the Poor Man? 206, 207 L.J.\n\nWhat is the teaching in the story of the\nMen who Made Excuses? 207, 208 L.J.\n\n\nThe Rich Young Man\n\nWhat question did a rich young man ask Jesus? 211 L.J.\n\nWhat claims of righteousness did the young man make? 211 L.J.\n\nGive Jesus' words in reply. 211 L.J.\n\nWhat was Jesus' statement regarding rich men? 211, 212 L.J.\n\nWhat did the story of the Foolish Rich Man teach? 212 L.J.\n\n\nRaising of Lazarus\n\nFor what purpose did Mary and Martha send for Jesus? 215 L.J.\n\nWhen Jesus, after a delay, reached Bethany,\nwith what news was he met? 216 L.J.\n\nWith what words did both sisters greet Jesus? 216-219 L.J.\n\n{77}\n\nWhat effect did the raising of Lazarus\nhave on the Jews? 220 L.J.\n\nWhat two others had Jesus raised from the dead? 130, 141 L.J.\n\nTo what miracle did the Jews probably refer\nwhen they asked their question? 219, 197 L.J.\n\nFor what does Jesus thank God in his prayer? 220 L.J.\n\n\nAt Jericho\n\nTell the story of blind Bartimaeus. 221 L.J.\n\nHow did Zacchaeus come to Jesus' notice? 222 L.J.\n\nWhat did Zacchaeus do to show his repentance? 222 L.J.\n\n\nSupper at Bethany\n\nWhen the last Passover in Jesus' life came,\nwhat inquiry did the people make one of another? 229 L.J.\n\nDescribe the scene at the supper at Bethany. 229 L.J.\n\nWhat was Judas' argument? 229 L.J.\n\nWhat prediction did Jesus make in regard\nto the fame of Mary's deed? 230 L.J.\n\n\nEntry into Jerusalem\n\nHow did Jesus ride into Jerusalem? 233 L.J.\n\nWhat did the multitude say? 234 L.J.\n\nHow did Jesus reply to the Pharisees' objections? 234 L.J.\n\nHow did the sight of Jerusalem affect Jesus, and why? 234 L.J.\n\nAt what other time did Jesus weep? 219, 234 L.J.\n\nA few days later what did the Jerusalem\nmultitude shout in regard to Jesus? 276 L.J.\n\n\nCrucifixion Week\n\nWhat did Jesus do on Monday of Crucifixion week? 237 L.J.\n\nWhen did Jesus perform a similar work in the temple? 237, 79 L.J.\n\nBesides cleansing the temple what other lines of\nactivity did Jesus engage in? 237 L.J.\n\nOn Tuesday of Crucifixion week what questions\nwere put to Jesus by his enemies? 238 L.J.\n\nIn what way did Jesus answer the questions? 238, 239 L.J.\n\nTell Jesus' story of the Wicked Husbandman. 238, 239 L.J.\n\n{78}\n\nWhat question was raised about tribute money? 240 L.J.\n\nWhat was Jesus' decision in regard to the\npaying of tribute money? 240 L.J.\n\nWhat did Jesus say was the greatest commandment? 240 L.J.\n\nHow large was the widow's mite according\nto Jesus' estimate? Why? 243 L.J.\n\nFor what purpose did certain Greeks come\nto the disciples? 243 L.J.\n\nGive the substance of Jesus' words at this time. 243, 244 L.J.\n\nTell the story of the Faithful Servant. 244-246 L.J.\n\nTell the story of the Judgment of the King. 246, 247 L.J.\n\nHow probably did Jesus spend Wednesday and Thursday\nof Crucifixion week? 248 L.J.\n\n\nThe Last Supper\n\nWhy did the enemies of Jesus not want to arrest\nhim during the Passover feast? 248 L.J.\n\nDescribe the preparation for the Last Supper. 248, 249 L.J.\n\nTell Jesus' words and actions during the supper. 249 L.J.\n\nWhat act of lowly service did Jesus\ndo for his disciples? 249, 250 L.J.\n\nWhat did Jesus say that troubled the disciples? 253 L.J.\n\nWhat did Jesus do and say to Judas? 253 L.J.\n\nName four comforting promises that Jesus\nmade in this talk with the disciples. 254-258 L.J.\n\nWhat was Jesus' legacy to his disciples? 258 L.J.\n\nIn what words did Jesus, speaking of the vine,\nexpress the dependence of the disciples upon himself? 258 L.J.\n\nTo what extent did Jesus say true love\nwill show itself? 261 L.J.\n\nWhen Jesus prayed for his disciples,\nwhat two things did he say he had done? 261, 262 L.J.\n\nFor what persons did Jesus make requests? 262 L.J.\n\nWhat particular petitions did Jesus make\nfor these persons? 262, 263 L.J.\n\n\nBetrayal\n\nWhere did Jesus go alter the Last Supper and\nfor what purpose? 264 L.J.\n\nWhat did Jesus say in his prayer in the\ngarden about God's will? 264 L.J.\n\nHow did Judas betray Jesus? 267 L.J.\n\n\n{79}\n\nTrial\n\nWhat occurred in the trial before Annas? 268 L.J.\n\nWhat false witness was borne against Jesus\nin the trial before Caiaphas? 269 L.J.\n\nWhat utterance of Jesus at this trial\nwas said to be blasphemy? 269 L.J.\n\nDescribe Peter's denial. 270 L.J.\n\nWhat were the questions and\nanswers at the Jewish court? 270, 271 L.J.\n\n\nJudgment\n\nGive the conversation of Jesus and Pilate. 272, 275 L.J.\n\nWhat was Pilate's decision? 275 L.J.\n\nDescribe the trial before Herod. 275, 276 L.J.\n\nWhat offer did Pilate make to the people? 276 L.J.\n\nWhat was the cry of the people in regard to Jesus? 276 L.J.\n\nIn spite of finding no fault in Jesus,\nPilate delivered him to be crucified.\nWhat reasons can you give for his action? 279, 280 L.J.\n\n\nCrucifixion\n\nWho went with Jesus to the place of crucifixion? 281 L.J.\n\nWhere was Jesus crucified? 281 L.J.\n\nWho were crucified with Jesus? 281 L.J.\n\nWhat was written above Jesus on the cross? 282 L.J.\n\nHow did his enemies taunt Jesus while on the cross? 282 L.J.\n\nGive the conversation between Jesus and the thieves. 282,285 L.J.\n\nWhat was Jesus' conversation with the disciple? 285 L.J.\n\nWhat did the Roman centurion say when Jesus died? 285 L.J.\n\n\nBurial\n\nDescribe the burial of Jesus. 286 L.J.\n\nHow and for what reason was the tomb guarded? 287 L.J.\n\n\nResurrection\n\nWho came first on the Sabbath morning\nto the tomb of Jesus? 297 L.J.\n\nWhat did she find? 297 L.J.\n\n\n{80}\n\nWho came next to the tomb? 297 L.J.\n\nWhat further did the disciples discover? 297 L.J.\n\nTell the story of Mary at the tomb of Jesus. 298 L.J.\n\nHow did Jesus reveal himself to the\ndisciples on the way to Emmaus? 301, 302 L.J.\n\nWhy were the disciples meeting\nin secret at Jerusalem? 305 L.J.\n\nTell about Jesus appearing among them. 305 L.J.\n\nWhat did Thomas say in regard to Jesus appearing? 306 L.J.\n\nHow was Thomas finally brought to believe? 306 L.J.\n\nHow were the disciples engaged when Jesus\nappeared to them again? 307 L.J.\n\nWhat help did Jesus give the disciples? 307 L.J.\n\nWhat commands did Jesus give Peter at this time? 308, 309 L.J.\n\nWhat great command did Jesus give his disciples\nat the Mount in Galilee? 310 L.J.\n\nFor what purpose did Jesus tell the disciples\nto tarry in Jerusalem? 313 L.J.\n\n\nVictories of the New Faith\n\nWhat happened on the day of Pentecost? 325 L.J.\n\nWhat did the people say of the disciples? 326 L.J.\n\nWhat was the theme of Peter's sermon? 326-328 L.J.\n\nGive the result of the preaching. 328, 329 L.J.\n\nWhat miracle was performed by Peter\nand John at the temple? 330 L.J.\n\nGive Peter's message to the astonished people. 331, 332 L.J.\n\nWhat action did the authorities take? 332 L.J.\n\nWhat was the result? 332-334 L.J.\n\nWhat custom in regard to property\nprevailed at this time? 335 L.J.\n\nWhat was the sin of Ananias and Sapphira? 335, 336 L.J.\n\nFor what reason was the first martyr,\nStephen, put to death? 339 L.J.\n\nWhat was the nature of Stephen's defense? 340-344 L.J.\n\nWhat was the result of the martyrdom? 344, 345 L.J.\n\nWhat new city was entered by the apostles,\nand what happened there? 346, 347 L.J.\n\nDescribe the meeting between\nPhilip and the Ethiopian. 348 L.J.\n\n{81}\n\nWhat was the result of the meeting? 349 L.J.\n\nGive the name and character of the woman\nwhom Peter restored to life at Lydda. 350 L.J.\n\nWhat vision had a Roman captain at Caesarea? 353 L.J.\n\nDescribe Peter's vision at Joppa. 353, 354 L.J.\n\nWhat was the result of Peter's visit to the captain? 355, 356 L.J.\n\nFor what act did the Jews at Jerusalem rebuke Peter? 357 L.J.\n\nHow did Peter justify his act? 357, 358 L.J.\n\nDescribe Peter's experience in prison. 359, 360 L.J.\n\nWhere did Peter go after his escape,\nand how was he received? 360, 361 L.J.\n\n\nPaul, the Apostle\n\nTell in brief the life of Paul, the Apostle. 367-370 L.J.\n\nFor what purpose did Paul make\nthe journey to Damascus? 371 L.J.\n\nDescribe what happened on the way. 371 L.J.\n\nWhat part did Ananias have in Paul's conversion? 371, 372 L.J.\n\nHow did Paul show his changed purpose? 372 L.J.\n\nDescribe the plot against Paul and his escape. 375 L.J.\n\nWhere were the disciples first called Christians? 375 L.J.\n\n\nFirst Missionary Journey\n\nWhat was the general location of Paul's\nfirst missionary journey? 376, 381 L.J.\n\nWho were Paul's companions on the first journey? 376 L.J.\n\nTo what island did Paul and his companions go first? 379 L.J.\n\nWhat official did they interest in their message? 379, 380 L.J.\n\nWho opposed them? 379 L.J.\n\nWhere did they go after leaving Cyprus? 380 L.J.\n\nGive the gist of Paul's sermon at Antioch. 380-384 L.J.\n\nWhat was the result among the Jews? 384, 385 L.J.\n\nWhat was the result among the Gentiles? 385 L.J.\n\nFor what reason did Paul and Barnabas leave Antioch? 385 L.J.\n\nWhere did they go? 385 L.J.\n\nWhat happened at Iconium? 385, 386 L.J.\n\nWhy did the people at Lystra call\nPaul and Barnabas gods? 386 L.J.\n\n{82}\n\nHow was Paul mistreated at Lystra? 387 L.J.\n\nWhat was the main work of Paul and\nBarnabas on the remainder of the journey? 387 L.J.\n\nWhat disturbance and discussion\narose within the church? 388 L.J.\n\nHow was it settled? 388, 389 L.J.\n\nWhat was the message sent to the Gentile\nChristians from the disciples at Jerusalem? 390, 391 L.J.\n\n\nSecond Missionary Journey\n\nWhere was the main campaign of Paul's\nsecond missionary journey located? 392 L.J.\n\nFor what reason did Paul and Barnabas\npart, and who was the companion of each? 395 L.J.\n\nWhy did Paul go to Macedonia? 396 L.J.\n\nDescribe what happened first at Philippi. 396, 399 L.J.\n\nFor what cause were Paul and Silas cast into prison? 399 L.J.\n\nWhat happened in the prison in the night? 399, 400 L.J.\n\nHow did the disciples leave the prison? 400 L.J.\n\nWhere did the disciples go after leaving Philippi? 403 L.J.\n\nWhat happened in Thessalonica? 403 L.J.\n\nDescribe the visit to Beroea and the reason\nfor sudden departure from there. 403, 404 L.J.\n\nTo what famous city, the intellectual center\nof the Gentile world, did Paul now go? 404 L.J.\n\nWhat difficulties did Paul encounter at Athens? 404 L.J.\n\nGive the substance of Paul's speech at Athens. 407, 408 L.J.\n\nWhat was the result? 408 L.J.\n\nTo what leading commercial city did Paul now go? 408 L.J.\n\nWith whom did he live at Corinth? 408 L.J.\n\nHow long a campaign did Paul wage here\nin the hope of evangelizing the city? 411 L.J.\n\nWhat did the Jews in Corinth do to Paul? 411 L.J.\n\nHow was Paul released? 411, 412 L.J.\n\nWhere did Paul end this journey? 412 L.J.\n\n\n{83}\n\nThird Missionary Journey\n\nGive an outline of the third missionary journey,\nmentioning the main places visited. 417 L.J.\n\nIn what city did Paul have great success in\nevangelization? 418 L.J.\n\nWhat great metropolis of the world\ndid Paul purpose to visit? 418 L.J.\n\nWhat was the reason for the riot at Ephesus? 418, 421 L.J.\n\nWhat was the cry of the people? 421 L.J.\n\nHow was the riot ended? 422 L.J.\n\nWhere did Paul go after leaving Ephesus? 422 L.J.\n\nHow do you account for the change in\nthe pronoun from \"he\" to \"we\"? 422, 425, 494 L.J.\n\nTell what happened at Troas. 425 L.J.\n\nFor what event was Paul hurrying back to Jerusalem? 425, 426 L.J.\n\nWhat premonitions did Paul make known to the\nEphesians whom he met at Miletus? 426, 429 L.J.\n\nAt what points did Paul touch on his journey\nto Jerusalem? 429, 430 L.J.\n\n\nIn the Hands of his Enemies\n\nWhat objection to Paul did his enemies\nin Jerusalem raise? 433 L.J.\n\nWhat did they do? 433, 434 L.J.\n\nGive the substance of Paul's defense 434-438 L.J.\n\nWhat was the effect upon the mob? 438 L.J.\n\nWhat conversation did Paul have with the\nRoman commandant? 441 L.J.\n\nWhat was the effect of this conversation? 441 L.J.\n\n\nBefore the Council\n\nDescribe Paul's hearing before the council. 442, 445 L.J.\n\nWhat oath did about forty of the Jews\ntake at this time? 445 L.J.\n\nDescribe their plot. 445, 446 L.J.\n\nHow was the conspiracy defeated? 446, 447 L.J.\n\nTo whom was Paul sent? 447 L.J.\n\nGive the contents of the letter sent to Felix. 447 L.J.\n\nWhat decision did Felix make in regard to the case? 447 L.J.\n\n\n{84}\n\nBefore Felix\n\nWho appeared as accusers at the hearing against Paul? 448 L.J.\n\nWhat were the charges brought against Paul? 448 L.J.\n\nWhat was Paul's defense? 448-451 L.J.\n\nWhat was the result of the hearing? 451 L.J.\n\nWhat was the effect of Paul's private\nconversations with Felix? 452 L.J.\n\n\nBefore Festus\n\nWhat was Paul's condition when\nFestus became governor? 452 L.J.\n\nHow did Festus arrange a hearing for Paul? 452 L.J.\n\nWhat appeal did Paul make during his trial? 455 L.J.\n\nWhy could this appeal not be denied? 498 L.J.\n\n\nBefore Agrippa\n\nGive the story of Paul as told by\nFestus to King Agrippa 455, 456 L.J.\n\nWhat reason did Festus give for\nbringing Paul before Agrippa? 457 L.J.\n\nGive the substance of Paul's speech before Agrippa? 457-461 L.J.\n\nWhat confession did the king make to Paul? 461 L.J.\n\nWhat did Agrippa say about Paul's innocence? 461 L.J.\n\n\nVoyage to Rome\n\nGive a general description of Paul's voyage to Rome. 462-466 L.J.\n\nWhy was there doubt about proceeding\nfrom Fair Havens? 469 L.J.\n\nWhat was Paul's advice? 469 L.J.\n\nFor what reason was the advice not taken? 470 L.J.\n\nDescribe the weather when the ship sailed. 470 L.J.\n\nWhat happened soon after? 470 L.J.\n\nWhat did the sailors do after the storm struck? 470 L.J.\n\nHow did Paul try to encourage the hopeless sailors? 470, 473 L.J.\n\nWhat happened on the fourteenth night? 473 L.J.\n\nTell what happened when it was day. 474 L.J.\n\nWhat happened on the island of Malta? 474, 477 L.J.\n\nDescribe the remainder of the trip to Rome. 477 L.J.\n\n\n{85}\n\nIn Rome\n\nWhat liberty was Paul permitted by the\nauthorities at Rome? 478 L.J.\n\nHow did he employ his time there? 478, 481 L.J.\n\nName some of the perils that Paul says\nhe has passed through in his life. 482 L.J.\n\nWhat spirit did Paul show in his farewell words? 482 L.J.\n\n\n{86}\n\nSONGS OF THE AGES\n\nMost of the questions on this volume are of a literary nature and will\nbe found in Part IV, \"The Bible in Literature.\"\n\n\nThe Prophets\n\nWhat broader meaning does the word prophet\nhave than that of merely signifying a predicter\nof future events? 263 S.A.\n\nName the four great prophets. 263 S.A.\n\nWhy were the Minor Prophets so called? 263 S.A.\n\nWhat was the work of the prophets? 263 S.A.\n\n\nIsaiah\n\nWho was the greatest prophet of the Old Testament? 264 S.A.\n\nWhat was the condition of the kingdom of Judah\nwhen Isaiah came to prophesy? 264 S.A.\n\nHow did Isaiah respond to his vision? 264, 265 S.A.\n\nWhat alliance did Ahaz form in\nspite of Isaiah's advice? 266, 267 S.A.\n\nWhat do you think of the effectiveness of\nthe words used by Isaiah where he threatens\nJudah against invasion by the Assyrians? 283 S.A.\n\nWhat prophecy did Isaiah make to Hezekiah\nabout the future of Judah? 268, 271 S.A.\n\nFor what purpose did Sennacherib invade Judah? 271 S.A.\n\nTell how Rabshakeh tried to turn the common people\naway from their allegiance to King Hezekiah. 271-273 S.A.\n\nHow did Isaiah encourage King Hezekiah? 274 S.A.\n\nWhat further word did Sennacherib send to Hezekiah? 274 S.A.\n\nHow was Judah saved from the Assyrians? 275, 276 S.A.\n\n(Questions on the literary value of Isaiah's\npoems may be found in Part IV.)\n\n\n{87}\n\nJeremiah\n\nGive the condition of Judah in the time of Jeremiah. 297 S.A.\n\nIn what way does the life of Jeremiah compare\nwith that of Savonarola? 297 S.A.\n\nWhat were the circumstances of Jeremiah's call? 298-301 S.A.\n\nSum up in a few words Jeremiah's\nmessage to the people. 305 S.A.\n\nWhat did the king do to the roll\nof Jeremiah's prophecy? 305-308 S.A.\n\nWhen Jeremiah continued to rebuke the people,\nwhat happened to him? 309-312 S.A.\n\nHow did Jeremiah escape? 312, 313 S.A.\n\nHow was Jeremiah treated by the foreign conqueror? 314-318 S.A.\n\nWho was appointed governor over the Jews who\nremained in their land? 318 S.A.\n\nWhere did Jeremiah and the royal governor\nmake their headquarters? 318 S.A.\n\nHow did Gedaliah treat the Jews? 318-320 S.A.\n\nWhat was Gedaliah's fate? 320 S.A.\n\nWhat was Jeremiah's warning to the people\nwho wished to take refuge in Egypt? 322-325 S.A.\n\nWhat did the people do? 325, 326 S.A.\n\nWhat does Jeremiah say is to be the\npunishment for the people who went into Egypt? 326-331 S.A.\n\nGive the substance of Jeremiah's prophecy\nconcerning the doom of Babylon. 331-343 S.A.\n\n\nEzekiel\n\nHow does the book of Ezekiel differ from\nevery other book of prophecy? 344 S.A.\n\nWhat was Ezekiel's great aim? 344 S.A.\n\nThe prophecy of Ezekiel falls into three divisions:\n(1) Prophecies concerning the fall of the Jewish\nnation; (2) Prophecies concerning the destruction\nof foreign nations; (3) Prophecies of restoration\nof the Jews. Pick out instances of the three and\nnote the effective symbolism used. 344-353 S.A.\n\nFrom Ezekiel's \"Doom of Tyre,\" describe the\ncommercial activity of a great city in ancient times. 346-351 S.A.\n\n\n{88}\n\nAmos\n\nIn what kingdom did Amos prophesy? 354 S.A.\n\nTell something of Amos' early life and\ncall to be a prophet. 354 S.A.\n\nWhere did Amos make his first appearance and\nwhat was his message? 354, 355 S.A.\n\nHow did Amos defy the priest? 355, 356 S.A.\n\nWhat charges did Amos bring against the people? 356-361 S.A.\n\nAgainst what abuse did Amos speak? 361, 362 S.A.\n\n\nHosea\n\nWhat was Hosea's special message? 363 S.A.\n\nWhat particular sins did Hosea ascribe to the people? 363-365 S.A.\n\nWhat relation between God and his people\ndid Hosea point out? 365, 366 S.A.\n\n\nMicah\n\nIn what respect did Micah's prophecy resemble\nthat of Isaiah? 367 S.A.\n\nWhat social corruptions did Micah especially condemn? 367 S.A.\n\nWhat did Micah mention as the enduring foundations\nof the spiritual world? 369 S.A.\n\n\nObadiah\n\nWhat was the main theme of the prophecy of Obadiah? 370-373 S.A.\n\n\nJoel\n\nWhat was the occasion of the prophecy of Joel? 374 S.A.\n\nHow did the people receive Joel's warning? 378 S.A.\n\nWhat words of Joel were quoted by Peter on\nthe day of Pentecost? 379 S.A., 326 L.J.\n\n\nZephaniah\n\n\nOf what does the prophecy of Zephaniah consist? 380 S.A.\n\nOf his declarations of threats and promises pick\nout strong examples. 380-384 S.A.\n\n\n{89}\n\nNahum\n\nFor what reasons was Nineveh so bitterly hated\nby the Hebrew people? 385 S.A.\n\nWhat was the theme of Nahum's prophecy? 385 S.A.\n\nWhat striking picture does Nahum draw in the\n\"Doom of Nineveh\"? 387-391 S.A.\n\n\nHabakkuk\n\nWhat new problem is dealt with in the prophecy of\nHabakkuk? 392 S.A.\n\nWhat national condition of the Jews brought up\nthis problem? 392 S.A.\n\nWhat would you say is the great thought brought\nout in \"Warnings of the Watchman\"? 392,393 S.A.\n\n\nHaggai\n\nWhat was the national condition of the Hebrews when\nHaggai prophesied? 397 S.A.\n\nWhat was Haggai's particular message to the people? 397-400 S.A.\n\nWas Haggai successful? 397 S.A.\n\n\nZechariah\n\nWhat was Zechariah's aim in his prophecies? 401 S.A.\n\nCompare the beginning of Zechariah's prophecy\nwith that of Haggai in point of time. 398, 401 S.A.\n\nName some of the strange symbols that Zechariah\nused in his prophecy. 401-407 S.A.\n\nWhat encouragements did the prophet give to\nZerubbabel to rebuild the temple? 404 S.A.\n\nWhat is the meaning of the vision of the flying book? 405 S.A.\n\nWhat is the meaning of the vision of the\nwoman in the barrel? 405, 406 S.A.\n\nWhat is the meaning of the vision of the\nchariots of the four winds? 406, 407 S.A.\n\n\nMalachi\n\nWhat was the national condition of the Hebrews\nin the time of Malachi? 408 S.A.\n\nWhat was Malachi's message to the people? 408, 409 S.A.\n\n\n{90}\n\nThe Epistles\n\nIn what effective way did Paul follow up his visits\nto the various churches which he founded? 413 S.A.\n\nName some of the occasions that called\nforth Paul's letters. 413 S.A.\n\nWhat influences other than Jewish are\nfound in Paul's letters? 414, 415 S.A.\n\nNumber the commands given in Paul's message\nto the Romans 415-419 S.A.\n\nDivide these exhortations into two classes,\nthose for personal righteousness and those for\nsocial betterment. 415-419 S.A.\n\nHow many of these commands might be followed to-day? 415-419 S.A.\n\nWhat did Paul say about obedience? 419 S.A.\n\nWhat were Paul's words about contentment? 420 S.A.\n\nWhat attitude did Paul say was worthy of\nthe calling of a Christian? 420 S.A.\n\nWhat particular gifts did Paul say were given men\nfor the building up of Christ's kingdom? 421 S.A.\n\nWhat did Paul say about being angry? 421 S.A.\n\nWhat did Paul say about the fruits of the Spirit? 422, 423 S.A.\n\nAbout what things did Paul say we should think? 424 S.A.\n\nOf all the spiritual gifts to be desired\nwhat did Paul say was the greatest? 425 S.A.\n\nGive Paul's definition of true love. 425 S.A.\n\nWhy can a person be joyful when falling\ninto temptation? 426 S.A.\n\nHow does temptation begin? 427 S.A.\n\nWhat did James lay down as the two elements of\npure religion? 427, 428 S.A.\n\nWhat did James say of faith and works? 428 S.A.\n\nHow large a part does the control of the tongue\nhave in the making of character, according to James? 428, 429 S.A.\n\nTo what two things is the tongue compared? 428 S.A.\n\nWhat three things did James declare the tongue to be? 428,429 S.A.\n\nHow did James say the peaceable spirit\ncould be obtained? 429, 430 S.A.\n\nWhat did James say about the rich and the poor? 430, 433 S.A.\n\nGive James' definition of sin and compare it\nto John's definition on page 435 S.A.. 434 S.A.\n\nName the two definitions of God as given by John. 435, 436 S.A.\n\n\n{91}\n\nHow does John say we may prove our\nfellowship with God? 435 S.A.\n\nWhat does John say proves our love for God? 436 S.A.\n\nCompare John's estimate of love with Paul's. 425, 436, 437 S.A.\n\nMake a list of the rules laid down by Paul for\nthe spiritual athlete. How do these rules compare\nwith the requirements for the physical athlete? 438, 439 S.A.\n\nWhat games do you think Paul may have referred\nto in this letter? 414, 438 S.A.\n\nWhat does Paul say about the foundation of\nthe Christian temple? 440 S.A.\n\nWhat does Paul say dwells in the Christian temple? 443 S.A.\n\nWhat does Paul say makes the Christian temple strong? 443 S.A.\n\nWhat do you think may have suggested to Paul\nthe figure of the Christian as a warrior? 414, 447 S.A.\n\nDescribe the spiritual armor. 447, 448 S.A.\n\nWhat does Paul say are the enemies against which\nthe Christian warrior must fight? 447 S.A.\n\nWhat does Paul say of the immortality of the soul? 449-455 S.A.\n\nWhat message did John write to the church in Ephesus? 460 S.A.\n\nWhat promise for faithfulness was given the\nchurch in Smyrna? 460, 461 S.A.\n\nWhat was the charge against the church in Pergamum? 461 S.A.\n\nWhat was the message to the church in Thyatira? 462 S.A.\n\nFor what was the church in Sardis rebuked? 462, 463 S.A.\n\nWhat promise was given to the church in Philadelphia? 463,464 S.A.\n\nWhat charge was brought against\nthe church in Laodicea? 464 S.A.\n\nWhat beautiful promise was held\nout to the Laodiceans? 464 S.A.\n\nName some of the symbols used in the successive\nscenes of this revelation. 467-478 S.A.\n\nWhat name was given, in John's vision,\nto the Heavenly City? 476 S.A.\n\nName some of the characteristics\nof the Heavenly City. 477, 478 S.A.\n\n\n{92}\n\n{93}\n\nPART III\n\nTHE LAND OF THE BIBLE\n\n_Visiting Palestine with THE BIBLE STORY_\n\n{94}\n\n\"A land not of sailors, not of traders, not of foresters, but a land\nof lonely highlanders who won their living from the soil, from grain\nfields, from vineyards, from orchards, and from sheepfolds. A land of\npaths, not of thoroughfares, with but one great city. A land, not far\nfrom the highroad between Europe and the East, yet secluded on its\nhilltops, where prophets and patriots dreamed in its safe caverns. A\nland which, because it had little possible outreach, reached upward.\"\n\n --_William Byron Forbush_.\n\n{95}\n\n{96}\n\n[Illustration: RADIAL KEY MAP ILLUSTRATING THE OLD TESTAMENT (With\napproximate distances and directions from Jerusalem). Used by\npermission of the American Baptist Publication Society.\n_Copyrighted by Geo. May Powell, 1901_.]\n\n\n{97}\n\nVISITING PALESTINE WITH THE BIBLE STORY\n\nA BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE LAND\n\nThe land of Palestine would be one of the most interesting even if\nsacred events had never occurred within its borders.\n\nIn the first place, it is part of the world's largest oasis. Have you\never thought that it is the most isolated country on earth? Hemmed in\nby the desert, on part of one end by high mountains and on the west by\nthe sea, it seems separated from an other lands as for some peculiar\npurpose.\n\nIt is most astonishing in its physical contour. Though smaller than\nNew Hampshire and of about the same shape, its elevation varies from\nthe height of Mount Hermon, 9000 feet above the sea, to the lower\nlevel of the Jordan, 1300 feet below it. In the short distance of\ntwenty miles from the Mount of Olives to the Dead Sea there is a drop\nof over 4000 feet. Within these limits flourish the pine and the palm,\nthe wheat and the cane, the grackle and the skylark, the mountain wolf\nand the gazelle. The mountain may be covered with snow when the plain\nis green with verdure. From more than one hilltop the traveler can see\nat once the glaciers of Hermon and the steaming cauldron of the Dead\nSea.\n\nThese diversities explain many interesting points of history, and we\nmay understand them more clearly through some of the rare and\nattractive photographs in THE BIBLE STORY.\n\n\nThe Seacoast Plain\n\nPalestine may be most easily described as consisting of four strips\nwidening from north to south, and broken across by Mount Carmel and\nthe Valley of Esdraelon. These strips are, from west to east: the\nlowland plain, the highlands, the Jordan valley, and the tablelands\neast of the Jordan.\n\n{98}\n\nThe lowland plain has several significant features. The coast line of\nPalestine, as you may see by the map (14 T.J.), is broken by only one\nindentation, that of the headland of Carmel, and has not a single\nharbor. The general character of its shores is admirably illustrated\nby the picture (110 S.A.), and their exposure by the picture of\nancient Ascalon (474 T.J.). Jaffa, anciently Joppa, was then as now\nthe common landing place for imports, but the small boats (168 T.J.)\nindicate how limited must have been the foreign commerce that could be\ncarried among the rocks which fringe that shore. The plain farther\ninland was known at the north as the Plain of Sharon and at the south\nas the Plain of the Philistines. As the map (112 T.J.) shows, the main\nhighroad from Asia Minor to Egypt ran through it. That Jerusalem was a\nspiritual rather than a commercial capital is seen in the fact that it\nwas not on this road. Aijalon (364 H.T.) was one of those easy\ngateways at which Judea struggled with Philistia, and the valley of\nSorek (180 T.J.), deeper among the hills, was the home of the\nindividualistic patriot, Samson.\n\n\nThe Highlands\n\nWhen Abraham came down over the backbone of Canaan and stood on the\nsummit of Mount Ebal, which crowns the highlands, he chose for himself\nthe hill country of Judah and Hebron. There may have been a stern\nprescience in this, as well as generosity to his luxury-loving nephew.\nThenceforth the history of the Hebrews, like that of the Scotch, was\nlargely that of highlanders. How suited were those hills for defense\nis suggested by photographs (304, 344, 356 H.T.). These highlands\nslope up gradually from the lowland plain on the west, but on the east\nthey fall toward the Jordan with frightful rapidity, broken by kopjes,\nsmall canyons, and almost inaccessible swift streams. What this\ncountry is like is suggested by the picture (154 G.B.). It was a\nfitting home for such lonely prophets as Elijah and John the Baptist.\nAlong these highlands rested the high towns of Hebron (44 H.T.),\nBethlehem (14 H.T.), Jerusalem (496 H.T.), Shechem (82 H.T.), Samaria\n(156 T.J.), and, beyond Esdraelon, Nazareth (60 L.J.). Farther to the\nnorth lived the brave prophets of the Northern Kingdom among the\nmountain sanctuaries of the Lebanon (44 S.A., 460 H. T.) under the\nshadow of the King of the Land, Mount Hermon (60 S.A.). On these\nhighlands this mere speck of a people intrenched themselves for ages\nagainst the mightiest of world powers. Here lived all their great men.\nHere were written their histories. Here were their two capitals. In\none of their hill towns lived the Master for thirty years; in another,\nJerusalem, he consummated his mission.\n\n\n{99}\n\nThe Jordan Valley\n\nJordan is more glorious in poetry than in history or in fact. As a\nstream it begins nowhere and ends in a salt lake. Its lower banks are\na great hot muggy bowl (126, 394 T.J., 280, 290 H.T.). The stream has\nnever been anything but a boundary, since it is not navigable and is\ntoo low for purposes of irrigation. Its fords have been the scene of\nmany wars of conquest and defense (284 H.T., 64 L.J.), but the people\nliving near it have always been weak and degenerate. It has been\ncalled the pantry of Canaan, fertile for food but ever open for easy\nattack. In literature, the stream has been often referred to as the\nsymbol of the transition of death, and the outlet, the Dead Sea, as\nthe emblem of judgment (34, 258 H.T.).\n\n\nEsdraelon and the Lake of Galilee\n\nWhere the Kishon crosses northern Canaan is a long triangular valley,\nbounded on the south by the low range of Carmel (118 T.J.). This is\nEsdraelon, the fertile (328 H.T., 56 T.J.). It was Israel's natural\nbattleground, and recalls Deborah, Gideon, Sisera, Saul, Ahab, Elijah,\nJehu, Josiah, Pharaoh-necho, the Maccabees, the Romans, the Arabs, the\nCrusaders, and Napoleon. The seer of Patmos foresaw other world\nconflicts even more majestic in this valley of Armageddon.\n\nA part of the Jordan valley, but upon the level of Esdraelon and\nsharing its salubrity, is the Lake of Galilee, unmentioned in the Old\nTestament, but in the time of Jesus a busy center of work and trade\nand the scene of his longest ministry. It is a sapphire sea, set in a\ngolden frame (96, 108 G.B.).\n\n\nThe Eastern Tableland\n\nThe high levels east of the Jordan were the border of the desert (318\nH.T.). They were always occupied, as now, by wandering tribes, and\nthey were decidedly foreign country. To the North there is more\nirregularity, as in the valley of the Jabbok (78 H.T.) mentioned in\nthe story of Jacob. Down this tableland was another caravan road into\nEgypt past Sinai (200, 206 H.T.), from Damascus (410 T.J.), the\ntreasure-house of the East.\n\n\n{100}\n\nUNDERSTANDING GEOGRAPHY BY PICTURES\n\nThe inscription on the back of each of the pictures referred to below\nwill answer the question and the text, referred to in brackets, will\ntell the story more in detail.\n\nWhy is Hebron one of the most interesting spots\nin the world? 166 G.B., 44, 74 H.T.\n\nOf what interesting events was the Ancient Shechem,\nnow known as Nablous, the scene? 24, 82 H.T.\n (82-87 L.J.)\n\nWho is associated with the town of Ramah? 136, 349 H. T.\n\nWhat kind of boats were used on the Nile\nand what were they called? 154 H.T.\n\nOf what value was the Nile to Egypt? 148 H.T.\n\nDescribe the wilderness where the children of\nIsrael wandered for forty years. 200, 206, 224,\n 240 H.T.\n\nWhat important discovery was made in the monastery\nof Saint Catherine near Mount Sinai? 210 H.T.\n\nWhy is Palestine called a \"living Pompeii\"? 234 H.T.\n\nWhat is a Druse family? 134 G.B.\n\nWhy is Petra one of the strangest and most\nmarvelous cities in the world? 252 H.T.\n\nLocate it on the map. 14 T.J.\n\nWhat happens when the muddy waters of the\nJordan flow into the Dead Sea, and why? 258 H.T.\n\nTell the name of \"the city of palm trees\" and\ntwo important facts about it. 280, 290 H.T.\n (287-292 H.T.)\n\nWhat is the modern condition of this once\nimportant city? 390, 394 T.J.\n\nHow does Smith explain this condition? 279 H.T.\n\nGive three important facts about\nthe Plain of Esdraelon. 328 H.T., 56 T.J.\n\nExplain the meaning of the national saying,\n\"from Dan to Beersheba.\" 340 H.T.\n\n{101}\n\nWhat valley was called the\n\"Valley of the Smiths,\" and why? 364 H.T.\n\nWhat do you know about Endor? 378 H.T.\n (376-380 H.T.)\n\nWhat were the two chief industries of Judea?\nIn illustrating his mission by referring to\nthese pursuits, what words did Jesus use? 410 H.T.\n\nWhat do you know about the rock-hewn tombs\nused in Bible lands? 176, 310, 450 H.T.\n\nWhat do you know of the Cedars of Lebanon, and\nwhat is the meaning of the word \"Lebanon\"? 454, 460 H.T.\n\nWhat stands to-day on the old temple\narea in Jerusalem? 464, 468 H.T.\n\nWhat awful contest between rival faiths was fought\nout for a full day on Mount Carmel? 118 T.J.\n (116-122 T.J.)\n\nWhat influence did the great wilderness of the\nBrook Cherith have on the life and literature\nof the Hebrew people? 126 T.J.\n\nBetween what two important cities of Palestine does\nthe road run that is made famous by the story of\nthe Good Samaritan? Why is it called the \"Ascent\nof Blood\"? For what reasons have pilgrims, both in\nJesus' time and ours, traveled this road? 132 T.J., 90 L.J.\n\nWhat two great prophets are associated with\nthe village of Shunem, and how? 136 T.J.\n (138-143 T.J.)\n\nIn whose reign was Samaria made capital of the\nNorthern Kingdom? 384 T.J., 374 T.J.\n\nHow did the location of Samaria make it easy\nfor it to resist assault? Tell the story of\none dreadful siege there. 156 T.J.\n (152-157 T.J.)\n\nHow was Samaria finally brought low? (411-413 T.J.)\n\nHow does the city to-day justify Isaiah's name\nfor it, \"the crown of the pride of Ephraim\"? 360 T.J.\n\nWhat other ruins tell the story of the\nonce proud city? 350 T.J.\n\nExplain the statement made in the time\nof Jesus (82 L.J.) \"For Jews have no\ndealings with Samaritans\" 237 T.J., 488 L.J.\n\nWhat great seaport, the only inside harbor between\nEgypt and Mount Carmel, was the scene of Jonah's\nattempt to escape from the command of the Lord? 167,458 T.J.\n (165-171 T.J.)\n\nThrough what valley does the modern railroad\nfrom Jaffa to Jerusalem run? 180 T.J.\n\nWhat great loss was suffered\nthere in the time of Eli? 180 T.J.\n (342-346 H.T.)\n\n{102}\n\nGive the name of some of the gates in the ancient\nwall of Jerusalem and explain their use 216 T.J.\n 322, 338 L.J.\n\nWhat was the fate of the first wall\nthat surrounded the city? 224 T.J.\n\nDoes any of the wall still exist? 224, 230 T.J.\n\nWhen and for what reason did the ancient\nJews gather at their wailing place in Jerusalem? 244 T.J.\n\nWhat two important mounts are separated by\nthe valley of Jehosaphat, also known as Kidron? 252 T.J.\n\nName something that distinguishes each mount. (264 L.J., 461 H.T.)\n\nWhat important roads run through the valley of\nJehosaphat? Tell some other interesting features\nof the valley. 260, 264 T.J.\n\nWhat little village at the base of the Mount of\nOlives is remembered because of its pool,\nwhich was the scene of one of Jesus' miracles? 274 T.J. (197 L.J.)\n\nWhat interesting discovery has been made\nin connection with this pool? 304 T.J.\n\nWhat was the system of water supply\nin ancient Jerusalem? 298 T.J.\n\nWhat astonishing discovery has been made\nby excavation concerning the mound that covers\nthe ancient city of Lachish in Palestine? 310 T.J.\n\nWhat mount was made a rival of Jerusalem by\nthe erection of a temple which marked it as\nthe central shrine of the nation? 366 T.J.\n\nWhat range is the great mountain barrier of\nnorthern Palestine? 372 T.J., 60 S.A.\n\nLocate this range on map. 213 L.J.\n\nTell the name and character of the famous\nmonument of Mesha, king of Moab. 376 T.J.\n\nWhat can be said of the city of Damascus\nboth as to character and location? 406 T.J.\n\nWhat great man of New Testament times is\nassociated with this city? (371 L.J.)\n\nIn the midst of Mohammedan occupancy to-day,\nwhat portion of the old Christian city of Damascus\nis left to preserve the prophecy, \"Thy kingdom,\nO Christ, is an everlasting kingdom\"? 378 L.J.\n\nWhat river at Damascus was once compared with\nthe Jordan river? 410 T.J.\n\n{103}\n\nBy whom was it compared? (144 T.J.)\n\nWhat two famous cities on the eastern coast\nof the Mediterranean held the commercial\nsupremacy of the East? 436, 442 T.J.\n\nHow did a king of one of these cities come\ninto business relations with a king of Israel? (457 H.T.)\n\nWhat Judean city possessed such fertile soil\nthat it was called the \"House of Bread\"? 478 T.J.\n\nWhat beautiful character is associated with\nthese harvest fields? (35 T.J.)\n\nWhat is the meaning of the name \"Gethsemane,\"\nand why was the garden so called? 260 L.J.\n\nHow did the location of Lydda make\nit a business center? 352 L.J.\n\nName and locate the Roman city in which Paul\nthe Apostle grew to manhood; and give two\nsources of civic pride. 374 L.J.\n\nWhat great prophet had his home in Anathoth,\na little city near Jerusalem? 316 S.A.\n\nWhat scenes in the lives of two great men of\nJudea were laid in the hill country of Judea\nnow marked by the Convent of Mar-Sarba? 358 S.A.\n\nWhat were some of the distinguishing features\nof the city of Corinth in the time of Paul? 418, 432 S.A.\n\nHow did her situation contribute\nto Corinth's greatness? 402 L.J.\n\nFor what characteristics did Corinth became\nproverbial in the ancient world? 410 L.J.\n (408-412 L.J.)\n\nName and describe the most pronounced object\nin Ancient Athens. 406 L.J.,442 S.A.\n\nWhat Bible hero visited these scenes on his travels? 398 L.J.\n (404-408 L.J.)\n\nTell how the situation of Antioch made it a place\nof concourse for all classes and kinds of people. 446 S.A.\n\nLocate Antioch on map. 381 L.J.\n\nWhat historical ground did Paul's\nroute in Macedonia cover? 428 L.J.\n\nWhat natural cause accounts for the decay of\nthe city of Miletus which was in Paul's day one\nof the leading centers of Greek civilization? 420 L.J.\n (425,426 L.J.)\n\nDescribe the aspect, as seen from the sea, of the\ncity of Assos, visited by Paul on his\nthird missionary journey. 424 L.J. (425 L.J.)\n\n{104}\n\nWhat is the appearance of the AEgean Sea\nto-day, commercially speaking,\nas compared with classic times? 432 L.J.\n\nOf what historical events was the city of Salonica\nthe scene and by what name was it known in\nthe time of Paul? 436 L.J.\n (403,404 L.J.)\n\nWhat interesting points might have been\nviewed by Paul from the deck of the\n\"Twin Brothers,\" as it lay in the port of Puteoli? 440 L.J.\n\nName and give the interesting events that centered\nabout the mount known as the \"Mount of God\". 94 S.A.\n\nWhat stands on the island of Malta to-day\ncommemorating Paul's visit there? 480 L.J.\n (474-477 L.J.)\n\nDescribe and give the name of the great Way\nwhich has been called the \"Queen of Roads\". 476 L.J.\n\n\n{105}\n\nLOCATING BIBLE CHARACTERS IN THE LAND\n\n(Use map at the beginning of this chapter except when referred\nelsewhere. )\n\n\nAbraham\n\nLocate the place of Abram's birth, Ur in Chaldea. 21, 487 H.T.\n\nTrace his migration, with his father and family,\nto Haran in Mesopotamia, 21, 487 H.T.; and his\nroute from there to the land of Canaan, passing\nthrough: Shechem (also known as Sichem), his first\nstopping place, 22, 487 H.T.; Bethel, where he built\nan altar, 22, 487 H.T.; Hebron, where he made his\npermanent home and where later Sarah died, 25,45 H.T.\n\nSodom and Gomorrah were situated in the valley of\nthe Jordan where it broadens out in its southern\npart into a plain. The present Dead Sea is said\nto lie over the site of these two cities. Trace\nout on the map the distance covered by Abram when\nhe pursued the five foreign kings \"as far as Dan.\" 25, 26, 488 H.T.\n\nHow does the extent of land, \"from the river of\nEgypt unto the great river Euphrates,\" which was\npromised to Abram and his family, correspond to\nthat territory ruled over by the great king Solomon? 28, 455, 488 H.T.\n\nLocate the town of Beer-sheba,\none of the homes of Abram. 42, 488 H. T.\n\nSolomon built the great temple on Mount Moriah\nin Jerusalem. 461 H.T. What other event do some\nthink happened at this place? 41, 491 H.T.\n\n\nIsaac\n\nLocate and give the meaning of the name of the\nfar distant land where Isaac's wife was sought. 50,491 H.T.\n\n\nJacob\n\nLocate Paddan-aram, where Jacob fled from his\nhome in Canaan to be with his uncle Laban. 68, 492 H.T.\n\nLocate the ford of Jabbok near which Jacob\nwrestled with the angel. 80, 492 H.T.\n\n\n{106}\n\nJoseph\n\nFind the city of Dothan where Joseph's brothers\nconspired against him. 95, 492 H.T.\n\nWhat other great man was associated with Dothan? 151. T.J.,492 H.T.\n\nIn what part of Egypt was the fat land of Goshen,\nwhich Pharaoh gave to Joseph's father and brothers\nfor a dwelling place? 125, 493 H.T.\n\n(Note, in the story of the plagues, 158 H.T.,\nthat the Hebrews still dwelt in this particular\npart of Egypt in the days of oppression.)\n\n\nMoses\n\nTrace out the general route taken by the children\nof Israel from Egypt to Canaan, locating the Red\nSea, where the hosts of Pharaoh were drowned, 180\nH.T.; Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments were\ngiven, 201 H. T.; the wilderness, between the arms\nof the Red Sea, where the people wandered so long,\n242 H. T.; Hebron, to which the spies were sent,\n243 H. T.; Kadesh, where the people abode for many\nyears and where Miriam died, 248 H.T.; Edom, the\nhostile land through which the people wished to\npass, 249 H.T.; Mount Hor, where Aaron died, 250\nH.T.; Moab, where the Israelites encamped for some\ntime, 255 H.T.; the Jordan river, at the head of\nthe Dead Sea, where the Israelites finally crossed\ninto the land of Canaan, 285 H.T.\n\nJoshua\n\n(See larger map of Palestine, 14 T.J., for\nconquests of Canaan.)\n\nWhen the children of Israel crossed the Jordan\ninto the land of Canaan, they found it full of\nfoes. Joshua, the courageous warrior, won the land\nfor the Israelites.\n\nLocate the scene of many of his mighty\nconquests--Jericho, 287 H.T.; Ai, also known as\nHai, 294 H.T.; Gibeon, 300 H.T.; Jerusalem, 305\nH.T.\n\nWhere was Gilgal, the place of Joshua's camp? 300 H.T.\n\n\nEhud\n\nFrom what section of the land did the Moabites\ncome who warred against the Israelites in the\ntime of the judge Ehud? 315 H.T.\n\nThis is the same Moab to which the family of Naomi\nand Elimelech went to escape famine in their\nnative city of Bethlehem (35 T.J.), which was six\nmiles south of Jerusalem.\n\n{107}\n\nBy what physical formation were the people of\nBethlehem able to see that there was food in\nthe land of Moab? 487 T.J.\n\n\nGideon\n\nLocate the land of the Midianites, the Arab\nwanderers who oppressed Israel in the time of Gideon. 319 H.T.\n\n(This is said to be the same country whither Moses\nfled when he killed the Egyptian, 141 H.T.)\n\n\nSamuel\n\n(Map, page 14 T.J.)\n\nBy noting the three great cities of Philistia,\nAshdod, Askelon, and Gath, give the general\nlocation of the land of the Philistines, the\npeople so long at enmity with the Israelites\n(342,360,375 H.T.) from whose hosts came the\ngiant Goliath (386 H.T.) 493 H.T.\n\n\nSaul\n\nLocate the country of Gilead where at Jabesh\nSaul's first battle was fought. 359 H.T.\n\n(Note how the people of Jabesh-gilead later\nremembered Saul's help. 359,381,494 H.T.)\n\n\nDavid\n\n(Map, page 14 T.J.)\n\nWhere was the town of Gath, the home\nof the giant Goliath? 386, 497 H.T.\n\n(Note that later King Uzziah broke down the walls\nof Gath. 287, 288 T.J.)\n\nLocate the land belonging to the tribe of\nJudah on whose hills David lived as a boy\nand tended sheep. 382 H.T.\n\n\nSolomon\n\nDescribe the location of the city of Jerusalem,\nthe capital of the kingdom of David and Solomon.\nGive its position with respect to the Dead Sea,\nthe Mediterranean, Dan, and Beer-sheba. 461 H.T.\n\nDid the Queen of Sheba come far to visit Solomon?\nTrace what was probably her route. Note how far\nSolomon's fame had spread. 487, 498 H.T.\n\n\n{108}\n\nLocate Ezion-geber, the town on the Red Sea from\nwhich Solomon sent his ships to trade in\nEgypt and Arabia. 482, 498 H. T.\n\n(Note that the same people who were formerly in\nbitter bondage in Egypt were trading on equal\nterms with that nation. 498 H.T.).\n\n\nDeborah\n\n(Map, page 14 T.J.)\n\nWhat general section of the Israelitish country was\nconcerned in the story of Deborah? 487 T.J.\n\nLocate the principal places: the hill country of\nEphraim near the country belonging to the tribe of\nNaphtali from which Barak came to seek Deborah's\nhelp, 52, 53 T.J.; Bethel where Deborah lived, 52\nT.J.\n\n\nElijah and Elisha\n\n(Map, page 112 T.J.)\n\nTrace out the journeys of Elijah from Samaria, the\ncapital of Ahab's kingdom (113 T.J.) to Zarephath,\nwhere the widow served him, 114, 115 T.J.; Mount\nCarmel near Jezreel where he met the prophets of\nBaal, 116-122 T.J.; Beer-sheba, where he left his\nservant, 123 T.J.; Mount Horeb, where he received\nnew courage, 123, 124 T.J.; Jezreel, the scene of\nNaboth's vineyard, 127-130 T.J.; the Jordan, near\nJerusalem, where Elijah was taken in a chariot of\nfire and where Elisha took up his work, 130-134 T.J.\n\nLocate Syria and its capital, Damascus, the home of\nNaaman, the leper who came to Elisha to be healed. 143-147 T.J.\n\n\nJonah\n\nLocate Joppa, from which place Jonah sailed to\nTarshish.\n\nLocate Nineveh to which he finally went. 165-171, 493 T.J.\n\n\nSamson\n\n(Map, page 14 T.J.)\n\nLocate the city of Dan which was Samson's home, and\nin general the scenes of his raids into Philistia. 172-182, 493 T.J.\n\n\nDaniel\n\nLocate Babylon, where Daniel lived in the court of\nNebuchadnezzar. 183 T.J.\n\n\n{109}\n\nEsther, Nehemiah\n\nLocate Shushan, prominent in the stories of Esther\nand Nehemiah. 60, 212, 488 T.J.\n\nLife of Jesus\n\n(Use map, page 24 L.J., in addition to map in this\nvolume.)\n\nThe scenes of Jesus' life were laid in many places throughout the land\nof Palestine. These places are here tabulated and divided according to\nthe periods of His life. Three practical tests are proposed:--\n\n(1) How many of the places given below suggest to you familiar\nstories?\n\n(2) How many of these scenes can you locate on the map?\n\n(3) Make an outline of the life of Jesus from the sequence of events\nhere given by writing out in brief the incident connected with each\nplace.\n\n\nThe Boyhood\n\n Bethlehem of Judea. 37 L.J.\n\n Jerusalem. 49 L.J.\n\n Egypt. 45 L.J.\n\n Nazareth. 49 L.J.\n\n\nPreparation for the Ministry\n\n The Jordan River. 65 L.J.\n\n The Wilderness near Jericho. 70 L.J.\n\n\nThe Ministry\n\n Cana. 78 L.J.\n\n Samaria. 82 L.J.\n\n The Mount of Beatitudes. 105, 107, 108 L.J.\n\n Capernaum. 125 L.J.\n\n The City of Nain. 130 L.J.\n\n The Lake of Gennesaret. 136, 489 L.J.\n\n The Banquet Hall of Herod. 154 L.J.\n\n The Pool of Bethesda. 167, 489 L.J.\n\n Caesarea Philippi. 178 L.J.\n\n Bethany. 215 L.J.\n\n Jericho. 221 L.J.\n\n{110}\n\nPassion Week\n\n An Upper Chamber. 249 L.J.\n\n The Mount of Olives. 264 L.J.\n\n Palace of the High Priest. 269 L.J.\n\n Pilate's Palace. 272 L.J.\n\n The Palace of Herod. 275 L.J.\n\n Pilate's Judgment Hall. 276 L.J.\n\n Golgotha (Calvary) 281 L.J.\n\n Joseph's Garden. 286 L.J.\n\n\nThe Resurrection\n\n The Village of Emmaus. 301 L.J.\n\n The Sea of Galilee. 307 L.J.\n\n The Mount of Ascension. 310 L.J.\n\n\nTrace out on the map on page 381 the first\nmissionary journey of Paul. 376 L.J.\n\nTrace out on the map on page 393 Paul's second\nmissionary journey. 392 L.J.\n\nTrace out on the map on page 415 Paul's third\nmissionary journey. 417 L.J.\n\nFollow the route on page 449 of Paul's\njourney to Rome. 462 L.J.\n\n\n{111}\n\nPART IV\n\nTHE BIBLE IN LITERATURE\n\n_For Lovers of Literature_\n\n{112}\n\n\"It is surely good that our youth, during the formative period, should\nhave displayed to them, in a literary dress as brilliant as that of\nGreek literature, in lyrics which Pindar cannot surpass, in rhetoric as\nforcible as that of Demosthenes, or contemplative prose not inferior to\nPlato's--a people dominated by an utter passion for righteousness.\"\n --_Richard G. Moulton_.\n\n{113}\n\nTHE BIBLE IN LITERATURE\n\nTHE BIBLE'S PLACE IN LITERATURE\n\nIt may well be said that, like our English speech, our literature has\ndrawn its material and its inspiration from many tongues and peoples.\nIts sources are world-wide. Its stream flows from innumerable springs\nand fountains. Some of them have been shallow and some have given up\nonly the waters of bitterness, but many there are which keep the\ncurrent broad and pure and deep. And of those fountains that ever pour\nout living water the most abounding is our English Bible.\n\nSo abundantly has our literature drawn from the Bible that a study of\nit is the very beginning of the knowledge of English writings. He\nalone can be called educated who knows this Book; for its _style_, its\n_substance_ and its _spirit_ are thoroughly woven into the thought and\nlanguage of English-speaking people.\n\nIn the age of Elizabeth, when the Bible was translated, our English\nwords were coming fresh coined to our language from the mint of life.\nNew words were being made out of men's experiences. Such words brought\nthe pictures and images of things and actions vividly to the mind as\nour abstract speech of to-day can never do. It was this living,\nconcrete language which men like Tindale and Coverdale wrought into\nwhat became the King James Version; and with such mastery that to this\nday the Bible has no peer in the vigor, the directness, and the\nsimplicity of its style. Then, too, in those days religious belief was\noften a matter of life and death. Many of the translators finally gave\nup their lives rather than to renounce their convictions, and it could\nonly be that such men would give to the Bible a style that breathes\nalways the noble dignity and earnestness of martyrs.\n\nThus he who would appraise our English writings must weigh whatever\nthey possess of the earnestness, the simplicity, the vigor, the\ndirectness of the Bible. He must himself have mastered well that great\nsource of English style.\n\n{114}\n\nThen who shall measure the treasures of the Bible substance that our\nwriters have poured into their books? The Bible has contributed their\nlanguage, their plots, their incidents, their characters, their moral\nlessons, even their names. Words can no more than faintly suggest how\nfull to overflowing of the Bible is our literature. An allusion from\nthe Scriptures adorns almost every page of such writers as Browning\nand Ruskin. Five hundred Biblical allusions appear in the Ring and the\nBook alone. Thousands of them are scattered through Shakespeare and in\ntheir use the poet climbs perhaps oftenest to the heights of his\ngenius. It has been said that no other passage in Shakespeare has the\nsublimity of that one patterned by the lover of Jessica from the Book\nof Job:--\n\n [Footnote: Lorenzo thus addresses Jessica. (See page 157.)]\n\n \"Look how the floor of heaven\n Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold;\n There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st\n But in his motion like an angel sings.\"\n\nOur masters of poetry and prose have thus become the Bible's\nmessengers; but such also are the lesser writers and speakers of every\nday. The Bible words find a response that is universal; for Truth\nknows no chosen vessel but rather has chosen all. Story and lyric,\nepic and drama, alike carry onward the Bible's messages and continue\nto spread their truth among all people of the English tongue.\n\nBut perhaps most precious of all the Bible's contributions to our\nliterature is the gift of its spirit. The creators of the best in\nEnglish have shared that spirit in that their works have shared the\nBible's lofty purposes. Who so earnestly preaches the living of a life\nas John Bunyan in Pilgrim's Progress? Who more resembles the Hebrew\nseer warning his people of their danger, than Lincoln, when with\nsolemn prophecy he declares: \"'A house divided against itself cannot\nstand.' I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave\nand half free\"? Carlyle calling the world to repentance, Dickens and\nThackeray calling it to reform, Emerson pointing new heights for\nreason and faith and love, Browning proclaiming \"The best is yet to\nbe\"--each in his own way seeks to bring in the Kingdom. And what is\nthe spirit of the Bible, unless it be the spirit of a people seeking\nafter God if haply they might find Him?\n\nIf we should study what has called out the best in men or letters in\norder that we may understand that best, how much more ought we to know\nthe Bible for itself. The deep experiences of the soul are the {115}\nstuff of which literature is made; and in language whose appeal is\nalike to the wise and the simple this Book dramatizes the life of the\nsoul. Though struggling much between right and wrong and falling\noften, the Old Testament heroes groped their way upward to better\nthings, and established their belief in one God upon a firm\nfoundation. Their story is the epic of the soul's struggle and\nvictory; but it is also the revelation of humanity's past, the mirror\nof its present of progress and defeat, the prophecy of its triumphant\nfuture. The Psalms, in the words of Heine, collect within themselves\n\"sunrise and sunset, birth and death, promise and fulfillment--the\nwhole drama of humanity.\" Excepting only those of the New Testament\nliterature, no authors of any land or time have seized upon truths so\nunchanging and so everlasting as the writers of Job and the books of\nthe Prophets. Ignoring life's vanities, soaring far above the things\nthat are temporal, these writings ever summon the minds of men to\ndwell upon things eternal.\n\nFinally in the literature of the New Testament the victories of faith\nreplace the victories of war; the groping instinct of survival is\njustified in the Demonstration of Immortality; the Cult of the Chosen\nPeople gives way to the Gospel of Universal Brotherhood; the\nOmnipotent Creator is revealed also the God of Love; the Deity of\nRetribution and Justice becomes a Father; Man, the Child.\n\n{116}\n\nQUESTIONS BRINGING OUT THE BIBLE'S LITERARY VALUE\n\n1. The Poetry of the Bible\n\nWhat is the difference between the rhythm of Hebrew\npoetry and that of English poetry? 11 S.A.\n\nWhat three forms does this rhythm take? 12 S.A.\n\nIn the words quoted from Jesus are any\nof these forms used? 13 S.A.\n\nWhat is the richest part of Biblical poetry? 13 S.A.\n\n\nRhythm and Feeling\n\nWhat form of rhythm illustrated on page 12 S.A.\nis used in the psalms:\n\n The Righteous Man. 19 S.A.\n\n A Morning Prayer. 20 S.A.\n\n A Song of Deliverance. 26 S.A.\n\n A Song in Time of Trouble. 61 S.A.\n\n The Cry of the Needy. 98 S.A.\n\n Idols of Silver and Gold. 136 S.A.\n\n Our Father. 118 S.A.\n\n A Pilgrim Song. 156 S.A.\n\nWhat two qualities, necessary to Hebrew poetry,\nare found in Deborah's Song of Triumph? 54-59 T.J., 11 S.A.\n\nWhat deep feeling prompted the Song of Judith? 105-107 T.J.\n\nHow can the \"Song of Songs\" be compared with the\nlyrical poetry of the Elizabethan period in England? 234-239 S.A.\n\n\nThe Psalms a Collection of Lyric Poetry\n\nFor what purpose was the Book of Psalms written? 17 S.A.\n\nWhat is the leading theme of the Psalms? 17 S.A.\n\nMention some of the other themes. 17 S.A.\n\nName the Psalm in which every verse, it is said,\ncontains a reference to the law of God. 505 S.A.\n\n{117}\n\nIn what way is Psalm 119 (143 S.A.)\nan alphabetic Psalm? 505 S.A.\n\nRuskin says that, among others, Psalms 1, 8, 15,\n19, 23, 24, well studied and believed, are\nsufficient for all personal guidance. What\nprinciples of conduct are enjoined in:--\n\n The Righteous Man. 19 S.A.\n\n Little Lower than God. 22 S.A.\n\n The Upright Man. 23 S.A.\n\n Song of the Earth and Sky. 30 S.A.\n\n The Good Shepherd. 35 S.A.\n\n The Earth is the Lord's. 36 S.A.\n\nRuskin says that Psalm 72 contains many principles\nof just government. State in modern terms some of\nthe principles of government enjoined in \"The\nRighteous King\". 88 S.A.\n\nRuskin says that Psalm 104 anticipates the\ntriumphs of natural sciences. From the reading of\nthe Psalm can you suggest those anticipated? Read\nnote 503 S.A. 120 S.A.\n\nCompare Manasseh's prayer, 320 T.J., with the\nPrayer of Repentance. 75 S.A.\n\nCan you suggest an act of David to which this\nPsalm is probably related? 75 S.A.\n\n\nJob a Dramatic Poem\n\nWhat characteristic makes Job a dramatic poem? 180 S.A.\n\nWhat is the distinction between Hebrew drama, as\nillustrated in Job, and the Greek and English drama? 180 S.A.\n\nWhat is the central theme of the book of Job? 179 S.A.\n\nWhat are the characters of the book of Job? 178 S.A.\n\nTrace the dramatic climax in the messages\nbrought to Job. 182 S.A.\n\nLocate Job's two sublime statements of faith,\noften quoted. 194, 200 S.A.\n\nWhat description of man, noted in literature,\ndoes Job give? 195 S.A.\n\nWhat great question asked by Job is the theme\nof many poems, such as Tennyson's \"In Memoriam\"? 195 S.A.\n\nGive the summary of the thought contained\nin the first cycle of speeches. 195 S.A.\n\nGive the summary of the thought contained\nin the second cycle. 204 S.A.\n\nGive the summary of the thought contained in\nthe third cycle. 213 S.A.\n\n{118}\n\nWhat does Elihu add to the thought of the poem? 221 S.A.\n\nWhat reply does the book of Job give to the\nquestion, \"Why do good people suffer?\" 231 S.A.\n\n\nThe Apocalypse a Rhapsody\n\nDr. Richard G. Moulton calls the Apocalypse a\nrhapsody, or a fusion of all other styles of\nHebrew writing. Can you discover evidences of the\ndramatic lyric and narrative styles used? 456-478 S.A.\n\nThe proper preparation for appreciating the\nApocalypse, it is said, is the study of other\nHebrew rhapsodies, in particular Isaiah and\nZechariah. What similarity can you find in\n\"Visions of the Heavenly City\" and Isaiah's\n\"Awake, O Zion\"? 286 S.A.\n\nWhat similarity can you find both of style and\ncontent in the Apocalypse, 456-478 S.A., and\nZechariah's \"Vision Rhapsody\"? 401-407 S.A.\n\n\nHero Poems\n\nWhat is the book of Jashar? 306, 426, 493 H. T.\n\n\n2. The Oratory in the Bible\n\nCompare the opening sentences of the speech on\nMars Hill with those of Paul's sermon at Antioch;\nhow, or in what characteristic, does the contrast\nshow that Paul was a great speaker? 380, 407 L.J.\n\nSenator Albert J. Beveridge says Paul's speech on\nMars Hill has never been excelled in brevity of\nstatement and in force of thought, and that in\nthese regards it compares favorably with Lincoln's\nspeech at Gettysburg. How does Paul gain his\naudience's attention? How does he compliment the\nGreeks in the course of his speech? What is the\nsubstance of his argument against paganism? What\nthoughts form the principal message of this\nspeech? 407, 408 L.J.\n\nIt is said that Moses' speeches to the children of\nIsrael during their wanderings in the wilderness\nare examples of fine oratory, sometimes producing\nupon the people all the effect of drama. In his\nspeech on pages 271, 272 H.T., what do you think\nof his methods of swaying his audience as compared\nto the modern orator's?\n\n{119}\n\nDaniel Webster's customary preparation for the\ndelivery of an oration was to read Isaiah's\nmagnificent address, \"Comfort Ye My People.\" What\noratorical beauties can you discover from a\nreading of this address? 284, 285 S.A.\n\n\n3. Other Literary Forms Found in the Bible\n\nWhat is the nature of the book of Ecclesiastes and\nthe author's view of life? 242-246 S.A.\n\nWhat is the nature of the book of Proverbs? 248 S.A.\n\nGive the gist of the teachings of the Proverbs. 248 S.A.\n\nGive in modern terms three principles of conduct\ntaught in \"Enter not into the Path of the Wicked\" 255 S.A.\n\n\nWisdom Literature\n\nDr. Richard G. Moulton says there are three\ncharacteristic methods employed in stating the\nProverbs: antithesis, comparison, and imagery. In\nthe selection, \"Praise of the Wise and Virtuous\nWoman,\" can you find examples of these three\nmethods? 256 S.A.\n\nThe literary forms of the Proverbs are fourfold:\nthe single couplet; clusters of couplets, where\nseveral independent sayings are gathered about a\ncommon theme; the epigram; and wisdom sonnets.\nNote these four forms. 501 G.B.\n 249-257 S.A.\n\n\nLetters\n\nIn what literary form are the writings of Paul? 413 S.A.\n\nWhat can be said of the style of Paul's letters? 413 S.A.\n\nHow did Paul's wide experience contribute\nto his writings? 414 S.A.\n\n\nVaried Styles\n\nWhat type of story common to-day is told by one of\nthe brothers of Abimelech? 333 H.T.\n\nDo you think Nathan's method of bringing David to\nrepentance peculiarly effective? Give three\nliterary devices used by Nathan in support of your\nopinion. 432 H.T.\n\nWhat three stories in the Bible are recognized as\namong the most charming love stories in the world?\n49 H.T. 60 T.J., 35 T.J.\n\n{120}\n\nWhat is the circumstance of the only riddle in the\nBible? 173 T.J.\n\nWhat literary form did Jesus most often use in\nspeaking to the people? 133 L.J.\n\n\n4. The Literary Value of the Books of Prophecy\n\nIsaiah\n\nIn what literary form are many of Isaiah's\nprophecies written? 277 S.A.\n\nWhat qualities in Isaiah's poetry give it a high\nplace in literature? 277 S.A.\n\nDr. Richard G. Moulton says that in Isaiah's\npoetry, men's thoughts are directed toward the\ngreat idea of a universal spiritual dominion. In\n\"Comfort Ye My People,\" what passages do you think\nhave this purpose? 284, 285 S.A.\n\nIsaiah is said to be a master of satire and\npathos, of proverb and parable, of simile and\nmetaphor. In his sublime words, \"The Triumph of\nthe Man of Sorrows,\" can you find evidences of\nthese literary forms? 288, 289 S.A.\n\n\nJeremiah\n\nWhat was the theme of Jeremiah's prophecy? 297 S.A.\n\nWhat symbolic use did Jeremiah make of the potter\nand his clay? 301 S.A.\n\n\nHosea\n\nThrough what personal experience was Hosea able to\ninterpret the love of God? Can you discover in\n\"The Longing of God for His Children\" the strong\nfeeling due to this experience? 365, 366 S.A.\n\n\nAmos\n\nBecause of the circumstances of his early life\nAmos drew most of his figures from nature and\nagricultural occupations. How many such\nallusions can you find in the selections here\ngiven? 354-362 S.A.\n\n\nMicah\n\nIn the prophecy of Micah appear probably the most\nstriking words ever written predicting world\npeace. Locate them. 367-369 S.A.\n\n{121}\n\nNahum\n\nIn what regards do you consider the description of\nwar in \"The Doom of Nineveh\" an adequate picture\nof modern day warfare? 387-391 S.A.\n\n\nHabakkuk\n\nCompare the theme of the prophecy of Habakkuk with\nthe theme of the book of Job. 179, 392 S.A.\n\nThe prayer of Habakkuk is said to be a composition\nunrivaled for boldness of conception, sublimity\nof thought, and majesty of diction. After reading\ncan you pick out passages that confirm this\nestimate of it? 393-396 S.A.\n\n\nHaggai\n\nWhat is said of the style of Haggai's writing? 397 S.A.\n\n\nZechariah\n\nWhat is the meaning of the prophecy of Zechariah? 401 S.A.\n\n\n5. The Bible-an Inspiration to Writers\n\nCompare Victor Hugo's account of the Fall of\nJericho with the Bible account. 293, 287-292 H. T.\n\nShow how the wilderness journey of the children of\nIsrael is traced out in the poem, \"Lead Me On\". 238 H.T.\n\nHow many of the twenty and more allusions to the\nBible in Whittier's poem, \"Palestine,\" can you\npick out and explain? 15-17 H.T.\n\nTo what event of Israelitish history does the\n\"Song of the Manna Gatherers\" refer? 198 H.T. (196 H.T.)\n\n\nPoems Inspired by the Bible\n\nThe following well-known poems were inspired by\npassages in the Old Testament. Bring out some of\nthe beauty and power which the poets saw in these\npassages by comparing them with the poems.\n\nThe Finding of Moses. 134 H.T. (138 H.T.)\n\nThe Seventh Plague of Egypt. 162 H.T. (166 H.T.)\n\nThe Burial of Moses. 274 H.T.\n (272,273 H.T.)\n\nSaul and David 395 H.T. (396 H.T.)\n\n{122}\n\nCave of Adullam. 437 H.T. (438 H.T.)\n\nRuth. 49 T.J. (35 T.J.)\n\nBelshazzar. 211 T.J.\n (201-206 T.J.)\n\nThe Destruction of Sennacherib. 315 T.J.\n (271-276 S.A.)\n\nHymn by the Euphrates. 316 T.J.\n (346, 347 T.J.)\n\nHow does Dante, in his \"Divine Comedy,\"\nuse Psalm 114 (134, 135 S.A.)? 504 S.A.\n\nWhat famous writer at the age of fifteen composed\na hymn founded on Psalm 136 (162, 163 S.A.)? 506 S.A.\n\nWhat Psalm has been most often translated into\nEnglish verse? 35 S.A.\n\nName some poets who have translated the Shepherd\nPsalm into verse. 498 S.A.\n\nConsider the passages descriptive of the relation\nof the Eastern shepherd to his sheep, on pages 200\nand 201 L.J. and 285 S.A., and study the pictures,\nnoting the inscription on back, on pages 210 and\n288 G.B. What qualities had this relationship\npeculiar to the East? State the peculiar qualities\nof this relationship that make the figure of the\nshepherd used in the first three lines of Psalm 23\nparticularly appropriate as applied to God. 35 S.A.\n\nFind the lines in Psalm 72 (88 S.A.) on which is\nbased the tradition, evidenced by many poems, that\nthe three Wise Men from the East were Kings. 501 S.A., 29, 41 L.J.\n\nWhat lines of Psalm 80 (91 S.A.) underlie\nElizabeth Barrett Browning's, \"The Measure,\"\nstanza 2? 501 S.A.\n\nWhat lines in Psalm 86 (98 S.A.) are beautifully\nused by Tennyson in the verse quoted from\n\"Rizpah\"? 502 S.A.\n\nWhat lines in Psalm 87 (100 S.A.) furnished the\nmotto for Augustine's great work, \"The City of\nGod\"? 502 S.A.\n\nWhat well-known tune derived its name from the\nnumber of the Psalm which was used with it? 116,503 S.A.\n\n\nStory Suggested by the Bible\n\nCan you name a popular modern story that has its\ninspiration in \"The Wise Men\"? 41 L.J.\n\nRead the following stories from the volume, \"The\nLife of Jesus,\" with your reading of Van Dyke's\nbeautiful story, \"The Other Wise Man,\" and note\nthe interesting correspondence. Alternate Van\nDyke's story with THE BIBLE STORY and read as\nfollows:--\n\n{123}\n\n_The Other Wise Man_\n\n The Sign in the Sky\n By the Waters of Babylon\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY The Wise Men, 41 L.J.\n\n_The Other Wise Man_ For the Sake of a Little Child\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY A Journey to the Land of the Pharaohs, 45 L.J.\n\n_The Other Wise Man_ In the Hidden Way of Sorrow\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY The Crucifixion, 281 L.J.\n\n_The Other Wise Man_ A Pearl of Great Price\n\n\nBook Titles Taken from the Bible\n\nThe fact that many books of every style and content bear names taken\nfrom the Bible and develop themes suggested by the Bible is a tribute\nto the beauty and picturesqueness of Bible diction and indicates the\nextensive scope of its writings. What would you expect the theme of\neach of the following books to be, judging by the thought which the\ntitles suggest?\n\n\"The Inside of the Cup\" Winston Churchill\n\n\"The Fruit of the Tree\" Edith Wharton\n\n\"All the Days of My Life\" Margaret Sangster\n\n\"From My Youth Up\" Amelia Barr\n\n\"Titus\" Florence Morse Kingsley\n\n\"Following the Star\" Florence Barclay\n\n\"Barabbas\" Marie Corelli\n\n\"The Yoke\" Elizabeth Miller\n\n\"The Wages of Sin\" M. S. Harrison\n\n\"The Sins of the Father\" Bertha M. Clay\n\n\"The Eternal City\" Hall Caine\n\n\"A Voice in the Wilderness\" Grace Livingston Hill Lutz\n\n\"The Thirteenth Commandment\" Rupert Hughes\n\n\"The Hands of Esau\" Margaret Deland\n\n\"A Certain Rich Man\" William Allen White\n\n\"The Promised Land\" Mary Antin\n\n\"Prince of the House of David\" J. H. Ingraham\n\n\"The Far Country\" Winston Churchill\n\n\"Unleavened Bread\" Robert Grant\n\n\"Judas Iscariot\" L. N. Andrew\n\n\"These Twain\" Arnold Bennett\n\n\"The Good Shepherd\" John Roland\n\n\"Prodigals and Sons\" John Ayscough\n\n{124}\n\n\"The Lost Boy\" Henry Van Dyke\n\n\"God's Remnants\" Samuel Gordon\n\n\"The Foolish Virgin\" Thomas Dixon\n\n\"The Heritage of Cain\" Isabel Ostrander\n\n\"Behold the Woman\" T. Everett Horre\n\n\"If Any Man Sin\" H. A. Cody\n\n\"The Crown of Life\" Gordon Arthur Smith\n\n\"The Clean Heart\" A. S. M. Hutchinson\n\n\"The House of Bondage\" Reginald Wright Kauffman\n\n\"The Mark of the Beast\" Reginald Wright Kauffman\n\n\"The House of the Lord\" J. E. Talmage\n\n\"Where the Laborers are Few\" Margaret Deland\n\n\"The Old Adam\" Arnold Bennett\n\n(These are only a few of the many books that have drawn their\ntitles from the Bible.)\n\n{125}\n\nTHE BIBLE'S GIFT TO OUR LANGUAGE\n\nHow often in listening to a speaker or in reading our everyday\nliterature we find our imagination stirred by a forceful phrase taken\nfrom the Bible. If we know the part of the Bible from which the phrase\ncomes it always throws a flood of light upon the message. But due to\nignorance of the Bible, too many of us grope for the phrase's\nmeaning.\n\n\nIgnorance of the Bible a Handicap to the Student\n\nIn these days even high school and college graduates cannot explain\nthe simplest Bible allusions. Charles Dudley Warner, writing in\nHarper's Magazine, says that a \"boy or girl at college, in the\npresence of the works set forth for either to master, without a fair\nknowledge of the Bible, is an ignoramus, and is disadvantaged\naccordingly. For example, in Shakespeare there are quotations from\nfifty-four books of the Bible, thirty-one from Genesis alone; in\nTennyson there are two hundred and one quotations or allusions from\nthe Old Testament. Wholly apart from its religious or its ethical\nvalue, the Bible is the one book of which no intelligent person, who\nwishes to come into contact with the world of thought, and to share\nthe ideas of the great minds of the Christian era, can afford to be\nignorant.\"\n\n\nDramatic Terms Used by a Greek Scholar\n\nThe Bible indeed holds supremacy over all other sources of literary\nallusion in the addresses and writings of public men. The\n_Independent_ calls attention to a eulogy written by a prominent\nuniversity professor in which were found, in an article of less than\nsix pages, fourteen expressions from the Bible: \"Every good word and\nwork,\" \"Fountain sealed,\" \"Discernment of spirits,\" \"Hid treasure,\"\n\"Sinned with their lips,\" \"Faith in his high calling,\" \"Seeing him who\nis invisible,\" \"Time would fail me,\" \"Slept or slumbered,\" \"Egyptian\ntaskmaster,\" \"Bloweth where it listeth,\" \"Make a plain path,\"\n\"Recompense of reward,\" and one direct quotation, \"This is the way;\nwalk ye in it.\" Against these fourteen cases is only one use of\nclassical {126} phrases and one allusion each to Milton and\nWordsworth. And Professor Gildersleeve is not known as a Bible\nscholar; he is past master of all our Grecians, and master also of a\nmost delightful style. \"He could have spattered his address over with\nGreek and Latin references and expressions without winking, so easy\nwould it have been for him, but they could not have fitted into the\nserious purpose of plain and tender address as do the words of the two\nTestaments.\"\n\n\nSuperficial Knowledge of the Bible Prevalent\n\nIt makes no difference what a man's profession may be; whether he be a\nliterary man, a lawyer, a teacher, or a clergyman, Bible words will\nunconsciously drop off his tongue, so familiar have the striking terms\nand phrases of the Bible become. And yet a mere superficial knowledge\nof the Book of books prevails to-day to such an extent that many\ngrotesque mistakes and misquotations occur. London's leading newspaper\nsolemnly affirmed one morning that if the Government of the day came\nto grief it would \"fall, like the walls of Jericho, before the noise\nof empty pitchers.\" Can you discover the mistake in this simile? (287,\n329 H.T.) A great lecturer on one occasion alluded to \"Pharaoh and his\nhosts being overwhelmed in the Jordan.\" What two events are confused\nin this quotation? (184, 285 H.T.)\n\nWhenever such an expression presents itself and is found to be vague\nor confusing, turn to the following list of allusions, which are those\nin most common use, and arranged alphabetically for easy reference.\n[Footnote: Note there are two lists of allusions, both alphabetically\narranged.] Clear up the obscurity by reading the Bible passage that\nexplains the doubtful phrase.\n\nEach of these allusions has been used many times in common speech or\nin our great English writings, as illustrated by the many quotations\nthat follow. A knowledge of the meaning and derivation of such phrases\nopens up a new world of interest and understanding and the ability to\nuse them correctly infuses speech and writing alike with a new power\nof graphic expression.\n\nHow many of these allusions recall definitely a certain incident or\nstory to your mind?\n\nAs strong as a spider's web. 190 S.A.\n\nAnanias. 335 L.J.\n\nApples of gold in baskets of silver. 504 G.B.\n\nAppeal unto Caesar. 452 L.J.\n\n{127}\n\nAdd a cubit to his stature. 106 G.B.\n\nAt their wits' end. 132 S.A.\n\nAll things to all men. 438 S.A.\n\nAs a lamb to the slaughter. 289 S.A.\n\nAs locusts for multitude, 319 H. T.\n\nAs a hart panteth after the water brooks. 61 S.A.\n\nAs sheep having no shepherd. 144 L.J.\n\nAs high as Haman. 73 T.J.\n\nBalaam's ass. 259 H.T.\n\nThe beauty of holiness. 505 T.J.\n\nCast to the dogs. 172 L.J.\n\nClearer than the noonday. 193 S.A.\n\nCarpenter of Nazareth. 50 L.J.\n\nCattle upon a thousand hills. 73 S.A.\n\nCity set on a hill. 106 L.J.\n\nCan any good thing come out of Nazareth? 77 L.J.\n\nClothed and in his right mind. 139 L.J.\n\nCake not turned. 364 S.A.\n\nDriving of Jehu. 160 T.J.\n\nDoubting Thomas. 306 L.J.\n\nThe day of small things. 404 S.A.\n\nDarkness which may be felt. 171 H. T.\n\nDan to Beer-sheba. 339, 342 H.T.\n\nDoorkeeper in the house of God. 96 S.A.\n\nDelivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. 143, 357 H.T.\n\nDraught of fishes. 307 L.J.\n\nEarth thy footstool. 343 L.J.\n\nEye hath not seen, nor ear heard. 502 T.J.\n\nEbenezer. 249 H.T.\n\nEye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 110 L.J.\n\nEarn thy bread by the sweat of thy brow. 20 T.J.\n\nThe ewe lamb. 432 H.T.\n\nEvery good and perfect gift. 427 S.A.\n\nFaith hath made thee whole. 140 L.J.\n\nFishers of men. 94 L.J.\n\nFlight into Egypt. 45 L.J.\n\nFaithful unto death 506 H.T. 461 S.A.\n\nFlesh pots of Egypt. 192 H.T.\n\nFriend of publicans and sinners. 154 L.J.\n\nA far country. 203 L.J.\n\nThe grass withereth, the flower fadeth. 284 S.A.\n\n{128}\n\nGathered unto his fathers. 59 H. T.\n\nGallows fifty cubits high. 70 T.J.\n\nThe hills melted like wax. 502 T.J.\n\nHigh calling. 504 H.T.\n\nHalf hath not been told. 481 H.T.\n\nHe that trod the sea. 148 L.J.\n\nHe that ruleth his spirit\nis better than he that taketh a city. 502 G.B.\n\nHis enemies shall lick the dust. 88 S.A.\n\nHearing of the ear. 231 S.A.\n\nIshmaelite. 395 H.T.\n\nJob's comforters. 197 S.A.\n\nKill the fatted calf. 204 L.J.\n\nKick against the goad, kick against the pricks. 458 L.J.\n\nLoaves and fishes. 147 L.J.\n\nLove is strong as death. 239 S.A.\n\nLeaven in the lump. 439 S.A.\n\nLaw of the Medes and Persians. 207 T.J.\n\nLift up your heads, O ye gates. 503 H.T.\n\nLet another man praise thee. 504 G.B.\n\nLet your speech be yea, yea; and nay, nay. 109 L.J.\n\nLooking for a sign. 92 L.J.\n\nMan of sorrows. 288 S.A.\n\nMighty in words and works. 341 L.J.\n\nA merry heart is a good medicine. 503 G.B.\n\nMighty man of valor. 352 H.T.\n\nMore than conquerors. 508 H.T.\n\nMan goeth to his long home. 245 S.A.\n\nMacedonian cry. 396 L.J.\n\nA mother in Israel. 54 T.J.\n\nMan shall not live by bread alone. 70 L.J.\n\nManger lowly. 37 L.J.\n\nMan wise in his own conceit. 504 G.B.\n\nMan hasty in his words. 504 G.B.\n\nMy lines are fallen in pleasant places. 24 S.A.\n\nNot slothful in business. 505 L.J.\n\nNot by might, nor by power. 404 S.A.\n\nOuter darkness. 246 L.J.\n\nOne having authority. 118 L.J.\n\nProphet without honor. 92 L.J.\n\nPride goeth before destruction. 502 G.B.\n\nPhilistines be upon thee. 177 T.J.\n\nPassover. 173 H. T.\n\n{129}\n\nPurple and fine linen. 257 S.A., 206 L.J.\n\nPitched his tent toward Sodom. 25 H.T.\n\nPrince of demons. 171 L.J.\n\nPass by on the other side. 88 L.J.\n\nQuit yourselves like men. 345, 505 H. T.\n\nRain on the just and the unjust. 110 L.J.\n\nRod of iron. 476 S.A.\n\nSounding brass and tinkling cymbal. 425 S.A.\n\nSpeak with the tongues of men and of angels. 425 S.A.\n\nSalt of the earth. 106 L.J.\n\nStone which the builders rejected. 239 L.J., 141 S.A.\n\nSweeter than honey and the honeycomb. 31 S.A.\n\nSojourners in a strange land. 340 L.J.\n\nSpirit descending as a dove. 69 L.J.\n\nShe hath done what she could. 230 L.J.\n\nSackcloth and ashes. 67 T.J.\n\nA soft answer turneth away wrath. 502 G.B.\n\nSow the wind and reap the whirlwind. 365 S.A.\n\nSharper than a two-edged sword. 504 T.J.\n\nSeat of the scornful. 19 S.A.\n\nShineth more and more unto the perfect day. 255 S.A.\n\nSeed that fell on stony ground. 133 L.J.\n\nSmite the Egyptian. 341 L.J.\n\nSpirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. 264 L.J.\n\nSon of perdition. 262 L.J.\n\nThe Sower. 133 L.J.\n\nTake up thy bed and walk. 128, 167 L.J.\n\nTell it not in Gath. 426 H.T.\n\nTongues of fire. 325 L.J.\n\nThe twelve. 94 L.J.\n\nThirty pieces of silver. 248 L.J.\n\nTents of wickedness. 96 S.A.\n\nThe truth shall make you free. 194 L.J.\n\nTurn the other cheek. 110 L.J.\n\nTake up his cross. 504 H. T.\n\nTo thy tents, O Israel. 239 T.J.\n\nThey that go down to the sea in ships. 131 S.A.\n\nThine enemies thy footstool. 328 L.J.\n\nTo the ant, thou sluggard. 255 S.A.\n\nThe Lord will provide. 41 H.T.\n\nTrees choosing a king. 333 H.T.\n\nUnto the half of my kingdom. 154 L.J.\n\n{130}\n\nThe unjust steward. 204 L.J.\n\nThe upper room. 249 L.J.\n\nUnprofitable servant. 246 L.J.\n\nA very present help in trouble. 68 S.A.\n\nWidow's mite. 243 L.J.\n\nThe wings of the wind. 26 S.A.\n\nWolf shall dwell with the lamb. 303 G.B.\n\nWiles of the devil. 506 H.T.\n\nThe way of all the earth. 451 H. T.\n\nThe wings of the morning. 164 S.A.\n\nWithout money and without price. 507 T.J.\n\nWhom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, 502 T.J.\n\nWe shall reap, if we faint not. 506 L.J.\n\nWe piped unto you, and ye did not dance. 153 L.J.\n\nWhere moth and rust doth corrupt. 115 L.J.\n\nYour old men shall dream dreams,\nYour young men shall see visions. 379 S.A.\n\nFrom reading these literary passages can you clearly explain the\nincident or story each Bible phrase suggests?\n\nAaron's Serpent. 152 H.T.\n\n \"And hence one master passion in the breast,\n Like Aaron's serpent, swallows up the rest.\"\n --_Pope, Essay on Man_.\n\nAbraham's Bosom. 206 L.J.\n\n \"Sweet peace, conduct his soul\n to the bosom of good old Abraham.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Richard II 4:1_.\n\nThe Alabaster Box. 169 L.J.\n\n \"Thou wilt not let her wash thy dainty feet\n With such salt thing as tears or with rude hair\n Dry them.\"\n --_Lowell, A Legend of Brittany_.\n\nThe Angel's Song. 37 L.J.\n\n \"Blow, bugles of battle, the marches of peace,\n East, west, north and south let the long quarrel cease:\n Sing the song of great joy that the angels began,\n Sing of glory to God and of good will to man!\"\n --_Whittier, A Christmas Carmen_.\n\n{131}\n\nThe Apple of His Eye. 25 S.A.\n\n \"Bestows on her too parsimonious lord,\n An infant for the apple of his eye.\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nAs a Little Child. 188 L.J.\n\n \"Once said a Man--and wise was He--\n Never shalt thou the heavens see,\n Save as a little child thou be.\"\n --_Sidney Lanier, The Symphony._\n\nAs Ye Sow, so shall Ye Reap. 423 S.A.\n\n \"Look before you ere you leap;\n For as you sow y' are like to reap.\"\n --_Butler, Hudibras_.\n\nBabel. 32 T.J.\n\n \"In vain a fresher mould we seek,\n Can all the varied phrases tell\n What Babel's wandering children speak,\n How thrushes sing or lilacs smell?\"\n --_Holmes, To My Readers_.\n\nBarabbas. 276 L.J.\n\n \"Thou hand'st sweet Socrates his hemlock sour;\n Thou sav'st Barabbas in that hideous hour,\n And stabb'st the good.\"\n --_Sidney Lanier, Remonstrance_.\n\nThe Best till the Last. 78 L.J.\n\n \"Perhaps like him of Cana in Holy Writ\n Our Arthur kept his best until the last.\"\n --_Tennyson, The Holy Grail_.\n\nBetrayed with a Kiss. 267 L.J.\n\n \"So Judas kiss'd his master,\n And cried, 'all hail!' whenas he meant, all harm.\"\n --_Shakespeare, III Henry VI 5:7_.\n\nBitter Waters 191 H.T.\n\n \"The Gospel has the only branch that\n sweetens waters of a bitter popular discontent.\"\n --_Anonymous_.\n\n{132}\n\nBlood on the Lintel. 177 H. T.\n\n \"I do not suppose that your troops are to be\n beaten in actual conflict with the foe, or that\n they will be driven into the sea; but I am certain\n that many homes in England in which there now\n exists a fond hope that the distant one may\n return, many such homes may be rendered desolate\n when the next mail shall arrive. There is no one\n to sprinkle with blood the lintel and the two side\n posts of our doors, that the Angel of Death may\n spare and pass on.\"\n --_John Bright_.\n\nBook of Life. 463 S.A.\n\n \"The Power . . . .\n May hear well pleased the language of the soul,\n And in His Book of Life the inmates poor enroll.\"\n --_Burns, The Cotter's Saturday Night_.\n\nThe Breastplate of Righteousness. 448 S.A.\n\n \"What stronger breastplate than a heart untainted!\"\n --_Shakespeare, II Henry VI 3:2_.\n\nBricks without Straw. 150 H.T.\n\n \"For long years,\" writes Teufelsdrockh, \"had the\n poor Hebrew, in this Egypt of an\n Auscultatorship, painfully toiled, baking bricks\n without stubble, before ever the question once\n struck him with entire force: For What?\"\n --_Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, Book II, Chapter 5_.\n\nThe Broken Reed. 272 S.A.\n\n \"He (the genius) becomes obstinate in his\n errors, no less than in his virtues, and the\n arrows of his aims are blunted, as the reeds of\n his trust are broken.\"\n --_Ruskin, A Joy For Ever_.\n\nThe Burning Bush 142 H.T.\n\n \"In wonder-workings, or some bush aflame,\n Men look for God, and fancy him concealed,\n But in earth's common things he stands revealed,\n While grass and flowers and stars spell out his name.\"\n --_Minot J. Savage_.\n\n{133}\n\nThe Burning Fiery Furnace. 190 T.J.\n\n \"Be it floor or blood the path that's trod,\n All the same it leads to God.\n Be it furnace fire voluminous\n One like God's Son will walk with us.\"\n --_Christina G. Rossetti_.\n\nBy Their Fruits Ye shall Know Them. 109 G.B., 117 L.J.\n\n \"If the tree be known by the fruit\n and fruit by the tree.\"\n --_Shakespeare, I Henry IV 2:4_.\n\nCarry Off the City's Gates. 176 T.J.\n\n \"Samson, master: . . . he carried the\n town gates on his back like a porter.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost 1:2_.\n\nCasting Lots for His Garments. 281 L.J.\n\n \"They are now casting lots,\n Ay, with that gesture quaint and cry uncouth,\n For the coat of One murdered an hour ago.\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nCast Out of Eden. 21 T.J.\n\n \"What of Adam cast out of Eden?\n (Alas the hour)\n Lo! with care like a shadow shaken\n He tills the hard earth whence he was taken.\"\n --_Rossetti, Eden Bower_.\n\nCedars of Lebanon. 457 H.T.\n\n \"Feasted the woman wisest then,\n in halls of Lebanonian cedar.\"\n --_Tennyson, The Princess_.\n\nThe Chariot of Fire. 134 T.J.\n\n \"As he, whose wrongs\n The bears avenged, at its departure saw\n Elijah's chariot, when the steeds erect\n Raised their steep flight for heaven; his eyes, meanwhile,\n Straining pursued them, till the flame alone,\n Upsoaring like a misty speck, he kenned.\"\n --_Dante, Divine Comedy_.\n\n{134}\n\nThe Chosen People. 51 S.A.\n\n \"I shall be most happy indeed if I shall be an\n humble instrument in the hands of the Almighty,\n and of this, his almost chosen people, for\n perpetuating the object of that great struggle.\"\n --_Lincoln, Speech to the Senate of New Jersey_.\n\nThe Chosen Vessel. 372 L.J.\n\n \"He came who was the Holy Spirit's vessel;\n Barefoot and lean.\"\n --_Dante, Divine Comedy_.\n\nA Cloud by Day and a Pillar of Fire by Night. 179 H.T.\n\n \"He is only a cloud and a smoke\n who was once a pillar of fire.\"\n --_Tennyson, Despair_.\n\nA Cloud Like a Man's Hand. 122 T.J.\n\n \"And from that song-cloud shaped as a man's hand\n There comes the sound as of abundant rain.\"\n --_Rossetti, The House of Life_.\n\nCloud of Witnesses. 506 H. T.\n\n \"It is thus . . . that the Wise Man stands ever\n encompassed, and spiritually embraced, by a\n cloud of witnesses and brothers.\"\n --_Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, Book III, Chapter 7_.\n\nCoat of Many Colors. 91 H.T.\n\n \"Not without meaning was the love of Israel to\n his chosen son expressed by the coat of many\n colors.\"\n --_Ruskin, The Stones of Venice_.\n\nConfusion of Tongues. 325 L.J.\n\n \"There had been a confusion of tongues in the\n narrow streets for many days.\"\n --_Henry Van Dyke, The Other Wise Man_.\n\nConsider the Lilies. 116 L.J.\n\n \"He who stills the raven's clam'rous nest\n And decks the lily fair in flow'ry pride,\n Would, in the way His wisdom sees the best,\n For them and for their little ones provide.\"\n --_Burns, The Cotter's Saturday Night_.\n\n{135}\n\nThe Cool of the Day. 19 T.J.\n\n \"At cool of day with God I walk\n My garden's grateful shade;\n I hear his voice among the trees,\n And I am not afraid.\"\n --_C. A. Mason_.\n\nThe Covenant of the Rainbow. 31 T.J.\n\n \"And bright as Noah saw it, yet\n For you the arching rainbow glows.\"\n --_Lowell, Ode_.\n\nThe Cross. 281 L.J.\n\n \"The lies that serve great parties well,\n While truths but give their Christ a cross.\"\n --_Sidney Lanier, To Beethoven_.\n\nCrown of Thorns. 279 L.J.\n\n \"How was I worthy so divine a loss,\n Deepening my midnights, kindling all my morns?\n Why waste such precious wood to make my cross,\n Such far-sought roses for my crown of thorns?\"\n --_Lowell, Das Ewig Weibliche_.\n\nThe Curse of Cain. 22 T.J.\n\n \"The curse of Cain\n Light on his head who pierced thy innocent breast,\n And seared the angel soul that was its guest.\"\n --_Shelley, Adonais_.\n\nDavid's Harp 396 H.T., 152 G.B.\n\n \"Tune, to please a peasant's ear,\n The harp a king had loved to hear.\"\n --_Scott, The Lay of the Last Minstrel_.\n\nDeep Calleth unto Deep. 61 S.A.\n\n \"Deep calling unto deep.\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\n{136}\n\nDefrauded of His Birthright. 60 H.T.\n\n \"An American child who is allowed to grow up\n without a knowledge of the Bible is defrauded of\n his birthright.\"\n --_Youth's Companion_.\n\nDen of Thieves. 237 L.J.\n\n \"What makes a church a den of thieves?\n A dean and chapter, and white sleeves.\"\n --_Butler, Hudibras_.\n\nDevils in Swine. 139 L.J.\n\n \"Bass. If it please you to dine with us!\n Shy. Yes, to smell pork, to eat of the\n habitation which your prophet,\n the Nazarite, conjured the devil into.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice 1:3_.\n\nDo Men Gather Grapes of Thorns, or Figs of Thistles? 109 G.B.\n\n \"Conceits himself as God that he can make\n Figs out of thistles.\"\n --_Tennyson, The Last Tournament_.\n\nDust Thou Art, and unto Dust shalt Thou Return. 21 T.J.\n\n \"Dust to dust! but the pure spirit shall flow\n Back to the burning fountain whence it came.\"\n --_Shelley, Adonais_.\n\nEarthly House. 452 S.A.\n\n \"All the angels that inhabit this temple of the\n body appear at the windows, and all the gnomes\n and vices also.\"\n --_Emerson, Essay on Love_.\n\nEasier for a Camel to Go through the Eye of a Needle. 212 L.J.\n\n \"It is as hard to come as for a camel\n To thread through the postern of a needle's eye.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Richard II 5:5_.\n\nEat, Drink, and be Merry. 212 L.J.\n\n \"I built myself a lordly pleasure house,\n Wherein at ease for aye to dwell;\n I said, 'O soul, make merry and carouse,\n Dear soul, for all is well.'\"\n --_Tennyson, The Palace of Art_.\n\n{137}\n\nEden. 19 T.J.\n\n \"He who is wearied of his village plain\n May roam the Edens of the world in vain.\"\n --_Holmes, Poetry_.\n\nEgyptian Taskmaster. 137 H.T.\n\n \"Not a hard 'taskmaster,' ever on the watch to\n see that we are always at our brickmaking, but a\n Deliverer, who can bring us forth out of the\n 'land of bondage' and lead us through the\n wilderness of difficulty onward to the Promised\n Land.\"\n --_T. Campbell Finlayson_.\n\nThe Everlasting Hills. 394 S.A.\n\n \"Changeless march the stars above,\n Changeless morn succeeds to even;\n And the everlasting hills\n Changeless watch the changeless heaven.\"\n --_Kingsley, Saint's Tragedy_.\n\nFaith and Works. 428 S.A.\n\n \"Wi' sappy unction, has he burkes\n The hopes O' men that trust in works.\"\n --_Stevenson, A Lowden Sabbath Morn_.\n\nThe Fall of Jericho. 287 H.T.\n\n \"Toppling down the walls of his own Jericho.\"\n --_Charles Lamb, Essays of Elia_.\n\nFallen among Thieves. 88 L.J.\n\n \"Certain only that he has been, and is, a\n Pilgrim and Traveler from a far Country; more or\n less footsore and travel-soiled; has parted with\n road companions; fallen among thieves,\" etc.\n --_Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, Book I, Chapter II_.\n\nFed by Ravens. 114 T.J.\n\n \"One was the Tishbite\n Whom the ravens fed.\"\n --_Tennyson, The Palace of Art_.\n\n{138}\n\nFeet of Clay. 188 T.J.\n\n \"And judge all nature from her feet of clay.\"\n --_Tennyson, Merlin and Vivien_.\n\nFight the Good Fight. 503 H.T.\n\n \"Well hast thou fought\n The better fight, who single hast maintain'd\n Against revolted multitudes the cause\n Of truth, in word mightier than they in arms.\"\n --_Milton, Paradise Lost_.\n\nThe Finger of God. 158 H. T.\n\n \"She went first to the best adviser, God--\n Whose finger unmistakably was felt\n In all this retribution of the past.\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nThe Firmament Showeth His Handiwork. 30 S.A.\n\n \"The spacious firmament on high\n With all the blue ethereal sky\n And spangled heavens, a shining frame,\n Their Great Original proclaim.\"\n --_Joseph Addison_.\n\nGethsemane. 264 L.J.\n\n \"I am in the garden of Gethsemane now and my cup\n of bitterness is full and overflowing.\"\n --_Abraham Lincoln,\n Conversation with Judge Gillespie_.\n\nGet Thee Behind Me, Satan. 178 L.J.\n\n \"Get thee behind me, Satan. Oft unfurled,\n Thy perilous wings can beat and break like lath\n Much mightiness of men to win thee praise.\"\n --_Rossetti, The House of Life_.\n\nGideon's Fleece. 324 H.T.\n\n \"His storms came near, but never touched us;\n contrary to Gideon's miracle, while all around\n were drenched, our fleece was dry.\"\n --_Charles Lamb, Essays of Elia_.\n\n{139}\n\nGod Save the King. 358 H.T.\n\n \"When, crowned with joy, the camps of England ring,\n A thousand voices shout, 'God save the King.'\"\n --_Holmes, Poetry_.\n\nThe Golden Bowl. 246 S.A.\n\n \"Ah, broken is the golden bowl! the spirit flown forever!\n Let the bell toll!--A saintly soul floats on the Stygian river.\"\n --_Poe, Lenore_.\n\nA Good Name Rather than Riches. 503 G.B.\n\n \"Who steals my purse, steals trash,\n But he that filches from me my good name\n Robs me of that which not enriches him\n And makes me poor indeed.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Othello 3:3_.\n\nGood Samaritan, Priest, and Levite. 88 L.J.\n\n \"Grim-hearted world, that look'st with Levite eyes\n On those poor fallen by too much faith in man.\"\n --_Lowell, A Legend of Brittany_.\n\nThe Golden Calf. 204 H. T.\n\n \"We too, who mock at Israel's golden calf\n And scoff at Egypt's sacred scarabee,\n Would have our amulets to clasp and kiss.\"\n --_Holmes, Wind-Clouds and Star-Drifts_.\n\nThe Golden Rule. 115 L.J.\n\n \"The golden rule of Christ\n will bring the golden age to man.\"\n --_Frances Willard_.\n\nGold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. 42 L.J.\n\n \"'Tis not the weight of jewel or plate\n Or the fondle of silk and fur;\n 'Tis the spirit in which the gift is rich\n As the gifts of the wise men were;\n And we are not told whose gift was gold\n Or whose the gift of myrrh.\"\n --_Edmund Vance Cooke_.\n\n{140}\n\nGolgotha. 281 L.J.\n\n \"Having seen thine evil doom\n In Golgotha and Khartoum.\"\n --_Stevenson, If This Were Faith_.\n\nA Grain of Mustard Seed. 134 L.J., 201 G.B.\n\n \"World-renowned far-working Institution; like a\n grain of right mustard-seed once cast into the\n right soil, and now stretching out strong boughs\n to the four winds, for the birds of the air to\n lodge in.\"\n --_Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, Book II, Chapter 10_.\n\nGrapes of Canaan. 243 H.T.\n\n \"Tis not the grapes of Canaan that repay\n But the high faith that failed not by the way.\"\n --_James R. Lowell_.\n\nThe Greatest of These is Love. 425 S.A.\n\n \"In faith and hope the world will disagree\n But all mankind's concern is charity:\n All must be false that thwart this one great end;\n And all of God, that bless mankind, or mend.\"\n --_Pope, Essay on Man_.\n\nHands of Esau. 62 H.T.\n\n \"A heart as rough as Esau's hand.\"\n --_Tennyson, Godiva_.\n\nThe Handwriting on the Wall 201, 211 T.J.\n\n \"Unhappy if we are but Half-men, in whom that\n divine handwriting has never blazed forth,\n all-subduing, in true sun-splendour.\"\n --_Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, Book II, Chapter 9_.\n\nThe Healing of the Nations. 478 S.A.\n\n \"O books, ye monuments of mind, concrete wisdom of the wisest;\n Sweet solaces of daily life, proofs and results of immortality;\n Trees yielding all fruits, whose leaves are for the healing of the\n nations.\"\n --_Tupper, Proverbial Philosophy of Reading_.\n\n{141}\n\nHeap Coals of Fire upon His Head. 507 T.J., 504 G.B.\n\n \"The furnace-coals alike of public scorn,\n Private remorse, heaped glowing on his head.\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nHer Children Rise up and Call Her Blessed. 257 S.A.\n\n \"Her children shall rise up to bless her name,\n And wish her harmless length of days,\n The mighty mother of a mighty brood.\"\n --_Lowell, An Ode for the Fourth of July_.\n\nHe Who Runs may Read. 392 S.A.\n\n \"Perchance more careful whoso runs may read,\n Than erst when all, it seemed, could read who ran.\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nHerod of Jewry. 45 L.J.\n\n \"Let me have a child to whom\n Herod of Jewry may do homage.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, 1:2_.\n\nHigh as Haman. 73 T.J.\n\n \"Will hang as high as Haman.\"\n --_Tennyson, The Foresters, Act IV, Scene 1_.\n\nA Hoary Head is a Crown of Glory. 502 G.B.\n\n \"Honoured and even fair,\n Shines in the eye of the mind\n the crown of the silver hair.\"\n --_Stevenson, In Memoriam E. H_.\n\nA House Divided Against Itself. 171 L.J.\n\n \"'A house divided against itself cannot stand.'\n I believe this Government cannot endure\n permanently, half slave and half free. I do not\n expect the Union to be dissolved--I do not expect\n the house to fall--but I do expect it will cease\n to be divided.\"\n --_Lincoln, Speech before the Illinois\n State Convention, June 16, 1858_.\n\nHouse not Made with Hands. 506 L.J.\n\n \"His holy places may not be of stone,\n Nor made with hands, yet fairer far than aught\n By artist feigned or pious ardor reared,\n Fit altars for who guards inviolate\n God's chosen seat, the sacred form of man.\"\n --_Lowell, The Cathedral_.\n\n{142}\n\nThe House on the Sand. 118 L.J.\n\n \"Sudden change is a house on sand;\"\n --_Tennyson, Becket, Act III, Scene 3_.\n\nHow are the Mighty Fallen. 426 H. T.\n\n \"How are the mighty fallen, Master Cranmer.\"\n --_Tennyson, Queen Mary, Act IV, Scene 2_.\n\nI Go Whence I shall not Return. 192 S.A.\n\n \"The undiscovered country from whose bourn\n No traveler returns.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Hamlet_.\n\nIn Him We Live, and Move, and Have Our Being. 407 L.J.\n\n \"Shall not the heart which has received so much,\n trust the Power by which it lives?\"\n --_Emerson, New England Reformers_.\n\nIn the Image of God. 17 T.J.\n\n \"In native worth and honor clad,\n With beauty, courage, strength adorned,\n Erect with front serene he stands,\n A man, the lord and king of nature all,--\n The soul, the breath and image of his God.\"\n --_Haydn's Creation_.\n\nIn the Twinkling of an Eye. 451 S.A.\n\n \"In a moment, in the twinkle of an eye.\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nJacob's Ladder. 68 H.T.\n\n \"A Jacob's ladder falls.\"\n --_Tennyson, Early Spring_.\n\nJonah's Gourd. 171 T.J.\n\n \"That day whereof we keep record,\n When near thy city-gates the Lord\n Sheltered His Jonah with a gourd.\"\n --_Rossetti, The Burden of Nineveh_.\n\n{143}\n\nJoshua's Moon. 306 H.T.\n\n \"Joshua's moon in Ajalon.\"\n --_Tennyson, Locksley Hall_.\n\nJoseph of Arimathea. 286 L.J.\n\n \"Arimathean Joseph.\"\n --_Tennyson, The Holy Grail_.\n\nJot or Tittle. 106 L.J.\n\n . . . \"Turn and see\n If, by one jot or tittle, I vary now!\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nJoy Cometh in the Morning. 45 S.A.\n\n \"Wait for the morning:--it will come, indeed,\n As surely as the night hath given need.\"\n --_Riley_.\n\nJudas. 253 L.J.\n\n \"There walks Judas, he who sold\n Yesterday his Lord for gold,\n Sold God's presence in his heart\n For a proud step in the mart.\"\n --_Lowell, The Ghost-Seer_.\n\nKing of Terrors. 199 S.A.\n\n \"Death gives us more than was in Eden lost,\n This king of terrors is the prince of peace.\"\n --_Young, Night Thoughts_.\n\nA Lamp unto My Feet. 148 S.A.\n\n \"God shall be my hope,\n My stay, my guide and lantern to my feet.\"\n --_Shakespeare, II Henry VI 2:3_.\n\nA Land Flowing with Milk and Honey. 144 H.T.\n\n \"A land of promise flowing with the milk\n And honey of delicious memories.\"\n --_Tennyson, The Lover's Tale_.\n\n{144}\n\nThe Last Trump. 451 S.A.\n\n \"So when the last and dreadful hour\n This crumbling pageant shall devour,\n The trumpet shall be heard on high\n The dead shall live, the living die,\n And Music shall untune the sky.\"\n --_Dryden, A Song for St. Cecilia's Day_.\n\nLet not Thy Left Hand Know What Thy Right Hand Doeth. 111 L.J.\n\n \"Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand\n doeth! Neither shalt thou prate even to thy own\n heart of 'those secrets known to all.'\"\n --_Carlyle, Sartor Resartus. Book III, Chapter 3_.\n\nA Light Hid under a Bushel. 106 L.J.\n\n \"How far that little candle throws his beams.\n So shines a good deed in a naughty world.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice 5:1_.\n\nLips Touched with Coal from off the Altar. 265 S.A.\n\n \"Nor shall thy lips be touched with living fire,\n Who blow'st old altar-coals with sole desire\n To weld anew the spirit's broken chains.\"\n --_Lowell, Bibliolaters_.\n\nA Little Child shall Lead Them. 303 G.B.\n\n \"She might have served a painter to portray\n That heavenly child which in the latter days\n Shall walk between the lion and the lamb.\"\n --_Rossetti, A Last Confession_.\n\nThe Little Foxes That Spoil the Vineyards. 236 S.A.\n\n \"O fox whose home is 'mid the tender grape--\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nA Little Lower than the Angels. 22 S.A.\n\n \"What a piece of work is man! how noble in\n reason, how infinite in faculty, in form and\n moving how express and admirable, in action\n how like an angel.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Hamlet 2:2_.\n\n{145}\n\nLocusts and Wild Honey. 65 L.J.\n\n \"In our wild Seer, shaggy, unkempt, like a\n Baptist living on locusts and wild honey, there\n is an untutored energy, a silent, as it were,\n unconscious strength, which, except in the\n higher walks of literature, must be rare.\"\n --_Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, Book I, Chapter 3_.\n\nLord, How Long. 470 S.A.\n\n \"O Lord, how long, how long be unavenged?\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nThe Lord is My Fortress. 106 S.A.\n\n \"God is our fortress.\"\n --_Shakespeare, I Henry VI 2:-1_.\n\nThe Lord Watch between Me and Thee when\nWe are Absent One from Another. 75 H. T.\n\n \"Deal between thee and me.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Macbeth 4:3_.\n\nLot's Wife. 36 H.T.\n\n \"Stiff as Lot's wife.\"\n --_Tennyson, The Princess_.\n\nLove, the Fulfilling of the Law. 416 S.A.\n\n \"Charity itself fulfills the law\n And who can sever love from charity?\"\n --_Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost 4:3_.\n\nMammon of Unrighteousness. 205 L.J.\n\n \"Mammon is after him.\"\n --_Abraham Lincoln_.\n\nA Man after His Own Heart. 362 H. T.\n\n \"O Saul, it shall be\n A Face like my face that receives thee; a Man like to me,\n Thou shalt love and be loved by, forever: a Hand like this hand\n Shall throw open the gates of new life to thee! See the Christ stand!\"\n --_Browning, Saul_.\n\n{146}\n\nManna in the Wilderness 162 L.J., 192 H.T.\n\n \"As manna on my wilderness.\"\n --_Tennyson, Supposed Confessions_.\n\nThe Mantle of Elijah. 134 T.J.\n\n \"Tennyson rising in a heavenly chariot out of\n the temple of song, forgot to cast his mantle\n upon some waiting Elisha, but carried the divine\n garment into the realm beyond the clouds.\"\n --_Newell Dwight Hillis, Great Books as Life Teachers_.\n\nThe Mark of Cain. 23 T.J.\n\n \"He answered not but with a sudden hand\n Made bare his branded and ensanguined brow,\n Which was like Cain's or Christ's--oh! that it should be so!\"\n --_Shelley, Adonais_.\n\nMess of Pottage. 60 H.T.\n\n \"A hungry imposter practising for a mess of pottage.\"\n --_Carlyle_.\n\nThe Money-Changers in the Temple. 237 L.J.\n\n \"Once more\n He may put forth his hand 'gainst such, as drive\n Their traffic in that sanctuary, whose walls\n With miracles and martyrdoms were built.\"\n --_Dante, Divine Comedy_.\n\nMore Precious than Rubies. 252 S.A.\n\n \"The drawing . . . is . . . a thing which I\n believe Gainsborough would have given one of\n his own pictures for--old-fashioned as red-tipped\n daisies are . . . and more precious than rubies.\"\n --_Ruskin, Academy Notes_.\n\nThe Mote and Beam. 110 L.J.\n\n \"You found his mote; the king your mote did see.\n But I a beam do find in each of three.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost 4:3_.\n\n{147}\n\nMy Brother's Keeper. 22 T.J.\n\n \"If not in word only, but in face of truth, he\n undoes the deed of Cain and becomes truly his\n brother's keeper.\"\n --_Ruskin, The Schools of Art in Florence_.\n\nMy Cup Runneth Over. 35 S.A.\n\n \"Through this concession my full cup runs o'er.\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nMy Name is Legion. 139 L.J.\n\n \"Does Legion still lurk in him, though\n repressed; or has he exorcised that Devil's\n Brood?\"\n --_Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, Book II, Chapter 8_.\n\nNoah's Ark. 24 T.J.\n\n \"Nobler is a limited command\n Given by the love of all your native land,\n Than a successive title, long and dark,\n Drawn from the mouldy rolls of Noah's ark.\"\n --_Dryden, Absalom and Achitophel_.\n\nThe Nobleman's Son. 92 L.J.\n\n \"We do not need Christ's visible presence to\n cope with the evils of our times any more than\n the father needed it for the cure of his boy.\"\n --_Wm. M. Taylor_.\n\nNow through a Glass Darkly, then Face to Face. 425 S.A.\n\n \"I hope to see my Pilot face to face\n When I have crost the bar.\"\n --_Tennyson, Crossing the Bar_.\n\nO Generation of Vipers. 65 L.J.\n\n \"Is love a generation of vipers?\"\n --_Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida 3:1_.\n\nThe Olive Leaf. 30 T.J.\n\n \"One final deluge to surprise the Ark\n Cradled and sleeping on its mountain-top:\n Their outbreak-signal--what but the dove's coo,\n Back with the olive in her bill for news\n Sorrow was over?\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\n{148}\n\nOut of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings 22 S.A., 237 L.J.\n\n \"He that of greatest works is finisher\n Oft does them by the weakest minister:\n So holy writ in babes hath judgment shown.\"\n --_Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well 2:1_.\n\nThe Pale Horse. 470 S.A.\n\n \"Behind her Death,\n Close following pace for pace, not mounted yet\n On his pale horse.\"\n --_Milton, Paradise Lost_.\n\nParting of the Waters 184 H.T.\n\n \"All things are fitly cared for and the Lord\n Will watch as kindly o'er the exodus\n Of us his servants now, as in old time.\n We have no cloud or fire, and haply we\n May not pass dry-shod through the ocean stream;\n But, saved or lost, all things are in his hand.\"\n --_Lowell, A Glance Behind the Curtain_.\n\nPeace, be Still. 136 L.J.\n\n \"There are prayers that will plead with the\n storm when it raves, And whisper 'Be still!' to\n the turbulent waves.\"\n --_Holmes, Farewell_.\n\nThe Peacemakers. 105 L.J.\n\n \"I perceived\n Near me as 'twere the waving of a wing,\n That fanned my face, and whispered: 'Blessed they,\n The peace-makers: they know not evil wrath.\"\n --_Dante, Divine Comedy_.\n\nPentecost. 325 L.J.\n\n \"Hereafter thou, fulfilling Pentecost\n Must learn to speak the tongues of all the world.\"\n --_Tennyson, Sir John Oldcastle_.\n\n{149}\n\nPeter's Denial. 270 L.J.\n\n \"Treble denial of the tongue of flesh\n Like Peter's when he fell.\"\n --_Tennyson, Harold, Act III, Scene 1_.\n\nPeter's Sheet. 354 L.J.\n\n \"White as the great white sheet that Peter saw in his vision,\n By the four corners let down and descending out of the heavens.\"\n --_Longfellow, Elizabeth_.\n\nPharaoh's Kine 104 H.T.\n\n \"If to be fat be to be hated then\n Pharaoh's lean kine are to be loved.\"\n --_Shakespeare, I Henry IV 2:3_.\n\nPicking up the Fragments. 147 L.J.\n\n \"The immigrants that come to us ought to have\n plenty of bread to eat and enough fragments left\n over to be worth picking up, for while in the\n bread is the living, in the fragments is the\n life. To them America means economic fragments.\"\n --_Edward A. Steiner_.\n\nPillar of Salt. 36 H. T.\n\n \"One looks close for the glance forward in the\n eyes, which distinguishes such pillars from\n the pillars, not of flesh, but of salt, whose\n eyes are set backwards.\"\n --_Ruskin, The Cestus of Aglaia_.\n\nThe Poor Ye Have Always with You. 230 L.J.\n\n \"Yet Thy poor endure,\n And are with us yet.\"\n --_Swinburne, Christmas Antiphones_.\n\nPossess the Land 244, 278 H. T.\n\n \"There is a loud call for courageous idealists\n and brave fighters to stand forth and summon\n other men to go forward and possess the land of\n a better social order. The giants of greed and\n the walls of difficulty cannot be allowed to\n shut us out nor to frighten us away.\"\n --_Charles Reynolds Brown_.\n\n{150}\n\nThe Potter's Clay 301 S.A.\n\n \"Enough to throw one's thoughts in heaps\n Of doubt and horror,--what to say\n Or think,--this awful secret sway,\n The potter's power over the clay!\n Of the same lump (it has been said).\n For honour and dishonour made,\n Two sister vessels.\"\n --_Rossetti, Jenny_.\n\nThe Precious Ointment 230, 169 L.J.\n\n \"One Mary bathes the blessed feet\n With ointment from her eyes,\n With spikenard one, and both are sweet,\n For both are sacrifice.\"\n --_Lowell, Godminster Chimes_.\n\nPrince of Peace. 278 S.A.\n\n \"No trumpet-blast profaned\n The hour in which the Prince of Peace was born;\n No bloody streamlet stained\n Earth's silver rivers on that sacred morn.\"\n --_Bryant, Christmas in 1875_.\n\nThe Print of the Nails. 306 L.J.\n\n \"Thou also hast had the world's buffets and scorns,\n And to thy life were not denied\n The wounds in the hands and feet and side.\"\n --_Lowell, The Vision of Sir Launfal_.\n\nThe Prodigal's Portion. 203 L.J.\n\n \"What prodigal portion have I spent that I\n should stand to such penury?\"\n --_Shakespeare, As You Like It 1:1_.\n\nProdigal Son. 203 L.J.\n\n \"Ready to meet the wanderer ere he reach\n The door he seeks, forgetful of his sin,\n Longing to clasp him in a father's arms,\n And seal his pardon with a pitying tear.\"\n --_Holmes, Wind-Clouds and Star-Drifts_.\n\n{151}\n\nThe Promised Land 268 H.T.\n\n \"With foretaste of the Land of Promise.\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nPut not Your Trust in Princes. 170 S.A.\n\n \"O, how wretched\n Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favors.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Henry VIII 3:2_.\n\nRender unto Caesar the Things That are Caesar's. 240 L.J.\n\n \"A kindly rendering\n Of 'Render unto Caesar.'\"\n --_Tennyson, Harold, Act III, Scene 2_.\n\nRepent Ye. 65 L.J.\n\n \"Let us be diverted by none of those sophistical\n contrivances, . . . reversing the divine rule,\n and calling, not the sinners, but the righteous\n to repentance.\"\n --_Lincoln_.\n\nReturn Good for Evil. 416 S.A.\n\n \"With a piece of Scripture\n Tell them that God bids do good for evil.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Richard III 1:3_.\n\nThe Scarlet Thread in the Window 282 H.T.\n\n \"No Rahab thread,\n For blushing token of the spy's success.\"\n --_Browning, The Red Cotton Night-cap Country_.\n\nA Serpent in Eden. 19 T.J.\n\n \"We are our own devils; we drive ourselves out\n of our Edens.\"\n --_Goethe_.\n\nShake Off the Dust That is under Your Feet. 143 L.J.\n\n \"So from my feet the dust\n Of the proud World I shook.\"\n --_Lowell, The Search_.\n\n{152}\n\nThe Sheep and the Goats. 246 L.J.\n\n \"Some great cause, God's new Messiah,\n offering each the bloom or blight,\n Parts the goats upon the left hand,\n and the sheep upon the right,\n And the choice goes by forever\n 'twixt that darkness and that light.\"\n --_Lowell, The Present Crisis_.\n\nThe Silver Cord. 246 S.A.\n\n \"And here's the silver cord which--what's our word?\n Depends from the gold bowl, which loosed (not \"lost\")\n Lets us from heaven to hell,--one chop we're loose!\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nSlaughter of the Innocents. 45 L.J.\n\n \"Whiles the mad mothers with their howls confused,\n Do break the clouds, as did the wives of Jewry\n At Herod's bloody-hunting slaughtermen.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Henry V 3:3_.\n\nSmite the Rock 247 H.T.\n\n \"That God would move\n And strike the hard, hard rock, and thence\n Sweet in their utmost bitterness,\n Would issue tears of penitence.\"\n --_Tennyson, Supposed Confessions_.\n\nThe Snare of the Fowler. 106 S.A.\n\n \"Twice it may be, or thrice, the fowler's aim;\n But in the sight of one whose plumes are full,\n In vain the net is spread, the arrow winged.\"\n --_Dante, Divine Comedy_.\n\nSon of Man. 246 L.J.\n\n \"That claimest with a cunning face\n Those rights the true, true Son of man doth own\n By Love's authority.\"\n --_Sidney Lanier, Remonstrance_.\n\nSparks Which Fly Upward. 186 S.A.\n\n \"But the troubles which he is born to are as\n sparks which fly upward, not as flames burning\n to the nethermost Hell.\"\n --_Ruskin, Notes_.\n\n{153}\n\nStar of Bethlehem. 41 L.J.\n\n \"Some astronomers believe that they have found\n the great star around which the whole universe\n of stars revolves: whether that be true or not,\n it is undoubtedly true that the Star of\n Bethlehem is the center of this world's\n spiritual astronomy.\"\n --_Theodore L. Cuyler_.\n\nThe Stars Fought in Their Courses. 58 T.J.\n\n \"Promptings from heaven and hell, as if the stars\n Fought in their courses for a fate to be.\"\n --_Browning, The Ring and the Book_.\n\nA Still Small Voice. 124 T.J.\n\n \"A still small voice spake unto me.\"\n --_Tennyson, The Two Voices_.\n\nThe Stirring of the Waters. 167 L.J.\n\n \"To-day a golden pinion stirred\n The world's Bethesda pool,\n And I believed the song I heard\n Nor put my heart to school;\n And through the rainbows of the dream\n I saw the gates of Eden gleam.\"\n --_Alfred Noyes, The Hill Flower_.\n\nThe Stone Rolled Away. 297 L.J.\n\n \"Pitiless walls of gray,\n Gathered around us, a growing tomb\n From which it seemed not death or doom\n Could roll the stone away.\"\n --_Alfred Noyes, The Enchanted Island._\n\nTables of Stone 207,212 H.T.\n\n \"Heard the voice\n Of him who met the Highest in the mount,\n And brought them tables, graven with His hand.\"\n --_Holmes, Wind-Clouds and Star-Drifts_.\n\n{153}\n\nThe Talent Hid in the Earth. 245 L.J.\n\n \"When I consider how my light is spent\n Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,\n And that one talent which is death to hide\n Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent\n To serve therewith my Maker, and present\n My true account, lest He returning chide.\"\n --_Milton, Sonnet to His Blindness_.\n\nTemperate in All Things. 438 S.A.\n\n \"'Tis to thy rules, O Temperance, that we owe\n All pleasures that from health and strength can flow;\n Vigor of body, purity of mind,\n Unclouded reason, sentiment refined.\"\n --_Chandler_.\n\nThere the Wicked Cease from Troubling\nand the Weary are at Rest. 184 S.A.\n\n \"To lie within the light of God,\n as I lie upon your breast--\n And the wicked cease from troubling\n and the weary are at rest.\"\n --_Tennyson, The May Queen_.\n\nThreescore Years and Ten. 104 S.A.\n\n \"Worn to a thread by threescore years and ten.\"\n --_Browning The Ring and the Book_.\n\nTo Eat Husks. 203 L.J.\n\n \"You would think that I had a hundred and fifty\n tattered prodigals lately come from swine\n keeping, from eating draft and husks.\"\n --_Shakespeare, I Henry IV 4:2_.\n\nTo Everything There is a Season. 243 S.A.\n\n \"There is a time for all things.\"\n --_Shakespeare. Comedy of Errors 2:2_.\n\nTo Touch His Garments. 140 L.J.\n\n \"The world sits at the feet of Christ,\n Unknowing, blind and unconsoled.\n It yet shall touch his garment's fold\n And feel the heavenly alchemist\n Transform its very dust to gold.\"\n --_Anonymous_.\n\n{155}\n\nTreading the Winepress. 476 S.A.\n\n \"But ye that have seen how the ages have shrunk\n from my rod, And how red is the winepress\n wherein at my bidding they trod.\"\n --_The Paradox_.\n\nThe Tree of Knowledge. 19 T.J.\n\n \"Of Man's first disobedience, and the fruit\n Of that forbidden tree, whose Mortal taste\n Brought death into the World and all our woe\n . . .\n Sing Heavenly Muse.\"\n --_Milton, Paradise Lost, Book I_.\n\nTruth Endureth Forever. 139 S.A.\n\n \"It fortifies my soul to know\n That, though I perish, Truth is so:\n That, howsoe'er I stray and range,\n Whate'er I do Thou dost not change.\n I steadier step when I recall\n That, if I slip, Thou dost not fall.\"\n --_Arthur Hugh Clough, Ambarvalia_.\n\nThe Unknown God. 407 L.J.\n\n \"Greece, Egypt, Rome,--did any god\n Before whose feet men knelt unshod\n Deem that in this unblest abode\n Another scarce more unknown god\n Should house with him, from Nineveh?\"\n --_Rossetti, The Burden of Nineveh_.\n\nUnto Seventy Times Seven. 186 L.J.\n\n \"We poor ill-tempered mortals--must forgive,\n Though seven times sinning threescore times and ten.\"\n --_Holmes, Manhood_.\n\nThe Valley of the Shadow. 35 S.A.\n\n \"Drew to the valley\n Named of the shadow.\"\n --_Tennyson, Merlin and the Gleam_.\n\n{156}\n\nVine and Fig Tree 456 H.T., 369 S.A.\n\n \"You may see as thorough patriarchs as Abraham\n was any day, and as carefully visited by angels,\n sitting under their vine and fig tree.\"\n --_Ruskin, Notes_.\n\nVoice Crying in the Wilderness. 65 L.J.\n\n \"In this bleak wilderness I hear\n A John the Baptist crying.\"\n --_Lowell, An Interview with Miles Standish_.\n\nWalking on the Waters. 148 L.J.\n\n \"So Lycidas sunk low, but mounted high\n Through the dear might of Him that walked the waves.\"\n --_Milton, Lycidas, line 172_.\n\nThe Water of Life. 508 L.J.\n\n \"The natural thirst ne'er quenched but from the well\n Whereof the woman of Samaria craved.\"\n --_Dante, Divine Comedy_.\n\nWeaver's Beam. 386 H.T.\n\n \"Then for her spear she might have a weaver's beam.\"\n --_Ruskin, Crown of Wild Olive_.\n\nWeighed in the Balance. 206 T.J.\n\n \"Their errors have been weighed and found to\n have been dust in the balance.\"\n --_Shelley, A Defence of Poetry_.\n\nWe Spend Our Years as a Tale That is Told. 104 S.A.\n\n \"Ay! when life seems scattered apart,\n Darkens, ends as a tale that is told,\n One, we are one, O heart of my heart,\n One, still one, while the world grows old.\"\n --_Alfred Noyes, Unity_.\n\nWhat is Man That Thou art Mindful of Him? 22 S.A.\n\n \"A man is but a little thing among the objects\n of nature, yet, by the moral quality radiating\n from his countenance, he may abolish all\n considerations of magnitude, and in his manners\n equal the majesty of the world.\"\n --_Emerson, Essay on Manners_.\n\n{157}\n\nWhen the Morning Stars Sang Together. 222 S.A.\n\n \"Look how the floor of heaven\n Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold;\n There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st\n But in his motion like an angel sings.\"\n --_Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice 5:1_.\n\nThe Wind Fulfills His Word. 173 S.A.\n\n \"The snow, the vapour and the stormy wind\n fulfill his word.\"\n --_Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture_.\n\nWisdom, Crying in the Streets. 249 S.A.\n\n \"Wisdom cries out in the streets and no man regards it.\"\n --_Shakespeare, I Henry IV 1:2_.\n\nWisdom shall Die with You. 194 S.A.\n\n \"A man of superior sagacity may be pardoned for\n thinking with the friends of Job, that Wisdom\n will die with him.\"\n --_Ruskin_.\n\nWrestling Jacob. 80 H.T.\n\n \"Like that strange angel which of old,\n Until the breaking of the light\n Wrestled with wandering Israel.\"\n --_Tennyson, To--_.\n\nYe Cannot Serve God and Mammon. 205 L.J.\n\n \"We mean by war all that war ever meant,\n Destruction's ministers, Death's freemen, Lust's\n Exponents, daily like a blood-red dawn\n In flames and crimson seas we shall advance\n Against the ancient immaterial reign\n Of Spirit, and our watchword shall be still,\n Get thee behind me, God,--I follow Mammon.\"\n --_John Davidson, Mammon and His Message_.\n\nYoke of Bondage. 507 H. T.\n\n \"Judah was a captive by the waters of Babylon\n and the sons of Jacob were in bondage to our\n kings . . . from the remnant that dwells in Judea\n under the yoke of Rome neither star nor sceptre\n shall arise.\"\n --_Henry Van Dyke, The Other Wise Man_.\n\n{158}\n\nZeal That Consumes. 151 S.A.\n\n \"The zeal for truth and righteousness and\n goodness anywhere, in politics, or in\n literature, or in education, does not seize hold\n of men with the vigor which may be described, in\n the Bible phrase, as a zeal that eats one up.\"\n --_Samuel Valentine Cole_.\n\nZion 470 H.T.\n\n \"Why should we fly? Nay, why not rather stay\n And rear again our Zion's crumbled walls.\"\n --_Lowell, A Glance behind the Curtain_.\n\n{159}\n\nPART V\n\nTHE BIBLE AND THE TEACHER\n\n_For the Bible School Teacher_\n\n{160}\n\n\"Talk about the questions of the time: There is but\none question:--How to bring the truths of God's Word\ninto vital contact with the minds and hearts of all\nclasses of the people.\"\n --_William E. Gladstone_.\n\n\n{161}\n\nTHE BIBLE AND THE TEACHER\n\nFOR THE BIBLE SCHOOL TEACHER\n\nThe two greatest needs of the Bible School teacher are thorough\npreparation of the lesson, and enthusiasm in presenting it. These\nneeds are effectively and abundantly met in THE BIBLE STORY. This\nvolume is so arranged that the teacher in any department may find what\nis best adapted to a particular age. The following definite\nsuggestions as to how THE BIBLE STORY may be used in the Bible School\nwill be found interesting and helpful for teachers in the\naccomplishment of their great aims of imparting knowledge, developing\ncharacter, and leading the pupil on to service.\n\n\n1. In the Primary Department:--\n\nSupplementary Work\n\nMany primary teachers use a few minutes of the Bible School hour for\nsupplementary work, in which they follow any desired line of teaching\nregardless of the prescribed lesson. For this supplementary work the\nfollowing suggestions in this volume may be used:--\n\n Memorizing Bible Verses, page 15.\n\n Teaching God's Relation to the World, page 16.\n\n Understanding Life in Bible Times, page 19.\n\n\nStory Telling\n\n\"Of all the things that a teacher should know how to do,\" says a great\neducator, \"the most important, without any exception, is telling a\nstory.\" The most beautiful Bible stories, especially suited to little\nchildren, are listed on pages 17, 18, and 19 of this volume, and\nteachers will find those referring to \"The Golden Book\" (G.B.) very\nattractively told for children. The stories are graded from the very\nsimple to the more difficult and so may be adapted to the different\nclasses.\n\n\n{162}\n\nThe Art of Questioning\n\nQuestioning is an art only when it stirs the imagination and leads to\nthinking. The true teacher can always stimulate interest by his wise\nquestions. The questions at the end of Part I of this volume are\ndesigned for use as a review of the lessons given from \"The Golden\nBook.\"\n\n\nMemory Gems\n\n\"The Golden Book\" is especially rich in children's poems, carrying\npractical, helpful thoughts. Verses and couplets from these make\nbeautiful Memory Gems.\n\n\n2. In the Junior, Intermediate, and Senior Departments:--\n\nIndirect Precept\n\nThe central teaching of a lesson, whether it be generosity, charity,\nforgiveness, or some other virtue, is brought home most effectively by\nillustration and example. As an educative force, emulation far\nsurpasses exhortation.\n\nFrom Foundation Stones, page 33 of this volume, may be selected the\nstories of all those men and women of the Bible who wrought out in\ntheir lives whatever quality of character may be central in the\nlesson. Here also such words of Jesus, of the prophets, or of the\nPsalms as emphasize and enforce the teaching, are grouped and may\nreadily be found.\n\n\nHistorical Connections\n\nA great deal of Bible School teaching touches only the mountain peaks\nof history without traversing the connecting valleys. Study of lesson\nafter lesson with no attention to their connections leaves but a\nseries of detached thoughts.\n\nOften lessons, which have become an old story to boys and girls,\nbecome interesting and fascinating when linked up with the history of\nthe world in Bible times, or when the Bible events themselves are\njoined in connected narrative.\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY presents an unusual opportunity to a teacher for\nestablishing these connections.\n\n\n{163}\n\n(A) The Table of Contents of \"Hero Tales\" suggests the chronology of\nHebrew history as far as the minor kings.\n\n(B) The chart on page 236 T.J. links up the minor kings with the\nprophets in point of time.\n\n(C) The life of Jesus may be traced out chronologically from the\nsequence of places given on pages 109 and 110 of this volume.\n\n(D) The questions on The World in Bible Times beginning at page 38 of\nthis volume will increase interest in Hebrew history itself by showing\nthe relationship between the Jews and surrounding nations.\n\n\nGeographical Setting\n\n\"Teaching, like pictures, must have background and foreground.\" The\ncentral group of characters in the lesson must have prominence, but\ntheir setting must be clearly defined, too, that the whole may be\nappreciated. By many pupils the Bible is regarded as a Book entirely\napart from life. If asked to recall a well-known historical incident\nconnected with Egypt or Assyria or Rome, a pupil does not naturally\nthink of a Bible incident. A teacher may often open an entirely new\nfield of thought for pupils by bringing the Holy Land down out of the\nskies and \"placing it on the map.\"\n\nIn Part III of this volume are given a bird's-eye view of Palestine\nfor general reference; questions on the well-known places in Bible\nlands and of especial interest because they refer to pictures which\nmay be used in class; and questions which locate the Bible characters\nin the land. For the latter section it is well to use a blackboard or\nsand map in class to make plain the setting of each lesson. All of\nPart III furnishes helpful material for the teacher's study and\npresents interesting sidelights to give what has seemed a commonplace\nlesson new meaning and new interest.\n\n\nThe Question Method\n\nTo hold attention in class the question method is best. It is most\neffective because in order to give the answers the pupil must think\nfor himself.\n\nQuestions are so important that a wise teacher will always prepare\nthem in advance. If put in order they will form an outline or plan to\nbe followed in presenting the lesson.\n\nAt the end of Part II of this volume are one thousand questions on the\nBible passages listed according to names and periods for easy {164}\nreference. They are useful in many ways: As an outline for the\nteacher, as suggested above; as review questions when two classes may\nunite for a contest; and as an incentive to the pupils to study the\nlesson. Give out a striking question on the coming lesson each week\ninstead of the general request to \"study the lesson.\"\n\n\nUse of Pictures\n\nIn teaching little children pictures have long been considered\ninvaluable, but their practical value in the more advanced departments\nis not so generally conceded. The adult mind, however, has not\noutgrown its love for the truths of life as expressed in pictorial\nform and the teacher of adult classes who owns THE BIBLE STORY is\nfortunate indeed in having right at hand impressive illustrations for\na great many Bible lessons.\n\nThere is a threefold advantage in using these pictures:--\n\nTo Save Time--Pictures suggest ideas more forcibly than words. For\nexample, much time would be wasted in trying to convey by words any\nidea of such a ship as Paul used in traveling to Rome, but the picture\non page 464 L.J. is at once striking and accurate. The index of\nillustrations in the back of the volume \"Songs of the Ages\" suggests\nthe wealth of illustrations in THE BIBLE STORY and indicates their\nlocation.\n\nTo Give Correct Impressions--For understanding Oriental conditions no\nagency is so helpful as pictures of Eastern customs and life. Many of\nthese customs are referred to in Part 1 on page 19 of this volume, and\nmuch of the life of the Hebrews is brought out by the questions\nbeginning at page 100, which refer, for their answers, to pictures.\n\nTo Inspire Beautiful Ideals--THE BIBLE STORY reproduces many beautiful\npictures by artists who have thrown their religious conceptions into\ntheir work and thus infused it with the highest devotional spirit.\nHolding these pictures before a class will often create the atmosphere\nmost desired for teaching the story depicted. For example, a\nconception of the spirit of the conversation between Jesus and the\nwoman at Jacob's well may be obtained from Hofmann's beautiful picture\n(84 L.J.). Many others may be used to instill the greatest spiritual\nideas.\n\n\n{165}\n\nIlluminating Points\n\nA careful study of Part IV of this volume will enable a teacher of\nadults to give from Bible characters and books many striking points\nappropriate to the lesson.\n\n\"Living with the Bible,\" beginning at page 42 of this volume, will\nsuggest to the adult teacher many passages to use in developing the\ndifferent lessons.\n\n\"Jesus' Character-Building Stories,\" on page 32 of this volume, will\ngive Jesus' teaching on the various subjects taken up in the lessons.\n\nPart III of this volume will furnish the teacher of adults with the\nlesson setting, both by picture and by map.\n\n\n{166}\n\n{167}\n\nPART VI\n\nPRONOUNCING DICTIONARY\n\n{168}\n\n\"The knowledge of words is a gate to scholarship.\"\n --_Wilson_.\n\n{169}-{179}\n\nKEY\n\nMarked letters are pronounced as in the following words. Vowels found\nin unaccented syllables are unmarked and are given the natural, or\nlong, sound.\n\n[Illustration: Eleven pages of word pronunciation.]\n\n\n[End of \"HOW TO USE THE BIBLE STORY\"]\n\n-------------------------------------------------------\n\n[Start of \"VOLUME ONE: THE GOLDEN BOOK\"]\n\n{1}\n\n{2}\n\n{3}\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY\n\n{6}\n\n[Illustration: Magi following the Star of Bethlehem.]\n\n{7}\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY\n\nVOLUME ONE\n\nTHE GOLDEN BOOK\n\nARRANGED AND EDITED BY\n\nREV. NEWTON MARSHALL HALL, D.D.\n\nMINISTER OF THE NORTH CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS\n\nAND\n\nREV. IRVING FRANCIS WOOD, PH.D.\n\nPROFESSOR OF\nBIBLICAL LITERATURE AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION\nAT SMITH COLLEGE\n\nAuthors of\n_\"The Early Days of Israel\"_\n_\"Advanced Bible Studies\" Etc._\n\n\nTHE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY\nSPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS\n\nCHICAGO, CLEVELAND\n\n{8}\n\nCOPYRIGHT, 1906,\n\nCOPYRIGHT, 1917,\n\nBY THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY,\n\nSPRINGFIELD, MASS.\n\n{9}\n\nINTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES\n\nThe editors of this series believe that no task can be more important\nthan that of winning the interest of children to their precious\nheritage, the Bible. The stories of the old Greek and Roman mythologies,\nthe folk and fairy tales, have been given the child in beautiful form,\nsuitably graded and arranged, with significant illustrations. The\neditors of this series attempt to do the same thing for the Bible: to\ntake the matchless prose and poetry of the Bible and put it in the form\nwhich will make it most attractive to the child, to give the Bible an\nequal chance in the child's library with the \"King Arthur Stories\" and\nthe tales of mythology.\n\nEvery parent desires to have the children of the home gain an\nacquaintance with the best that is in the Bible. Heretofore no text has\nbeen prepared which exactly met this need, giving appropriate passages\nfor children of various ages. These volumes are especially designed to\nmake \"Sunday afternoon\" reading attractive to children, putting the\nfascinating stories of the Bible in the same dress and on the same\nfooting with the secular classics which have {10} always charmed. With\nsuch an arrangement it is believed that the child will read the Bible as\nfreely as any book.\n\nThe plan of the Readers gives unity to each story and selection. Each\nstory or episode is given in a complete form, and not merely as an\nextract. Passages which are clearly not relevant to the story or which\ninvolve unnecessary difficulties to a young reader are omitted. Obsolete\nwords are modernized. Many versions, both ancient and modern, together\nwith the original texts, have been compared in determining the\ntranslation. In every case the graphic, pictorial word which would\nappeal to the imagination of the child and enlarge its vocabulary has\nbeen sought. At the same time the effort has been made not to impair the\nliterary strength and beauty of the older versions. Nothing has been\nomitted which is suitable to the mind of the child, and everything has\nbeen arranged with the end in view of meeting the needs of the child.\n\nThis series does not aim to supplant the ordinary texts of the Bible nor\nto take the place of the common versions any more than literature\nreaders take the place of literature. The editors have endeavored to\nselect such passages of the Bible as are particularly suited to the\nchild's mind, to present them in a novel and attractive form, and thus\nto arouse the interest of children, stimulating them to more careful\nstudy in later years.\n\nThis series is not, however, intended simply for children's reading. The\neditors believe that for general {11} reading for the older members of\nthe family no version of the Bible will be found more satisfactory.\n\nThere is no Book which so lends itself to illustration as the Bible.\nPalestine in relation to the New Testament has been called a \"Fifth\nGospel.\" For the child especially the actual locality is the best\ncommentary on the text and the best means of arousing interest in the\ntext.\n\nThe Bible makes contact with the great civilizations in a way which is\nnot fully appreciated. The attempt has been made to illustrate very\nfully the contact with Egypt in the Old Testament and with Greece and\nRome in the New Testament.\n\nThe editors believe that the three hundred and fifty illustrations which\nhave been provided form a collection which has never been surpassed in\nfullness and accuracy. Many friends have freely offered their fine\ncollections. A large number of pictures taken by friends are unique in\ntheir individual interest, and have never before been published. We are\nespecially indebted to the following: Prof. David G. Lyon, D.D., of the\nDepartment of Semitic Languages of Harvard University, Prof. H. G.\nMitchell, D.D., of the Department of Theology of Boston University, Rev.\nWarren J. Moulton, Ph.D., of Athol, Mass., for the use of valuable\nprivate collections; the Departments of Greek and Latin at Smith\nCollege, the Public Library at Springfield and the Forbes Public Library\nat Northampton, Mass., for {12} constant courtesy and the use of rare\nbooks, photographs, and engravings; Miss Clara L. Bodman, Miss Julia W.\nSnow, Mr. S. E. Bridgman of Northampton, and Prof. Louis F. Giroux of\nthe International College, Springfield, for the loan of photographs;\nMrs. Fontaine Meriwether of Sedalia, Missouri, for selections from a\nremarkably fine collection of views personally taken while on a trip to\nthe East; Rev. Frank L. Goodspeed, Ph.D., and Mrs. Goodspeed for unique\nand valuable views taken by themselves; W. J. Aitchison, Esq., of\nHamilton, Canada, for fine views; the officers of the Palestine\nExploration Fund, and the Detroit Photograph Company, for permission to\nuse pictures in their possession; Prof. Arthur S. Cooley, Ph.D., of\nAuburndale, the well known lecturer, for permission to use unique views\nillustrating the journeys of Paul; Miss Mary Medlicott of Longmeadow for\nthe use of a rare book.\n\nWe are also especially indebted to Prof. Henry D. Sleeper, head of the\nMusic Department of Smith College, for the charming airs to which he has\nset some of the poems for children in the first volume.\n\nOn the literary side the editors wish to acknowledge their indebtedness\nto Miss Esther M. Carver of Northampton for suggestions from her\nexperience as a teacher, to Miss Caroline M. Yale and Miss Frances W.\nGawith of the Clarke School for the Deaf, to Prof. Charles F.\nRichardson, and Prof. Fred P. Emery of Dartmouth College, {13} Prof.\nClyde W. Votaw of Chicago University, Mr. William Orr, Principal of the\nHigh School, Springfield, Mass. We are much indebted to President George\nT. Angell for suggestions for the chapter, \"Little Brothers of the Air\nand Fields,\" in the first volume, also to a very wide circle of friends\nfor their interest and for valuable suggestions, many of which have been\nincorporated in the work. The help of various versions of the Bible is\nalso acknowledged, as well as the version of the prophets by George Adam\nSmith. Thanks are rendered to Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Messrs.\nCharles Scribner's Sons, E. P. Dutton & Co., J. B. Lippincott, Biglow &\nMain, Mr. Theodore E. Perkins, and Charles Ray Palmer, D.D., for\npermission to use copyrighted material.\n\nWithout the co-operation of these and many other friends we feel that so\nlarge a measure of excellence as we believe the volumes possess could\nnot have been attained.\n\n{14}\n\n{15}\n\nPREFACE\n\nThe editors have endeavored to make this volume a treasure house of all\nthe good things, new and old, which would serve to assist in the moral\ntraining of little children. The volume includes a Primer, arranged on\nthe plan of the ordinary school primer, designed to give the elemental\nreligious truths in the simplest form. Any child who is learning to read\nat school can learn also to read these sentences. The texts at the\nbottom of the pages are to be read by the parent to the child, and may\nwith profit be committed to memory by the child. The short Bible stories\nwhich follow may also be easily read by children. The hymns and poems\nand most of the pictures are \"classic.\" They should be known by every\nchild for their own worth, and as an antidote for the rubbish which\nconstitutes so large a proportion of the reading of children. Parents\nwill be pleased to find the fine old hymns of Watts and Jane Taylor,\nsome of them set to delightful music by Prof. Sleeper of Smith College.\nThese poems should not be allowed by neglect to pass out of the\npossession of modern children.\n\nIt is hoped that this volume will go far toward solving the problem of\nSunday afternoon occupation for children, and will meet the constant\ndemand for such a collection of religious literature.\n\n{16}\n\n{17}\n\nCONTENTS\n\nA BIBLE PRIMER 23\n\nHYMNS FOR THE MORNING 69\n\n When Morning Gilds the Skies. _From the German_ 71\n\n A Song of Thanksgiving. _From the German_ 75\n\n Heaven is Not Reached at a Single Bound. _J. G. Holland_ 77\n\n Still, Still With Thee. _Harriet Beecher Stowe_ 78\n\nSHORT BIBLE STORIES 79\n\n God Sees Me. 81\n\n What Does God Want Me To Do? 82\n\n What God Gives. 85\n\n Jesus and His Friends. 86\n\n Jesus Had No Home. 89\n\n The People Loved Jesus. 93\n\n The Sea of Galilee. 94\n\n The Boyhood of Jesus. 97\n\n Jesus and Sick People. 98\n\n Talking With Our Father. 101\n\n God is Our Father. 105\n\n What Jesus Said About Birds and Flowers. 106\n\n What Jesus Said About Trees. 109\n\n Jesus and the Little Girl. 110\n\n The Baby Hid in a Basket. 117\n\n An Old Book of Songs. 121\n\n A Story Which Jesus Told. 126\n\n Some Words Which Jesus Taught the People. 130\n\n The Boy Who Came When He Was Called. 132\n\n{18}\n\n _Stories of David_:\n\n The Shepherd Boy Who Killed a Giant. 139\n\n David and King Saul. 151\n\n David and Jonathan. 156\n\n David and His Three Brave Soldiers. 163\n\n David and His Son Absalom. 167\n\n The Story of a Good King. 170\n\n Joseph and His Brethren. 177\n\n The Boy Who Was Raised from the Dead. 193\n\n The Kingdom of Heaven. 201\n\n The Little Captive Maid. 205\n\n How the People Traveled in the Lands of the Bible. 208\n\n Houses in the Lands of the Bible. 214\n\n Children in the Lands of the Bible. 217\n\n Jerusalem. 218\n\n The Jordan. 224\n\n The Dead Sea. 226\n\n Beth-lehem. 229\n\n\nHYMNS FOR THE DAY. 231\n\n Lord of All Being, Throned Afar. _Oliver Wendell Holmes_ 233\n\n On Our Way Rejoicing _John S. B. Monsell_ 234\n\n Of Such is the Kingdom _Jemima Thompson Luke_ 237\n\n Sun of My Soul. _John Keble_ 238\n\n Day by Day. 239\n\n What Can Little Hands Do? _Fabin_ 240\n\n How Gentle God's Commands _Philip Doddridge_ 241\n\n Above the Clear Blue Sky _John Chandler_ 242\n\n\nBEDTIME STORIES 243\n\n The Story of the First Christmas. 245\n\n The Story of Palm Sunday. 251\n\n How Jesus Gave His Life for the World. 257\n\n{19}\n\n The Story of the First Easter Day. 265\n\n The Story of the First Thanksgiving. 270\n\n Who Was the Neighbor? 279\n\n The Good Shepherd. 282\n\n Little Brothers of the Air and Fields. 292\n\n\nSHEPHERD HYMNS. 305\n\n Saviour, Like a Shepherd Lead Us _Dorothy A. Thrupp_ 309\n\n Was There Ever Kindest Shepherd? _Frederick William Faber_ 310\n\n Gracious Saviour, Holy Shepherd\n _Jane E. Leeson and J. Whittemore_ 313\n\n In Heavenly Love Abiding _Anna L. Waring_ 314\n\n The King of Love My Shepherd Is. _Sir H. W. Baker_ 315\n\n\nPRAYERS FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 317\n\n\nOLD TIME VERSES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 325\n\n Against Idleness and Mischief. _Isaac Watts_ 327\n\n Against Pride in Clothes. _Isaac Watts_ 328\n\n The Ant, or Emmet. _Isaac Watts_ 329\n\n A Morning Song. _Isaac Watts_ 330\n\n An Evening Song. _Isaac Watts_ 333\n\n The Sluggard. _Isaac Watts_ 334\n\n Praise for Mercies, Spiritual and Temporal. _Isaac Watts_ 337\n\n The Rose. _Isaac Watts_ 338\n\n Praise for Creation and Providence. _Isaac Watts_ 341\n\n A General Song of Praise to God. _Isaac Watts_ 342\n\n Innocent Play. _Isaac Watts_ 343\n\n Against Quarreling and Fighting. _Isaac Watts_ 344\n\n Love Between Brothers and Sisters. _Isaac Watts_ 345\n\n A Summer Evening. _Isaac Watts_ 346\n\n Summer. _Jane Taylor_ 349\n\n{20}\n\n The Star (with music). _Jane Taylor_ 350-351\n\n The Flower and the Lady, About Getting Up. _Jane Taylor_ 352\n\n The Field Daisy. _Jane Taylor_ 353\n\n The Little Child. _Jane Taylor_ 354\n\n Going to Bed. _Jane Taylor_ 357\n\n Time to Get Up. _Jane Taylor_ 358\n\n The Snowdrop. _Jane Taylor_ 359\n\n Getting Up (with music). _Jane Taylor_ 360-361\n\n A Fine Thing. _Jane Taylor_ 362\n\n A Pretty Thing. _Ann Taylor_ 365\n\n The Sheep. _Jane Taylor_ 366\n\n The Cow. _Jane Taylor_ 369\n\n Going to Bed (with music). _Jane Taylor_ 370-371\n\n Baby and Mamma. _Jane Taylor_ 372\n\n The Tempest. _Jane Taylor_ 375\n\n The Violet. _Jane Taylor_ 376\n\n May Day Song. _John Keble_ 379\n\n The Lamb. _William Blake_ 380\n\n Some Murmur When Their Sky is Clear. _Archbishop Trench_ 383\n\n Little Drops of Water. _Ebenezer C. Brewer_ 384\n\n\nCHRISTMAS HYMNS 385\n\n Christmas Lullaby _John Addington Symonds_ 389\n\n The Star 390\n\n A Christmas Carol. 393\n\n The Guiding Star _William C. Dix_ 394\n\n A Christmas Carol. _Dinah Maria Mulock_ 397\n\n Hail the Night! All Hail the Morn. _Old German Choral_ 398\n\n The Christmas Tree. 401\n\n A Christmas Carol. _Charles Kingsley_ 402\n\n Song of the Angels _Ancient Christmas Songs_ 405\n\n Carol, Sweetly Carol. 406\n\n{21}\n\n Cradle Hymn. _Martin Luther_ 409\n\n Cradle Hymn. (with music) _Isaac Watts_ 410-411\n\n Chorus. _Robert Herrick_ 412\n\n Once in Royal David's City. _Mrs. C. F. Alexander_ 415\n\n Calm on the Listening Ear of Night. _Edmund Hamilton Sears_ 419\n\n\nHYMNS AND POEMS FOR THE TWILIGHT HOUR. 421\n\n Ready for Bed. _Ida Fay_ 423\n\n Baby's Boat. _George Cooper_ 424\n\n Little Voices. 427\n\n The Twilight Falls, the Night is Near. 429\n\n Saviour, Breathe an Evening Blessing. _James Edmeston_ 430\n\n Summer Rain. 433\n\n The Glorious Heavens. _Addison_ 434\n\n Twilight. _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 437\n\n The Pebble and the Acorn. _Gould_ 438\n\n A Psalm of Life. _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 440\n\n While Thee I Seek, Protecting Power. _Helen Maria Williams_ 442\n\n Oft in the Stilly Night. _Thomas Moore_ 445\n\n The Bridge _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 446\n\n Kindness. _Colesworthy_ 448\n\n Perseverance. 451\n\n The Light of Stars. _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 452\n\n We Are Seven. _William Wordsworth_ 454\n\n Children. _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 459\n\n One by One. _Adelaide Ann Procter_ 461\n\n To-day and To-morrow. 463\n\n Still with Thee. _James Drummond Burns_ 464\n\n Lead, Kindly Light. _John Henry Newman_ 467\n\n Now the Day is Over. _S. Baring-Gould_ 468\n\n A Farewell. _Charles Kingsley_ 471\n\n Good Night and Good Morning. _Lord Houghton_ 472\n\n{22}\n\n New Year's Eve. _Alfred Tennyson_ 473\n\n All Things Beautiful. _John Keble_ 476\n\n The Chambered Nautilus. _Oliver Wendell Holmes_ 477\n\n The Day is Done. _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 481\n\n A Child's Thought of God. _Elizabeth Barrett Browning_ 483\n\n Lullaby Song. _From the German_ 484\n\n The Pilgrims of the Night. _Frederick William Faber_ 487\n\n\nMEMORY VERSES AND PROVERBS. 489\n\n{23}\n\nA BIBLE PRIMER\n\n{24}\n\n{25}\n\nA BIBLE ALPHABET\n\nA Ask and ye shall receive.\n\nB Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.\n\nC Create in me a clean heart, O God.\n\nD Do unto others as ye would that they should do unto you.\n\nE Even Christ pleased not himself.\n\nF Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.\n\nG Give us this day our daily bread.\n\nH Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.\n\nI I am the bread of life.\n\nJ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.\n\nK Keep thy tongue from evil.\n\nL Little children, love one another.\n\nM My son, give me thine heart.\n\nN Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.\n\n{26}\n\nO Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness.\n\nP Pray without ceasing.\n\nQ Quit you like men, be strong.\n\nR Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.\n\nS Suffer the little children to come unto me.\n\nT Teach me thy way, O Lord.\n\nU Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks.\n\nV Verily, verily, I say unto you, he\n that believeth on me hath everlasting life.\n\nW What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.\n\nX Examine yourselves.\n\nY Ye are bought with a price.\n\nZ Zealous of good works.\n\n From an old alphabet belonging to Miss Clara L. Bodman, and\n used by her kind permission.\n\n\n{27}\n\nmy father mother dear\n\n\nMy father.\n\nMy mother.\n\nMy dear father.\n\nMy dear mother.\n\n\n \"Honor thy father and thy mother.\"--_Exodus 20:12_.\n\n \"Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well\n pleasing unto the Lord.\"--_Colossians 3:20_.\n\n \"My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not\n the law of thy mother.\"--_Proverbs 1:8_.\n\n\n{28}\n\nI brother sister love\n\n\nI love my father.\n\nI love my mother.\n\nI love my brother.\n\nI love my sister.\n\n\n \"Have love one to another.\"--_John 13:35_.\n\n \"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.\"\n --_I John 4:11_.\n\n \"Let us love one another: for love is of God.\"--_I John 4:7_.\n\n{29} {30}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE DIVINE MOTHER AND THE CHILD\n By Murillo (1618-1682)\n\n Bartolome Esteban Murillo was born at Seville, Spain, January 1, 1618.\n Very poor at first, he afterward gained wealth and fame by his\n masterly work, which made him an artist of the first rank. \"The\n peasant-painter of Spain,\" as he has been called, was a man of deep\n religious convictions. \"He alone in the seventeenth century kept alive\n the pure flame of religious fervor which burned within the devout\n Italians of the early school.\" His Madonnas are all of an especially\n sweet and gentle and motherly type.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{31}\n\nGod me is\n\n\nMy father loves me.\n\nMy mother loves me.\n\nGod loves me.\n\nGod is my Father.\n\nGod loves me.\n\nI love God.\n\n\n \"God is love.\"--_I John 4:8_.\n\n \"We love him because he first loved us.\"--_I John 4:19_.\n\n \"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon\n us that we should be called the sons of God.\"--_I John 3:1_.\n\n\n{32}\n\na gives all have home\n\n\nI have a home.\n\nI have a father.\n\nI have a mother.\n\nGod gives me my father.\n\nGod gives me my mother.\n\nGod gives me my home.\n\nGod gives me all I have.\n\n\n \"Every good gift, and every perfect gift, is from above and\n cometh down from the Father.\"--_James 1:17_.\n\n \"Give us this day our daily bread.\"--_Matt. 6:11_.\n\n{33}{34}\n\n[Illustration]\n A QUIET AFTERNOON IN THE UPLAND PASTURES\n\n \"Go out in the springtime among the meadows that slope from the shores\n of the Swiss lakes to the roots of their lower mountains There,\n mingled with the taller gentians and the white narcissus, the grass\n grows deep and free; and as you follow the winding mountain paths,\n beneath arching boughs, all veiled and dim with blossom--paths that\n forever droop and rise over the green banks and mounds sweeping down\n in scented undulation, steep to the blue water, studded here and there\n with new mown heaps, filling all the air with fainter sweetness,--look\n up toward the higher hills, where the waves of everlasting green roll\n into their long inlets among the shadows of the pines: and we may\n perhaps at last know the meaning of those quiet words of the 147th\n Psalm, 'He maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.'\"--_John Ruskin_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{35}\n\nsee the grass\n\nmakes grow green\n\n\nSee the grass.\n\nI see the grass.\n\nThe grass grows.\n\nThe grass is green.\n\nI see the green grass.\n\nGod makes the grass.\n\nGod makes the grass grow.\n\nGod makes the green grass grow.\n\n\n \"He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass,\n As showers that water the earth.\"--_Psalms 72:6_.\n\n{36}\n\nflower lily white\n\nrose red you\n\n\nI see a flower.\n\nThe flower is a lily.\n\nThe lily is white.\n\nI see a rose.\n\nThe rose is red.\n\nI have a lily and a rose.\n\nI love the lily and the rose.\n\nHave you a flower?\n\nI have a white flower.\n\nGod loves the flowers and makes them grow.\n\n\n \"Consider the lilies, how they grow. They toil not neither do\n they spin.\"--_Matthew 6:28_.\n\n{37}{38}\n\n[Illustration]\n RESTING BENEATH THE TREES\n By Corot (1796-1875)\n\n Jean Baptiste Camille Corot was a famous painter of landscapes. He\n was born at Paris, and while his work was not at first appreciated\n he is now recognized as one of the greatest of the French school.\n\n \"The groves were God's first temples. Ere man learned\n To hew the shaft, and lay the architrave,\n And spread the roof above them--ere he framed\n The lofty vault, to gather and roll back\n The sound of anthems; in the darkling wood,\n Amid the cool and silence, he knelt down,\n And offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks\n And supplication. . . .\"\n\n --_William Cullen Bryant_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{39}\n\nbird sparrow nest flies in\n\nsorry when it hurt\n\n\nDo you see the bird?\n\nIt is a sparrow.\n\nThe sparrow flies.\n\nThe sparrow makes a nest.\n\nIt makes a nest in the green grass.\n\nSee the nest in the grass!\n\nSee the sparrow fly!\n\nGod loves the sparrow.\n\nGod is sorry when the sparrow is hurt.\n\nDo not hurt the sparrow.\n\n\n \"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings?\n And not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God.\"\n --_Luke 12:6_.\n\n\n{40}\n\nday done bed will go\n\nhear say prayer to heaven\n\n\nThe day is done.\n\nThe sparrow will go to bed.\n\nIt will go to bed in its nest.\n\nThe lily and the rose will go to bed.\n\nI will go to bed.\n\nI go to bed in my dear home.\n\nMy mother will hear me say my prayer.\n\nI say my prayer to my Father in heaven.\n\nMy Father in heaven loves to hear me say my prayer.\n\n\n \"I laid me down and slept;\n I awaked, for the Lord sustained me.\"--_Psalms 3:5_.\n\n \"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and\n cometh down from the Father of lights.\"--_James 1:17_.\n\n{41}{42}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE \"MATER AMABILIS IN GLORIA\"\n By Bodenhausen\n\n \"The extremely popular 'Mater Amabilis in Gloria,' where a girlish\n young mother, her long hair streaming about her, stands in upper\n air, poised above the great ball of the earth, holding her sweet\n babe to her heart. Pictures like these constantly reiterate the\n story of a mother's love--an old, old story, which begins again with\n every new birth.\"--_Hurll_\n[End illustration]\n\n{43}\n\nstar sky above trees\n\nshines night twinkle them\n\n\nIt is night.\n\nI see a star.\n\nThe star shines at night.\n\nThe star twinkles.\n\nThe star twinkles in the sky.\n\nDo you see the star?\n\nIt shines above the trees.\n\nI love to see the birds, and the flowers, and the stars.\n\nGod made them all.\n\nGod loves them all.\n\nGod loves you.\n\n\n \"He telleth the number of the stars;\n He calleth them all by their names.\"\n _Psalms 147:4_.\n\n{44}\n\nmorning sun rises hills\n\nglad here are awaken\n\n\nThe night is done.\n\nThe day is here.\n\nI awaken when it is day.\n\nThe birds awaken when it is day.\n\nThe flowers awaken when it is day.\n\nI see the sun in the sky.\n\nThe sun rises above the hills.\n\nThe sun rises above the trees.\n\nThe birds and the flowers are glad to see the sun.\n\nAre you glad the night is done?\n\n\n \"Day unto day uttereth speech,\n And night unto night showeth knowledge.\"--_Psalms 19:2_.\n\n{45}{46}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE INFANT SAMUEL\n By Reynolds (1723-1792)\n\n Sir Joshua Reynolds is thought by many to have been the greatest of\n English painters. He was a Devonshire lad, and was intended by his\n father for the medical profession. He early showed such aptitude for\n painting that he was permitted to have his way, and after studying\n in Italy, returned to England, where an exhibition of his work\n aroused great enthusiasm, and his popularity continued through his\n life.\n[End illustration]\n\n{47}\n\nthis saying kneeling thanking\n\nhis beside goodness child\n\n\nSee this little child.\n\nHe is going to bed.\n\nHe is saying his prayer.\n\nHe is kneeling beside his bed.\n\nHe is thanking his Father in heaven for his goodness.\n\nDo you say your prayer?\n\nI say my prayer night and morning.\n\n\n \"Ask, and it shall be given you.\"--_Matthew 7:7_.\n\n \"For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are\n open unto their prayers.\"--_I Peter 3:12_.\n\n{48}\n\nsheep cows cover rain falls\n\neat for waters garden earth\n\n\nClouds cover the sky.\n\nThe rain falls.\n\nThe rain waters the earth.\n\nThe flowers in the garden are glad.\n\nThe red rose is glad.\n\nThe white lily is glad.\n\nThe green grass is glad.\n\nThe rain makes the grass grow.\n\nThe sheep and the cows eat the grass.\n\nGod gives the rain.\n\nGod makes the grass grow for the sheep and the cows.\n\n\n \"Praise ye the Lord;\n Who covereth the heavens with clouds,\n Who prepareth rain for the earth,\n Who maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains.\"\n _Psalms 147:8_.\n\n{49}{50}\n\n[Illustration]\n PLOWING IN PALESTINE\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood\n and used by special permission\n\n Very little advance has been made in methods of agriculture in\n Palestine since the early days of which the Bible tells. The plow is\n often still the crooked stick, sometimes strengthened by iron, but\n still very primitive. It is no wonder that crops are so poor and\n life is so hard under these conditions\n[End illustration]\n\n{51}\n\nspring-time snow ice gone\n\nrobin blue-bird seeds help\n\n\nThe Spring-time has come.\n\nThe birds have come.\n\nThe blue-birds are flying in the air.\n\nI see a robin in my garden.\n\nI will go to my garden.\n\nI will plant seeds in my garden.\n\nThe seeds will grow to be flowers.\n\nI love to see them grow.\n\nHave you a garden?\n\nDo you see the birds in your garden?\n\nWhat seeds do you plant in your garden?\n\nGod makes the flowers grow.\n\nHe gives the rain and the sun.\n\nThe rain and the sun help to make the flowers grow.\n\n\n \"Thou makest it soft with showers; thou blessest the springing\n thereof.\"--_Psalms 65:10_\n\n{52}\n\nsummer warm cool woods who\n\nbrightly bees sing pick hum\n\n\nSummer is here.\n\nThe birds sing in the trees.\n\nI hear the robins sing.\n\nThe flowers have come.\n\nI will go to my garden and pick the roses and the lilies.\n\nThe sun shines brightly.\n\nI love the warm sun.\n\nThe bees hum in the garden.\n\nThe woods are cool.\n\nI love the cool woods.\n\nWho gives us the warm summer days?\n\nGod gives us the summer days.\n\n\n \"Thou hast made summer and winter.\"--_Psalms 74:17_.\n\n{53}{54}\n\n[Illustration: ]\n THE AUTUMN WOODS\n\n \"The autumn-time has come;\n On woods that dream of bloom,\n And over purpling vines,\n The low sun fainter shines.\n\n The aster-flower is failing,\n The hazel's gold is paling;\n Yet overhead more near\n The eternal stars appear!\"\n --_John Greenleaf Whittier_\n[End illustration]\n\n{55}\n\nautumn frosty yellow large\n\npeaches moon with nuts\n\ngather crack fire before\n\n\nThis is autumn.\n\nThe summer has gone.\n\nThe nights are frosty.\n\nThe days are cool.\n\nThe trees are red and yellow.\n\nThe leaves are falling from the trees.\n\nSoon the snow will come.\n\nThe moon is large in the sky.\n\nIt looks like a great yellow ball.\n\nThe stars shine brightly.\n\nI love to see the moon and the stars.\n\n{56}\n\nI love the large red apples.\n\nHave you apples in your garden?\n\nI love the peaches and the pears.\n\nI go with my father to the woods, and gather nuts.\n\nI will crack the nuts on the frosty nights,\nand eat them before the fire.\n\nGod made the apples, and nuts, and peaches, and pears.\n\nI will thank God for his goodness.\n\n\n \"Thou crownest the year with thy goodness.\"--_Psalms 65:11_.\n\n \"The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.\"--_Psalms 33:5_.\n\n \"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.\"--_Psalms 24:1_.\n\n \"The pastures are clothed with flocks: the valleys also are\n covered over with grain.\"--_Psalms 65:18_.\n\n{57}{58}\n\n[Illustration]\n WINTER\n\n \"Leafless are the trees; their purple branches\n Spread themselves abroad, like reefs of coral,\n Rising silent\n In the Red Sea of the winter sunset.\"\n --_Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_\n\n \"A chill no coat, however stout,\n Of homespun stuff could quite shut out,\n A hard, dull bitterness of cold,\n That checked, mid-vein, the circling race\n Of life blood in the sharpened face,\n The coming of the snowstorm told.\"\n --_John Greenleaf Whittier_\n[End illustration]\n\n{59}\n\n winter play sleep\n\n cold frozen covers\n\n under lake fort\n\n\nIt is winter.\n\nSummer and autumn have gone.\n\nThe air is cold.\n\nThe robins and the bluebirds have gone.\n\nThe snow falls from the sky.\n\nThe snow covers the hills and the woods and the fields.\n\nThe flowers sleep under the snow in my garden.\n\nThey will wake when it is spring.\n\n{60}\n\nThe lake is frozen.\n\nI see the white snow in my garden.\n\nI love to play in the snow.\n\nI will make a fort of the white snow in my garden.\n\nI love the cold winter days.\n\nGod gives us the winter days as well as the summer days.\n\n\n \"He giveth snow like wool;\n He scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes.\"--_Psalms 147:16_.\n\n{61}{62}\n\n[Illustration]\nTHE SEA\n\n \"Unchangeable save to thy wild waves' play,\n Time writes no wrinkles on thine azure brow--\n Such as creation's dawn beheld, thou rollest now.\"\n --_Lord Byron_\n[End illustration]\n\n{63}\n\nHarold beach man\n\nsea-shore dug owns\n\nwent sand sailing\n\n ships\n\n\nHarold went to the sea-shore.\n\nHe went with his father and his mother.\n\nIt was summer when he went.\n\nThe days were long and bright.\n\nHe played all day on the beach.\n\nHe dug in the sand.\n\nHe made hills in the sand.\n\nWhen he went to bed at night, he heard the sea.\n\n{64}\n\nHe said his prayer beside his mother,\nand the sea sang him to sleep with its song.\n\nHe saw the sea when the sun rose in the morning.\n\nThe sun rose above the sea, when the\nnight was gone, and the stars went to sleep.\n\nIn the bright morning, he saw the ships sailing on the sea.\n\nNo man owns the sea.\n\nGod made it, and it is his.\n\n \"The sea is his, and he made it.\"--_Psalms 95:5_.\n\n{65}{66}\n\n[Illustration]\nTHE MOUNTAINS\n\n \"You should have seen that long hill-range\n With gaps of brightness riven,\n How through each pass and hollow streamed\n The purpling lights of heaven,--\n\n \"Rivers of gold-mist flowing down\n From far celestial fountains,--\n The great sun flaming through the rifts\n Beyond the wall of mountains.\"\n --_John Greenleaf Whittier_\n[End illustration]\n\n{67}\n\nMargaret high brooks\n\nflow down climb\n\nlook beautiful think\n\noften near\n\n\nThe mountains are high.\n\nThey are often covered with trees.\n\nBrooks flow down the mountains.\n\nMargaret went to the mountains in summer.\n\nShe could not climb the mountains.\n\nShe played in the woods and fields near the mountains.\n\nShe picked the red and white and yellow flowers in the fields.\n\nShe saw the birds and the bees and the beautiful trees.\n\n{68}\n\nShe loved the brook.\n\nShe loved to see the mountains.\n\nThey were beautiful when the sun set.\n\nWhen she said her prayer at night,\nshe looked at the beautiful hills and mountains.\n\nIt made her think of God to see the mountains which he made.\n\n\n \"I will lift mine eyes unto the hills,\n From whence cometh my help.\n My help cometh from the Lord,\n Which made heaven and earth.\"--_Psalms 121:1,2_.\n\n{69}\n\nHYMNS FOR THE MORNING\n\n{70}\n{71}\n\nWHEN MORNING GILDS THE SKIES\n\n When morning gilds the skies,\n My heart awaking cries,\n May Jesus Christ be praised!\n Alike at work and prayer,\n To Jesus I repair;\n May Jesus Christ be praised!\n\n To Thee, O God above,\n I cry with glowing love,\n May Jesus Christ be praised!\n This song of sacred joy,\n It never seems to cloy,\n May Jesus Christ be praised!\n\n Does sadness fill my mind?\n A solace here I find,\n May Jesus Christ be praised!\n Or fades my earthly bliss?\n My comfort still is this,\n May Jesus Christ be praised!\n\n When evil thoughts molest,\n With this I shield my breast,\n May Jesus Christ be praised!\n The powers of darkness fear,\n When this sweet chant they hear,\n May Jesus Christ be praised!\n\n When sleep her balm denies,\n My silent spirit sighs,\n May Jesus Christ be praised! {72}\n The night becomes as day,\n When from the heart we say,\n May Jesus Christ be praised!\n\n Be this, while life is mine,\n My canticle divine,\n May Jesus Christ be praised!\n Be this the eternal song,\n Through all the ages long,\n May Jesus Christ be praised!\n --_From the German_.\n\n{73}{74}\n[Illustration]\n THE BOY JESUS\n By Winterstein\n\n \"Whatever father or mother wanted done in the house, fetching water,\n drink, bread, meat, looking after the house and other things of that\n sort, whatever he was bidden, that did the dear little Jesus, like\n any other child.\"\n --_Martin Luther_\n[End illustration]\n\n{75}\n\nA SONG OF THANKSGIVING\n\n We plough the fields and scatter\n The good seed on the land,\n But it is fed and watered\n By God's almighty hand;\n He sends the snow in winter,\n The warmth to swell the grain,\n The breezes and the sunshine,\n And soft refreshing rain.\n All good gifts around us\n Are sent from heaven above,\n Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,\n For all His love!\n\n He only is the Maker\n Of all things near and far;\n He paints the wayside flower,\n He lights the evening star;\n The winds and waves obey Him,\n By Him the birds are fed;\n Much more to us, His children,\n He gives our daily bread.\n All good gifts around us\n Are sent from heaven above,\n Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,\n For all His love!\n\n We thank Thee, then, O Father,\n For all things bright and good,\n The seedtime and the harvest,\n Our life, our health, our food; {76}\n Accept the gifts we offer\n For all Thy love imparts,\n And what Thou most desirest,\n Our humble, thankful hearts.\n All good gifts around us\n Are sent from heaven above,\n Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,\n For all His love!\n --_From the German of Mathias Claudius_.\n\n{77}\n\nHEAVEN IS NOT REACHED AT A SINGLE BOUND\n\n Heaven is not reached at a single bound,\n But we build the ladder on which we rise,\n From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies,\n And we mount to the summit round by round.\n\n I count this thing to be grandly true,\n That a noble deed is a step toward God,--\n Lifting a soul from the common clod,\n To a purer air and a broader view.\n --_J. G. Holland_.\n\n By permission of Charles Scribner's Sons.\n\n{78}\n\nSTILL, STILL WITH THEE\n\n Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh,\n When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee:\n Fairer than morning, lovelier than the daylight,\n Dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with Thee.\n\n Alone with Thee, amid the mystic shadows,\n The solemn hush of Nature newly born;\n Alone with Thee, in breathless adoration,\n In the calm dew and freshness of the morn.\n\n When sinks the soul, subdued by toil, to slumber,\n Its closing eye looks up to Thee in prayer;\n Sweet the repose, beneath Thy wings o'ershadowing,\n But sweeter still to wake and find Thee there.\n\n So shall it be at last in that bright morning\n When the soul waketh, and life's shadows flee;\n O in that hour, and fairer than day's dawning,\n Shall rise the glorious thought, I am with Thee.\n\n --_Harriet Beecher Stowe_.\n\n{79}\n\nSHORT BIBLE STORIES\n\n{80}\n{81}\n\nGOD SEES ME\n\nWhen does God see me?\n\nGod sees me when I am good, and it makes him glad.\n\nGod sees me when I am bad, and it makes him sorry.\n\nGod sees me when I play, and knows if I am kind.\n\nGod sees me when I am at school, and knows if I am faithful.\n\nGod sees me when I am at home, and knows\nif I obey my father and my mother.\n\nGod sees me when I am cross, and knows how ugly I look and feel.\n\nGod sees me when I am happy, and knows how glad I am.\n\nGod sees me all day long, and wants me to love him.\n\nGod sees me all night long, and watches over me while I sleep.\n\n\n \"When I run about all day,\n When I kneel at night to pray,\n God sees.\n Need I ever know a fear\n Night and day, my Father near?\n God sees.\"\n\n \"Thou God seest me.\"--_Genesis 16:13_.\n\n{82}\n\nWHAT DOES GOD WANT ME TO DO?\n\nGod wants me to be kind to other children.\n\nGod wants me to be gentle and loving.\n\nGod wants me to be kind to animals.\n\nGod wants me to obey my father and my mother.\n\nGod wants me to care more for others than for myself.\n\nGod wants me to keep the Sabbath day.\n\nGod wants me to pray to him every day.\n\nGod wants me to tell the truth.\n\nGod wants me to be happy all the day.\n\nGod wants me to be good, and then I shall be happy.\n\nGod wants me to do these things because he loves me.\n\nI ought to want to do the things he wants me to do.\n\n{83}{84}\n\n[Illustration]\n PLOWING IN THE LANDS OF THE BIBLE\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton,\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n How strange it looks to see a camel harnessed to a plow! If you look\n closely you will see that the plow is strange, too. It is a crooked\n branch with a plowshare fastened to it. It has only one handle. It\n was a plow almost exactly like this that was used in the times of\n the Bible. This picture was taken in the plains of old Philistia.\n[End illustration]\n\n{85}\n\nWHAT GOD GIVES\n\nGod is always giving.\n\nGod gives to the trees their leaves and fruit.\n\nGod gives to the earth the rain in summer to make the grass grow,\nand the snow in winter to cover the ground.\n\nGod gives to the beasts and to the birds their food.\n\nGod gives to us our homes and friends and all that makes us happy.\n\nGod gives us the Bible to tell us how he loves us.\n\nGod gives us sweet sleep at night.\n\nGod gives us health to enjoy all his gifts.\n\nWhat has God given you to-day? Have you thanked him for it?\n\n \"Who giveth food to the hungry.\"--_Psalms 146:7_.\n \"Who giveth to the beast his food.\"--_Psalms 147:9_.\n \"So he giveth his beloved sleep.\"--_Psalms 127:2_.\n \"He giveth snow like wool.\"--_Psalms 147:16_.\n \"Give us this day our daily bread.\"--_Matthew 6:11_.\n \"My peace I give unto you.\"--_John 14:27_.\n \"Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all.\"--_I Timothy 2:6_.\n\n{86}\n\nJESUS AND HIS FRIENDS\n\nJesus had many friends.\n\nSome of them were people whom he had healed.\n\nSome of them had heard him talk, and had learned to love him.\n\nSometimes they stayed with him, day after day.\n\nJesus loved his friends.\n\nJesus told his friends about God.\n\nJesus was so kind and loving to his friends\nthat they could not help loving him.\n\nThe friends of Jesus were called disciples.\n\nDisciple means learner.\n\nThe disciples learned what Jesus had taught.\n\nJesus picked out from his friends a few to be with him all the time.\n\nThey were sometimes called disciples, too.\n\nSometimes they were called apostles.\n\nApostle means one who is sent.\n\nJesus sent the apostles out to tell others about himself.\n\nThere were twelve of the apostles.\n\nThe names of three of them were Peter, James, and John.\n\n{87}{88}\n\n[Illustration]\n BEAUTIFUL NAZARETH:\n OUTLOOK FROM HILLS ABOVE TOWN TO HISTORIC ESDRAELON\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n After he began his active ministry Jesus had no home, but while he\n was a boy his home was in the town of Nazareth, beautifully situated\n among the hills of Galilee. A traveler there describes the town as\n it now is;--\n\n \"Almost in the center of this chain of hills there is a singular\n cleft in the limestone, forming the entrance to a little valley.\n As a traveler leaves the plain he will ride up a steep and narrow\n pathway, broidered with grass and flowers, through scenery which is\n neither colossal nor overwhelming, but infinitely beautiful and\n picturesque. Beneath him, on the right-hand side, the vale will\n gradually widen, until it becomes about a quarter of a mile in\n breadth. The basin of the valley is divided by hedges of cactus into\n little fields and gardens, which, about the fall of the spring\n rains, wear an aspect of indescribable calm, and glow with a tint of\n the richest green. Beside the narrow pathway, at no great distance\n apart from each other, are two wells, and the women who draw water\n there are more beautiful, and the ruddy, bright-eyed shepherd boys\n who sit or play by the well sides, in their gay-colored Oriental\n costume, are a happier, bolder, brighter-looking race than the\n traveler will have seen elsewhere. Gradually the valley opens into a\n little natural amphitheater of hills, supposed by some to be the\n crater of an extinct volcano; and there, clinging to the hollows of\n a hill, which rises to the height of some five hundred feet above\n it, lie, 'like a handful of pearls in a goblet of emerald,' the flat\n roofs and narrow streets of a little Eastern town. There is a small\n church; the massive buildings of a convent; the tall minaret of a\n mosque; a clear, abundant fountain; houses built of white stone, and\n gardens scattered among them, umbrageous with figs and olives, and\n rich with the white and scarlet blossoms of orange and pomegranate.\n In spring, at least, everything about the place looks indescribably\n bright and soft; doves murmur in the trees; the hoopoe flits about\n in ceaseless activity; the bright blue roller-bird, the commonest\n and loveliest bird of Palestine, flashes like a living sapphire over\n fields which are enameled with innumerable flowers.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{89}\n\nJESUS HAD NO HOME\n\nJesus had no home of his own after he grew up.\n\nOnce a man wanted to be his disciple.\n\nJesus wanted this man to know that he had no\nfine house where he could entertain him.\n\nHe said that the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have\nnests, but that he had not where to lay his head.\n\nHis friends asked him to visit them.\n\nThey were always glad when he came to see them.\n\nSometimes a rich man asked Jesus and his friends to dinner.\n\nHe made no difference between the rich and the poor among his friends.\n\nOne of the homes where he liked to be was the home of a fisherman.\n\nThe fisherman's name was Simon.\n\n{90}\n\nSometimes he was called by another name, Peter.\n\nHe caught fish in the lake of Galilee.\n\nHis house stood near the lake.\n\nHis fishing boat was drawn up upon the shore.\n\nAnother home where Jesus liked to stay was the home of Lazarus.\n\nLazarus had two sisters. Their names were Mary and Martha.\n\nThe brother and the sisters lived in a little town called Bethany.\n\nJesus loved these people very much.\n\nWhy was Jesus so poor?\n\n \"Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,\n that ye through his poverty might become rich.\"--_2 Corinthians 8:90_\n\n{91}{92}\n\n[Illustration]\n BETHANY\n\n From a picture taken by Mrs. Frank L. Goodspeed,\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n This is a picture of the village of Bethany, not far from Jerusalem.\n It was here in the home of Mary and Martha that Jesus liked so much\n to stay.\n[End illustration]\n\n{93}\n\nTHE PEOPLE LOVED JESUS\n\nThe people loved Jesus.\n\nThey crowded about him to hear him talk.\n\nSometimes Jesus and his friends did not have time to eat.\n\nSometimes the people came after sunset.\n\nSometimes they came early in the morning.\n\nSometimes so many people came that the house would not hold them.\n\nThen they had to go out of doors.\n\nJesus loved to talk with the people out of doors.\n\nHe loved to look up and see the blue sky and the green hills.\n\nHe told the people many stories while out of doors.\n\nJesus never turned the people away without trying to help them.\n\n\n \"Many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for\n them.\"--_Mark 2:2_.\n\n \"And he went forth again by the seaside, and many came unto him, and\n he taught them.\"--_Mark 2:13_.\n\n \"And all the city was gathered together at the door where Jesus\n was.\"--_Mark 1:33_.\n\n \"And Jesus with his disciples withdrew to the sea . . . and a great\n multitude, hearing what great things he did, came unto him.\"\n --_Mark 3:7, 8_.\n\n{94}\n\nTHE SEA OF GALILEE\n\nDo you know what a lake is?\n\nDid you ever see a lake?\n\nThere was a lake in the country where Jesus lived.\n\nIt was a pretty lake.\n\nThere were hills and mountains all about it.\n\nThere were towns and villages on its shores.\n\nJesus sometimes stayed in these villages.\n\nThe lake had a long name.\n\nIt was called Gennesaret.\n\nIt also had other names.\n\nSometimes it was called the Sea of Tiberias.\n\nSometimes it was called the Sea of Galilee.\n\nThere were many boats on the Lake of Gennesaret.\n\nHow swiftly they sailed along!\n\nHow the little waves danced on the waters!\n\nHow pretty the hills were on either side!\n\nSome of the boats belonged to the friends of Jesus.\n\nSometimes these friends took Jesus in their boats.\n\nOne day he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.\n\nThe people were crowding about him.\n\nHe could not talk because they crowded so.\n\nHe had the boat pushed out a little way from shore.\n\nThen he sat down and taught the people.\n\nThe people all sat on the shore and listened.\n\n{95}\n\n[Illustration]\n TIBERIAS, ON THE COAST OF THE SEA OF GALILEE\n\n Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.\n\n On this beautiful lake Jesus very often sailed with his fishermen\n disciples.\n\n At that time there were many towns and cities on its shores, but\n now, except for a few small hamlets, the once populous shores are\n desolate. But the lake is still as beautiful, its blue waters\n sparkle in the sun, and the stars looking down from the brilliant\n eastern sky are reflected in its bosom as when Jesus \"walked in\n Galilee\".\n[End illustration]\n\n{97}\n\nTHE BOYHOOD OF JESUS\n\nWhen Jesus was a boy, he lived at Nazareth.\n\nNazareth was a village among the hills.\n\nIt was itself on a hill.\n\nAll about it were green fields.\n\nIn the spring, the fields were filled with pretty flowers.\n\nJesus' father was a carpenter.\n\nHe made doors and chairs and tables.\n\nJesus helped about the shop.\n\nHe was a good boy and loved to help his father.\n\nHe helped his mother to draw water from the well.\n\nHe went to school and learned to read and write.\n\nHe went to church on the Sabbath.\n\nThe church to which he went was called a synagogue.\n\nDo you suppose Jesus played with other boys and girls?\n\nHe played with them in the village streets.\n\nHe was always kind to them.\n\nHe never teased them or did things that were mean.\n\nThere is still a village of Nazareth.\n\nThe hills and the fields about it are the same as then.\n\n{98}\n\nJESUS AND SICK PEOPLE\n\nJesus was very sorry for people who were sick.\n\nHow pale and thin some of them looked!\n\nHow some of them suffered!\n\nJesus loved to heal them.\n\nHe was glad to see them get well again.\n\nHow happy they and their friends were when they were made well!\n\nHow glad the little children were to see their\nfathers and mothers come home again, well!\n\nAs soon as people knew that Jesus could heal the sick,\nthey brought all their friends who were sick to Jesus.\n\nSometimes they brought sick children.\n\nHow glad Jesus was to make the children well!\n\n\n \"And at even when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that\n were sick . . . And all the city was gathered together at the door.\n And he healed many that were sick.\"--_Mark 1:32-34_.\n\n \"And when they were come out of the boat, straightway the people\n knew him, and ran round about that whole region, and began to carry\n about on their beds those that were sick, where they heard he\n was.\"--_Mark 6:54-56_.\n\n{99}{100}\n\n[Illustration]\n NAZARETH\n\n From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library, and used by kind permission.\n\n This is a picture of the village of Nazareth, where Jesus lived when\n he was a boy. When he climbed the hills about the town he had a most\n beautiful view of the mountains and valleys of Palestine. Looking\n westward, the waters of the Mediterranean were spread out before\n him, and he could see the white sails of the passing ships.\n[End illustration]\n\n{101}\n\nTALKING WITH OUR FATHER\n\nBecause God is our Father we want to talk with him.\n\nWe want to tell him about many things.\n\nWe want to tell him how happy we are.\n\nIf we have been naughty, we want to tell him how sorry we are.\n\nSometimes we want to tell him how much we love him.\n\nWhy do we do this?\n\nWhen people give us gifts, it is polite to say, \"thank you.\"\n\nGod gives us gifts, and we should say \"thank you,\" to him.\n\nWhen we love people we want to talk with them.\n\nIf we love God we will want to talk with him.\n\nWhen we have been naughty to anyone, we are sorry,\nand we want to say \"please forgive me.\"\n\nWhen we have been naughty, we ought also to ask God to forgive us.\n\n{102}\n\nIt makes God sorry when we are naughty.\n\nWould it be right to get up in the morning, and play all day when your\nfather was at home, without saying one word to him?\n\nWould it make your father glad or sorry?\n\nIs it right, then, to take gifts from your Father in heaven all day\nlong, and not say a word to him?\n\nDoes it make him glad or sorry?\n\nTalking with our Father in heaven, we call praying.\n\nIt is telling him all the things we want to tell a loving father.\n\n{103}{104}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS HEALING THE SICK\n By Heinrich Hofmann\n\n Jesus was rightly called the \"Great Physician.\" In the picture are\n shown some of the sufferers whom Jesus delighted to help--the poor\n little child, white and still in its mother's arms, the lame, and\n the blind.\n[End illustration]\n\n{105}\n\nGOD IS OUR FATHER\n\nWe call God our Father.\n\nThe prayer which Jesus taught us to pray, begins, \"Our Father.\"\n\nWhy do we call God our Father?\n\nBecause God does for us what a good father does for his children.\n\nA good father loves his children.\n\nGod loves his children.\n\nA good father gets food and clothing, and other\nthings which his children need.\n\nGod gets for his children what he sees they need.\n\nA good father wants his children to be good.\n\nGod wants his children to be good.\n\nA good father will not let his children have\nwhat would be bad for them.\n\nGod will not let us have what will be bad for us.\n\nWhen we call God our Father, it is a way of saying, \"God loves me, God\nwill take care of me.\"\n\n\n \"Our Father who art in heaven.\"--_Matthew 6:9_.\n\n \"One is your father, even he who is in heaven.\"--_Matthew 23:9_.\n\n \"One God and Father of all.\"--_Ephesians 4:6_.\n\n{106}\n\nWHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT BIRDS AND FLOWERS\n\n\"Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they\nreap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feedeth them.\nAre not ye of much more value than they? And which of you by being\nanxious can add one cubit unto his stature? And why are ye anxious\nconcerning raiment?\n\n\"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not,\nneither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his\nglory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore if God so clothe\nthe grass of the field, . . . shall he not much more clothe you,\nO ye of little faith?\"--_Matt. 6:26-30_.\n\n{107}{108}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE LAKE OF GALILEE\n\n Another picture of the beautiful lake on which Jesus so often sailed\n with his disciples. The lake abounded in fish, and there was a great\n fleet of fishing boats which sailed about the lake and brought the\n fish to the many towns and cities on its shores. Some of Jesus'\n disciples were fishermen.\n\n \"And walking by the lake of Galilee, he saw two brethren, Simon who\n is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the\n lake; for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Come ye after\n me, and I will make you fishers of men.\n\n \"And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.\n\n \"And going on from thence he saw other two brethren, James the son\n of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their\n father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they straightway\n left the boat and their father, and followed him.\"--_Matt. 4:18-22_\n[End illustration]\n\n{109}\n\nWHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT TREES\n\n\"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns,\nor figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good\nfruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree\ncannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth\ngood fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down\nand cast into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits ye shall know\nthem.\"--_Matt. 7:16-20_.\n\n\"And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig tree and all the\ntrees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves\nthat the summer is now nigh at hand.\"--_Luke 21:29-30_.\n\n{110}\n\nJESUS AND THE LITTLE GIRL\n\n Beseech\n Beg.\n\n Suffered\n Allowed.\n\n Many weeping and wailing\n In the Bible times, when a person died, women were hired to weep\n and wail. This was supposed to honor the dead.\n\n\nOnce upon a time, there was a man named Jairus. He was a very important\nman among the Jews. He was one of the rulers of the synagogue; that\nmeans that he was one of those who had charge of the worship in the\nsynagogue or church of the town. This man had a dear little daughter.\nThis little girl was twelve years old, and her father and her mother\nloved her very much. One day she was taken sick. Her parents were very\nanxious about her, for each day she seemed to be growing worse. Then her\nfather remembered that Jesus could cure people who were sick. So he went\nto find Jesus, and ask him if he would come and make his little girl\nwell. Jesus was very busy when Jairus found him. He was talking to a\ngreat multitude of people. Jairus pushed through the crowd, and fell\ndown at Jesus' feet, and begged him to come and make his little girl\nwell. Jesus was very glad to come, but there were so many people about\nhim that he had to walk very slowly. He stopped to heal a poor sick\nwoman on the way. At last he drew near Jairus' house, but people came\nout of the house and said it was too late, for the little girl was dead.\nHow badly the poor father felt then! But Jesus told him not to be\nafraid, just to have faith in him. Here is the whole story, as it is\ntold in the Bible:--\n\n{111}{112}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS AND THE LITTLE GIRL\n By Gustav Richter (1823-1884)\n\n \"The healing of His seamless dress\n Is by our beds of pain;\n We touch Him in life's throng and press,\n And we are whole again.\n\n \"Through Him the first fond prayers are said\n Our lips of childhood frame,\n The last low whispers of our dead\n Are burdened with His name.\"\n --_John Greenleaf Whittier_\n[End illustration]\n\n{113}\n\nOne day a great multitude was gathered about Jesus as he taught by the\nsea. And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by\nname; and seeing him, he falleth at his feet, and beseecheth him much,\nsaying:--\n\n\"My little daughter is at the point of death: I pray thee, that thou\ncome and lay hands on her, that she may be made whole, and live.\"\n\nAnd he went with him; and a great multitude followed him.\n\nAs he approached the house, people came out, who said to Jairus:--\n\n\"Thy daughter is dead; why troublest thou the Master any further?\"\n\nBut Jesus, not heeding the word spoken, saith unto the ruler of the\nsynagogue:--\n\n\"Fear not, only believe.\"\n\nAnd they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue; and he\nbeholdeth a tumult, and many weeping and wailing greatly. And when he\nhad entered in, he saith unto them:-- {114}\n\n\"Why make ye a tumult, and weep? The child is not dead but sleepeth.\"\n\nAnd they laughed him to scorn. But he, having put them all forth,\ntaketh the father of the child and her mother and them that were with\nhim, and goeth in where the child was. And taking the child by the\nhand, he saith unto her:--\n\n\"Talitha cumi,\" which means in the language of the country, \"Little\ngirl, I say unto thee, Arise.\"\n\nAnd straightway the little girl rose up, and walked.\n\n{115}{116}\n\n[Illustration]\n EGYPTIAN TEMPLE ON THE ISLAND OF PHILAE\n\n From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library, and used by kind permission.\n\n This is one of the beautiful temples of Egypt on an island in the\n river Nile. This island has lately been covered by the waters of\n the great artificial lake formed by the dam built by the English\n government across the Nile to control the flow of the river. In the\n foreground is seen a \"dahabiyeh,\" one of the peculiar boats for\n sailing upon the Nile.\n[End illustration]\n\n{117}\n\nTHE BABY HID IN A BASKET\n\n Flags\n Plants which grow in the water at the edges of ponds and rivers.\n\n Bulrushes\n Plants which were used for the weaving of baskets.\n\n Ark\n A woven basket.\n\n Pitch\n A sticky substance daubed on the basket to keep out the water.\n\n Handmaid\n A servant.\n\n\nOnce upon a time a little boy was born to some poor Hebrew people who\nwere slaves in Egypt. The pharaoh, or king of that country, did not\nlike the Hebrew people, and he said that all the little boy babies\nborn to them must be killed. But the mother of this little boy wanted\nto save her pretty baby if she could. So she hid him three months. And\nwhen she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of\nbulrushes, and daubed it with pitch; and she put the child therein,\nand laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood\nafar off, to know what would be done with him. And the daughter of\nPharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked {118}\nalong by the river side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent\nher handmaid to fetch it. And she opened it, and saw the child: and,\nbehold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, \"This\nis one of the Hebrews' children.\"\n\nThen said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, \"Shall I call thee a nurse\nof the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?\"\n\nAnd Pharaoh's daughter said to her, \"Go.\"\n\nAnd the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's\ndaughter said unto her, \"Take this child away, and nurse it for me,\nand I will give thee thy wages.\"\n\nAnd the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and\nshe brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And\nshe called his name Moses.\n\n{119}{120}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE RIVER NILE\n\n From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library, and used by kind permission.\n\n The great river Nile was the very life of the country of Egypt which\n lies along its banks. A little way back from the river the desert\n begins. On the little green strip of the banks lived the proud and\n powerful people who enslaved the Israelites. A fleet of dahabiyehs\n is being loaded by the shore.\n[End illustration]\n\n{121}\n\nAN OLD BOOK OF SONGS\n\n Gates and Courts\n The gates and open spaces of the temple of God.\n\n Endureth\n Lasteth.\n\n Faithfulness\n God will keep his promises.\n\n Unto all generations\n Always.\n\n\nIn a city of the Bible land, called Jerusalem, there was a great\ntemple, a sort of big church. Every day people came to this temple to\nworship in it. On the Sabbath, all the people came to worship in it.\nThey did not sit in seats as we do in church, but stood up and\nlistened. In front of where they stood were steps. Here, where all the\npeople could see, stood a great band of singers dressed in white\nrobes. Near by, were men with silver trumpets. When they blew the\ntrumpets, all the people bowed down to pray. Then the singers sang\npraises to God, and the musicians played upon all the instruments of\nmusic, and the great temple was filled with glad, joyous song. The\nbook of songs from which they sang is the book of Psalms in our Bible.\nMany of the songs were calls to the people to praise God for his\ngoodness. Here is one of them:--\n\n Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.\n Serve the Lord with gladness:\n Come before his presence with singing. {122}\n Know ye that the Lord he is God:\n It is he that hath made us, and we are his;\n We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.\n Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,\n And into his courts with praise:\n Give thanks unto him, and bless his name.\n For the Lord is good; and his mercy endureth for ever;\n And his faithfulness unto all generations.\n\nHere is another beautiful song of praise:--\n\n O come, let us sing unto the Lord:\n Let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation.\n Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving,\n Let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.\n In his hand are the deep places of the earth;\n The heights of the mountains are his also.\n The sea is his, and he made it;\n And his hands formed the dry land.\n O come, let us worship and bow down;\n Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker:\n For he is our God,\n And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.\n\n{123}{124}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE PYRAMIDS AND THE SPHINX\n\n From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library, and used by kind permission.\n\n The great pyramids of Egypt are among the wonders of the world. They\n are the tombs of some of the Pharaohs. They are great masses of stone,\n and we can hardly imagine how in those days it was possible to build\n them. The sphinx is a great stone figure of a beast with a human\n face. The pyramids and the sphinx were built before Joseph came to\n Egypt.\n[End illustration]\n\n{125}\n\nHere is a song of trust in God, who watches over us day and night:--\n\n I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains:\n From whence shall my help come?\n My help cometh from the Lord,\n Which made heaven and earth.\n He will not suffer thy foot to be moved;\n He that keepeth thee will not slumber.\n Behold, he that keepeth Israel\n Shall neither slumber nor sleep.\n The Lord is thy keeper:\n The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.\n The sun shall not smite thee by day,\n Nor the moon by night.\n The Lord shall keep thee from all evil;\n He shall keep thy soul.\n The Lord shall keep thy going out and thy coming in,\n From this time forth and for evermore.\n\nThe shortest song of all those in the book is a song of praise:--\n\n O praise the Lord, all ye nations:\n Praise him, all ye peoples.\n For his merciful kindness is great toward us:\n And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.\n Praise ye the Lord.\n\n{126}\n\nA STORY WHICH JESUS TOLD\n\n Straightway\n At once.\n\n Tribulation\n Trouble.\n\n Persecution\n Injury done one by an enemy.\n\n\nJesus often told the people little stories when he was\nteaching them to be good. These little stories he called\nparables. Here is one of the parables:--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE SOWER\n\nAnd Jesus said, \"Behold the sower went forth to sow; and, as he sowed,\nsome seeds fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them:\nand others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth;\nand straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth,\nand when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no\nroot, they withered away. And others fell among the thorns; and the\nthorns grew up and choked them: and others fell upon the good ground,\nand yielded fruit, some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty.\"\n\n{127}{128}\n[Illustration]\n THRESHING IN THE LANDS OF THE BIBLE:\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton,\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n What a strange company of animals we have here! A camel, two oxen,\n and a little white donkey! And is this not a hard way to thresh out\n the grain? This field, with its beasts at work, does not much\n resemble a great wheat field in the western states of America, with\n its wonderful machinery. It shows how little progress has been made\n in the East, to find the same methods employed now as in Bible times.\n[End illustration]\n\n{129}\n\nThen Jesus explained the story to his disciples in this way. He said,\n\"When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not,\nthen cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown\nin his heart. This is he that was sown by the wayside. And he that was\nsown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and\nstraightway with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but\nendureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth\nbecause of the word, straightway he stumbleth. And he that was sown\namong the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the cares of\nthis world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he\nbecometh unfruitful. And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is\nhe that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth\nfruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundred fold, some sixty, some\nthirty.\"\n\n{130}\n\nSOME THINGS WHICH JESUS TAUGHT THE PEOPLE\n\nAt one time Jesus went up the slopes of a mountain, and many people\ngathered about him and he taught them these words, which are called\n\nTHE BEATITUDES.\n\n\"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.\n\n\"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.\n\n\"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.\n\n\"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness:\nfor they shall be filled.\n\n\"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.\n\n\"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.\n\n\"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.\n\n\"Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake:\nfor theirs is the kingdom of heaven.\n\n{131}\n\nBlessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say\nall manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be\nexceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted\nthey the prophets which were before you.\"\n\n{132}\n\nTHE BOY WHO CAME WHEN HE WAS CALLED\n\n Wax\n To grow.\n\n Ark of God\n A box of wood which was kept in the temple, and which the Jews\n thought was very precious and sacred.\n\n\nThere was once a woman who lived in the Bible land, and her name was\nHannah. She had a little boy named Samuel. When Samuel was a baby, his\nmother made up her mind that she would give him to God, to serve in\nthe temple. So she took him to the temple, and as soon as he was old\nenough he helped the good priest Eli about his work. Every year Hannah\nmade a little coat for her boy, and gave it to him, when she came to\nsee him at the temple. It was very hard for Hannah to have her dear\nlittle boy away from home, but she was very happy when she came to\nsee him every year, and heard what a good boy he was. The old priest\nEli was very fond of him. His own sons were very bad men, and that\nmade him love Samuel all the more. Here is a story about Samuel and\nEli, which shows what a good and obedient boy he was. Samuel grew up\nto be a very wise and a very great man, and served his country and God\nfaithfully all his life.\n\n{133}{134}\n\n[Illustration]\n A DRUSE FAMILY\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton,\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n The Druses are a remarkable people living on the mountains of\n Lebanon in the northern part of Palestine. For a thousand years they\n have been a separate people, preserving many of the customs and\n manners of living of Bible times. This makes them a very interesting\n people to us. Most of them are well to do, but there is occasionally\n a poor family like the one shown in our picture. You will notice the\n cow shed at the front door, and the family dog, but can you see the\n donkey? What looks like a great brush heap in the middle of the\n picture is really a little donkey loaded with brush! If you look\n sharply you may see his little feet. At the left of the picture, on\n the hilltop, are the ruins of an old castle built by the Crusaders.\n[End illustration]\n\n{135}\n\nAnd it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place,\nand his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; and ere the lamp\nof God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was,\nand Samuel was laid down to sleep; that the Lord called Samuel; and he\nanswered:--\n\n\"Here am I.\"\n\nAnd he ran unto Eli and said, \"Here am I; for thou calledst me.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I called not; lie down again.\"\n\nAnd he went and lay down.\n\nAnd the Lord called yet again, \"Samuel.\"\n\nAnd Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, \"Here am I; for thou didst\ncall me.\"\n\nAnd he answered, \"I called not, my son; lie down again.\"\n\nNow Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord\nyet revealed unto him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time.\nAnd he arose and went to Eli, and said, \"Here am I; for thou didst call\nme.\" And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. Therefore Eli\nsaid unto Samuel:--\n\n{136}\n\n\"Go, lie down: and it shall be if he call thee, that thou shalt say,\n'Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.'\"\n\nSo Samuel went and lay down in his place.\n\nAnd the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, \"Samuel,\nSamuel.\"\n\nThen Samuel answered, \"Speak, for thy servant heareth.\"\n\n{137}{138}\n\n[Illustration]\n BETHLEHEM\n\n This is a picture of the village as seen close at hand, the Church\n of the Nativity in the foreground.\n\n \"Seated on the summit level of the hill country of Judah, with deep\n gorges descending east to the Dead Sea, and west to the plains of\n Philistia, the shepherds of Bethlehem had to contend not only with\n bears and lions, but also with human enemies, the Philistines on the\n west, and Arab robbers on the east. They would therefore from\n childhood be accustomed to bear fatigue, hunger, heat and cold,\n both by night and by day, and also to brave every kind of danger\n and fight with every kind of antagonist. Thus the youthful David\n learned to sling stones when he led his father's flocks over the\n hills, and thus was he prepared to conquer Goliath; and so, too, by\n defending his charge against lions and bears, he learned to face\n lion-like men in war and conquer them.\"--\"_The Land and the Book_\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{139}\n\nSTORIES OF DAVID\n\nTHE SHEPHERD BOY WHO KILLED A GIANT\n\n Cubit.\n A measure used in Bible lands, thought to be about nineteen\n inches. The span was another measure, about half a cubit.\n According to this, the height of Goliath was about ten feet. A\n very tall giant indeed!\n\n Greaves\n Armor for the legs.\n\n Target\n A round shield.\n\n Weaver's Beam\n The heavy round piece of wood used in old looms.\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived in the little village of Bethlehem among\nthe hills of Judea, a shepherd lad whose name was David. Every day he\nled his flock of sheep to the greenest pasture and then watered them\nat the still pools of water.\n\nThis work was very pleasant when the weather was fair and warm, but\nsometimes it grows very cold in the hill country of Judea. The wind\nblows and the ground is covered with snow. Sometimes the shepherd is\nforced to stay out all night with his flock. Sometimes a lamb {140}\nis lost, and the shepherd has to search all night in the darkness,\nalong dangerous paths in the hills. Sometimes wild beasts attack the\nflock and the shepherd must beat them off. Sometimes the wild people\nof the East try to carry off the sheep, and the shepherd is in danger\nof his life.\n\nBut this hard work and constant danger made David a strong, brave boy.\nHe grew very skillful with the sling, which was a weapon much used\nin those days. With it even a boy could throw a stone very hard and\nfar. Once when he was keeping the flock, a bear came to steal a lamb,\nand, at another time, a mountain lion, and David killed them both.\n\nWhile David was still no more than a big boy, war broke out between\nhis country and the Philistines. These people lived in the lower\ncountry to the west of Judea, and the two nations were very often at\nwar. This time the two armies camped on opposite sides of a narrow\nvalley.\n\nThe Philistines had a giant in their army, who used to come out every\nday and challenge anyone in the army of the Israelites to fight. This\nis how the giant is described:--\n\n{141}{142}\n\n[Illustration]\n WATER WORKS IN OLD PHILISTIA\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton,\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n This unusual picture was taken at the village of Yebnah, between.\n Jaffa and Ashdod, in the country of old Philistia. The camel is\n harnessed to a pole, and, walking in a circle, turns the clumsy\n machinery which lifts the water from the well.\n[End illustration]\n\n{143}\n\n\"And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines,\nnamed Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he\nhad a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of\nmail, and he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass\nbetween his shoulders, and the staff of his spear was like a weaver's\nbeam, and a servant bearing a shield went before him.\"\n\nEvery day this great giant came out before the army and shouted out\nhis challenge. \"Choose you a man for you,\" he cried, \"and let him come\nto me. If he be able to fight with me and kill me, then will we be\nyour servants: but if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall\nye be our servants and serve us.\"\n\nWhat a terrible sight he must have been with the sun shining on his\nbright brass armor, and his great roaring voice, which echoed among\nthe hills! It is no wonder that the whole army of the Israelites was\nafraid, and that no champion was brave enough to come out to meet him.\n\n\nAll this time David was at home taking care of the sheep. He had three\nolder brothers who were away with the army, but David was thought too\nyoung to be a soldier. It must have {144} been very hard for such a\nbrave boy to stay at home, but he was a good boy as well as a brave\none, and he patiently did his work.\n\nOne day David's mother had made some very nice bread, and some cheese,\nand she remembered that the boys in camp would have very poor food. So\nDavid's father said he might go up to camp and take some roasted corn\nand the bread to his brothers, and he sent, too, ten cheeses to the\ncaptain of the boys' company.\n\nDavid was delighted to go. He came quickly to the camp, and, leaving\nhis bread, and corn, and cheese with a servant in the rear, went right\nup to the front where the line of battle was intrenched. He was just\nin time to see Goliath come out and shout his challenge. Just then\nDavid's oldest brother caught sight of him, and thought he had run\naway from home to see the battle.\n\n\"What are you doing here, David?\" he shouted angrily. \"Why have you\nleft that little flock of sheep to be eaten up by wild beasts in the\npastures? You are a naughty boy, and you have just come here to see\nthe battle.\"\n\nDavid replied, \"What have I done now? Isn't there a good reason why I\nhave come?\"\n\n{145}{146}\n\n[Illustration]\n AN EASTERN SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton, and used by\n her kind permission.\n\n This is an exceptionally fine picture of a flock of sheep and their\n shepherd as they appear in the country of the Bible. This picture\n was taken in the springtime on the beautiful plain of Sharon which\n borders the seacoast from Joppa to Mt. Carmel. The prophet Isaiah\n says, \"Sharon shall be a pasturage for flocks.\" The picture shows\n how the whole plain is carpeted with bright colored flowers.\n[End illustration]\n\n{147}\n\nAnd there was good reason, when no one in all the army was brave\nenough to fight Goliath.\n\nDavid went to king Saul, who was the general of the army, and offered\nto fight the giant. The king was very much surprised, and told him he\nwas only a boy, while the giant had been a soldier for many years.\n\nBut David told Saul how he had killed the lion and the bear, and said\nthat the God who helped him in his fight with these wild beasts would\nhelp him in his fight with the giant.\n\nThen Saul allowed him to try, and offered him a suit of armor. David\ntried it on, but it was not what the shepherd boy had been used to\nwear, so he would not take it.\n\nHe went down to the brook and picked out five smooth, round stones,\njust right for his sling. Then, with his shepherd's staff and bag and\nhis sling, he went out of the lines of the army to meet the giant.\n\nWhen the great giant saw the shepherd lad, he laughed, and then he\ngrew very angry.\n\n\"Am I a dog,\" he said, \"that you come to fight me with a shepherd's\nstick? Come to me, and I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air\nand to the beasts of the field.\"\n\n{148}\n\nThen little David answered, \"Thou comest to me with a sword, and with\na spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord\nof Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.\"\n\nThen Goliath marched forward in all his brass armor to kill David; and\nDavid ran, too, straight toward the giant. When he was at the right\ndistance he put a stone into his sling and took good aim. Away went\nthe stone and struck the giant right in the middle of the forehead!\nDown he fell on his face with a crash.\n\nThen David marched up and drew the giant's great sword out of its\nsheath and cut off his head.\n\nWhat a shout arose from the army of Israel when they saw that the\ngreat giant whom they so much feared, was dead! And this is the way a\nbrave boy killed a great boastful giant, with all his bragging words\nand his brass armor.\n\n{149}{150}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE \"TOMB OF RACHEL\" WITH BETHLEHEM IN THE DISTANCE\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Fontaine Meriwether,\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n This picture is chiefly interesting for the beautiful view it gives\n of Bethlehem, lying white against the hillside in the distance.\n[End illustration]\n\n{151}\n\nDAVID AND KING SAUL\n\nAfter David had killed the giant Goliath, King Saul would not let him\ngo back to his father's house at Bethlehem, but made him stay at the\ncourt, and gave him a high command in the army. King Saul was not\nwell. He had a disease of the mind which made him at times almost, if\nnot quite, insane. At such times he was very sad and gloomy. David\ncould play very sweetly on the harp. When the king felt this trouble\nin his mind, he would send for David, who would play on the harp and\nthe playing would soothe and calm the king so that he would be himself\nagain.\n\nDavid was a poet; he not only played upon the harp but he wrote some\nof the beautiful songs or psalms which he sang. In some of these songs\nhe told about the love of God, who cares for his children as the\nshepherd cares for his flock.\n\nThe poet Browning wrote a beautiful poem about Saul and David and how\nthe skillful playing of the shepherd had helped the king. Here {152}\nis a stanza of the poem. David is supposed to be telling someone about\nhis playing to the king.\n\n \"Then I tuned my harp,--took off the lilies\n we twine round its chords\n Lest they snap 'neath the stress of the noontide\n --those sunbeams like swords!\n And I first played the tune all our sheep know,\n as, one after one,\n So docile they come to the pen-door\n till folding be done.\n They are white and untorn by the bushes,\n for lo, they have fed\n Where the long grasses stifle the water\n within the stream's bed;\n And now one after one seeks its lodging,\n as star follows star\n Into eve and the blue far above us,\n --so blue and so far!\"\n\nBut in spite of David's playing the king's health grew worse. He\nbecame very jealous of David. David was young and strong and handsome,\nand a favorite with everyone. Saul at last came to hate him. Once he\nthrew his spear at David, but missed his aim and David escaped. David\nwas afraid that the king would kill him, so he gathered a few bold men\nabout him, and became an outlaw. Day after day Saul and his soldiers\npursued David but he always managed to escape, hiding in caves by day\nand marching by night.\n\n{153}{154}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE CONVENT OF MAR-SARBA IN THE WILDERNESS OF JUDEA\n\n From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library, and used by kind permission.\n\n It was in this wild and desolate country on the eastern edge of\n Palestine that David hid in caves and ravines when pursued by his\n enemy, King Saul.\n[End illustration]\n\n{155}\n\nMore than once David had Saul in his power and might have put him to\ndeath, but he was too brave and generous to take advantage of his\nweakness, and besides he felt that it was wrong to harm the nation's\nking. One night Saul and his soldiers had encamped near the place\nwhere David and his men were hiding. The night was dark. All the\nsentries were asleep. Quietly, David and one of his men stole into the\ncamp, and came to the spot where Saul lay asleep with his spear stuck\nin the ground beside his head. The soldier wanted David to kill his\nenemy, but he would not do it. He took Saul's spear and the water skin\nwhich was beside him and crept safely past the sentries and out of the\ncamp again.\n\nWhen he had gone to a safe distance, he stood on a hill and shouted\nand awakened the men in the camp, and told them to look for the spear\nand the water skin. So they knew that David had truly been in the camp\nand had spared the king's life.\n\n{156}\n\nDAVID AND JONATHAN\n\nWhile David was living at the king's court his dearest friend was\nJonathan, Saul's son. These two young men loved each other as soon as\nthey met, which was after David had killed the giant. They went\neverywhere together. They hunted and played their games together. They\nwere like two brothers. Jonathan was never jealous of David. He wanted\nhim to be liked by others. He gave him the best that he had himself.\nHe was a very kind hearted and generous young man. It made him very\nsad because his father was so cruel to David. He could not believe\nthat his father really wished to kill his friend.\n\nAt last David did not dare to come to the king's court nor to take his\nplace at the king's table. Still Jonathan did not believe that his\nfather really meant to do harm to his friend. To test the king they\nplanned to leave David in a hiding place in the field while Jonathan\nwent home to see his father. When David did not take his place at the\ntable, the king grew very gloomy. \"Where is David?\" he said.\n\n{157}{158}\n\n[Illustration]\n WINNOWING IN THE LANDS OF THE BIBLE\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton,\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n In the East, after the grain is threshed out by the trampling of\n cattle or by driving over it with sledges, it is tossed up in the\n air by a kind of fork. The wind blows the light chaff away, while\n the heavier grain falls in a heap. This explains many of the\n allusions in the Bible.\n[End illustration]\n\n{159}\n\n\"He asked permission to run home to Bethlehem to offer the sacrifice\nwith his family,\" replied Jonathan.\n\nAt that the king grew furious in his rage. He told his son that David\nwanted to steal the kingdom away from him (for Jonathan was the oldest\nson and would be king when Saul died).\n\nSaul was so angry that he even threw his spear at his own son, and so\nJonathan knew that his father had determined to kill his friend.\n\nDavid was hiding behind a great rock in the field, and, according to a\nplan they had made beforehand, Jonathan came out the next day with his\nbow and arrows and pretended to shoot at a mark. He had a little boy\nwith him to run for the arrows.\n\nThe plan was this: If Jonathan said to the boy, \"The arrows are on\nthis side of you,\" David would know that all was safe. But if he said,\n\"The arrows are beyond you,\" he would know that he was in great\ndanger.\n\nJonathan came and shot his arrows, and cried, \"The arrows are beyond\nyou.\"\n\nSo David knew that the king intended to kill him. They waited until\nthe boy had gone and then David came out, and Jonathan told {160} him\nhow sorry he was that the friend he loved so much must go away. In\nmany other ways Jonathan showed his great love for his friend.\n\nAt last both Saul and Jonathan were killed in a great battle with the\nPhilistines. Then David mourned deeply for Jonathan and he made a song\nof mourning about their friendship. This is a part of it:--\n\n \"Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,\n And in their death they were not divided;\n They were swifter than eagles,\n They were stronger than lions.\n How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!\n O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places!\n I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan:\n Very pleasant hast thou been to me,\n Thy love was wonderful,\n Passing the love of women.\n How are the mighty fallen,\n And the weapons of war perished!\"\n\n{161}{162}\n\n[Illustration]\n WINNOWING OF GRAIN AFTER THRESHING IN EGYPT\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n After the grain was threshed it was winnowed. The mixture of grain,\n chaff, and broken straw was turned over and shaken with a wooden\n fork. It was thrown high in the air so that the wind might carry\n away the chaff. This work was often carried on at night to take\n advantage of the night wind, which was usually stronger than during\n the day. After the first process another was carried on by the\n \"fan,\" a kind of shovel by which there was a still further\n separation of impurities. The final cleansing was accomplished by a\n sieve. The chaff was burned or blown away by the wind. In the\n picture the blurred appearance is the chaff which has just been\n tossed up and is being blown away.\n[End illustration]\n\n{163}\n\nDAVID AND HIS THREE BRAVE SOLDIERS\n\nOnce when David was fighting against the Philistines the little town\nof Beth-lehem was in the hands of the enemy. David had a great longing\nfor a drink of the cool water of the well which was near the gate of\nthe town. It seemed to him that he would be perfectly happy if he\ncould taste that water which he used to enjoy so much when he was a\nboy. He wanted it so much that he spoke out loud and said, \"Oh, that\none would give me a drink of the water of the well of Beth-lehem which\nis near the gate!\"\n\nSome of his men overheard him as he said this to himself, and three of\nhis brave soldiers left the cave where they were hiding, and broke\nthrough the enemy's lines and brought back a drink of the water to\nDavid. But when David saw them all bleeding from the wounds which they\nhad received, he would not drink the water which they brought, because\nit had cost so much in the blood of his men.\n\n{164}\n\nSo he poured it out upon the ground as an offering to God of something\nvery sacred and precious, and as a way of showing his friends that he\nprized their love more than the water for which he longed.\n\n{165}{166}\n\n[Illustration]\n HEBRON\n\n From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library, and used by kind permission.\n\n It was here that perhaps the oldest city in Palestine was built. The\n picture shows the character of the country, the hills and valleys\n with the towns showing white on the hillsides or nestling in the\n valleys.\n[End illustration]\n\n{167}\n\nDAVID AND HIS SON ABSALOM\n\nAfter Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle David became king.\nHe did many brave and wise things and some foolish and evil things.\nFor the wrong deeds he was punished by great sorrows.\n\nHe had a favorite son named Absalom. Absalom grew up to be a very bad\nboy. No doubt David was foolish in his affection and did not train the\nboy as he should.\n\nHe grew so bad at last that he gathered an army and rebelled against\nthe king. At first he was successful and actually drove his father out\nof Jerusalem.\n\nBut David's army rallied and defeated Absalom and his bad friends in a\ngreat battle.\n\nWhen Absalom knew that his army was defeated he tried to escape by\nriding away on the back of a swift mule. But as he passed under a\ngreat oak in the dark forest where the battle was fought, his long\nhair was caught in the low hanging branches: Here he hung helplessly\nuntil the soldiers of David came up and killed him.\n\n{169}\n\nDavid was very sorrowful while the battle was being fought, because he\nloved the boy so much. He sat at the gate of the city and watched and\nwaited. Suddenly the watchman on the tower called out that he saw a\nman running, and in a few moments he said that he saw another.\n\nIn the lands of the Bible, messengers, swift of foot and trained in\nrunning, always brought the news to the city as quickly as they could\nrun.\n\nWhen the first messenger came the king said quickly, \"Is the young man\nAbsalom safe?\"\n\n\"I saw a great tumult when I left the battle field,\" said the runner,\n\"but I knew not what it meant.\"\n\n\"Stand aside here,\" said the king.\n\nThen came the second man and he called out, \"Tidings, my lord the\nking!\"\n\n\"Is my boy Absalom safe?\" again cried the king.\n\nThen the messenger replied, \"The enemies of my lord the king, and all\nthat rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.\"\n\n{169}\n\nThe king knew that this meant that the boy he loved so much was dead.\n\nAnd the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the\ngate, and wept, and as he went there he said, \"O my son Absalom, my\nson, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee. O Absalom, my son,\nmy son!\"\n\n{170}\n\nTHE STORY OF A GOOD KING\n\nWhen King David died, Solomon his son became king. He was the wisest\nand best king the people ever had. He is often called \"the wise king.\"\nOne night soon after he became king he had a dream. In his dream he\nseemed to see the Lord, who said, \"Ask what I shall give thee.\"\n\nInstead of asking for great riches or honor or power, Solomon asked\nfor wisdom.\n\nHe said, \"I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come\nin. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart.\"\n\nAnd the Lord replied, \"Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast\nnot asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for\nthyself, nor hast asked for the life of thine enemies, but hast asked\nfor thyself understanding, behold, I have done according to thy word;\nI have given thee a wise and an understanding heart, and I have given\nthee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor, so that\nthere shall not be any among the kings like thee all thy days.\"\n\n{171}{172}\n\n[Illustration]\n CHILDREN AT CANA\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Fontaine Meriwether and used by her\n kind permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n{173}\n\nThen Solomon awoke and knew it was a dream, but in after years the\ndream came true, and Solomon became the wisest and richest king in the\nworld.\n\nEvery year his ships sailed away and brought many rare and costly\nthings from the East. They brought gold, and silver, and precious\nstones, and ivory, and apes, and peacocks.\n\nAt one time Solomon had a visit from the Queen of Sheba, who had heard\nof his great wisdom and wished very much to see him. She came with a\ngreat many servants riding upon camels, and she brought him as\npresents, gold, and precious stones, and spices.\n\nMany kings came also to see him and they brought as presents, gold,\nand silver, and costly cloths, and spices, and horses, and mules with\ntheir harnesses.\n\nSolomon's greatest wish was to build a beautiful house in which to\nworship God. So he sent to King Hiram, who lived in the north country\nwhere the great cedars of Lebanon grew, and Hiram sent his woodcutters\ninto the forest and they cut down the great cedars {174} and squared\nthe logs into beams. Then the lumber was taken to the coast and\nfloated on rafts in the sea along the shore and then brought over the\nland to Jerusalem.\n\nThere were also men working in the stone quarries hewing out the great\nstones for the foundation, and skillful workmen making the golden\nornaments and the beautiful carving.\n\nSo carefully were the stones and timbers cut and marked that they were\nall put together without the sound of hammer or axe. This beautiful\nbuilding was the first temple which the Israelites built and it has\nalways been called \"Solomon's Temple.\"\n\n{175}{176}\n[Illustration]\n CAMEL MERCHANTS\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton, and used by\n her kind permission.\n\n These men are on the way from Palestine to sell their camels in\n Egypt. Every year great herds of camels are still brought from the\n East to sell for the carrying of merchandise in caravans, just as\n they were used in the days of the Bible.\n[End illustration]\n\n{177}\n\nJOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN\n\n Vesture\n Clothing.\n\n Famine\n A time when the crops fail and there is no food,\n and people often starve.\n\n Hostage\n One who is held by an enemy to be sure that promises are kept.\n\n Myrrh and balm\n Precious gums very much used in the East.\n\n\nThere was once a boy whose father loved him very much indeed. The\nboy's name was Joseph. His father's name was Jacob. The father gave\nthe boy a coat of many colors. It was a very fine coat and he was very\nproud of it. He had eleven brothers, and they hated him because he was\nhis father's favorite. He had a dream in which he saw the sun and the\nmoon and eleven stars bowing down before him. This made the brothers\nhate him still more, and even his father was none too well pleased.\n\nOne day the brothers were taking care of the sheep in a distant\npasture, and Jacob sent Joseph to see how the boys were getting along.\n\n\nThe shepherd boys saw him while he was still a long way off, and they\nsaid, \"Here comes {178} the dreamer. Let us kill him and put him into\nsome pit, and say to father, 'Some wild beast has killed him,' and\nthen see what will become of his dreams!\" They were very bad boys\nindeed.\n\nThey all agreed but Reuben, who was the only one who had any pity for\nJoseph. He really wanted to save his brother, but in order to deceive\nthe others he said, \"Do not kill him, but put him alive into some pit,\nin an out-off the-way place.\" He said this hoping to come back and\nrescue Joseph when the others had gone.\n\nThey finally consented; so, when Joseph came up, they took off his\ncoat of many colors and put him into a pit. Probably they did not\nhandle him at all gently!\n\nThen Reuben went away and the others calmly sat down to eat their\ndinner. While they were eating, they looked up and saw a long caravan\nwith camels loaded with spices and balm and myrrh going from the East\ndown to Egypt.\n\nThen an idea came to Judah, one of the brothers. \"Let us sell Joseph,\"\nhe said, \"so we shall get rid of him and no guilt of his blood will be\non our hands.\"\n\n{179}{180}\n\n[Illustration]\n ONE OF THE PYRAMIDS\n\n From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library, and used by kind permission.\n\n Another one of the great pyramids which rise above the level\n country of Egypt, monuments to the departed greatness of her rulers.\n Recent explorations show that the civilization of Egypt goes back\n more than four thousand years before the time of Christ.\n[End illustration]\n\n{181}\n\nThey drew Joseph, who must have been well frightened by this time, out\nof the pit, and sold him to the traders for twenty pieces of silver.\n\nWhen Reuben came back he was very much distressed, but he did not dare\nto tell his father the truth. They agreed to dip Joseph's coat of many\ncolors in blood and say that a wild beast had eaten him. Then they\nwent home and pretended to be very sorry and told their poor old\nfather this lie which they had made up. The father believed it because\nthey showed him the coat of many colors which they had dipped in\nblood. Jacob was very sad and mourned a long time for his boy.\n\nThe traders carried Joseph to Egypt and sold him as a slave. He was\ntreated badly and at last put into prison. While he was there the\nPharaoh, the king of the country, had a dream. He dreamed that he saw\nseven fat oxen come up out of a river and feed in a meadow. Then seven\nlean and hungry oxen came out of the river and ate up the fat oxen.\nThen he saw seven fine full ears of corn on one stalk, but there grew\nalso seven poor thin ears, which destroyed the good ears.\n\nNo one could tell the king what his dream {182} meant, until he heard\nthat Joseph, who was in prison, was able to tell the meaning of\ndreams. So he called Joseph, who was very glad to come out of the dark\nprison. Joseph told the king at once what his dream meant. He said\nthat there would be seven years of plenty in Egypt, when there would\nbe great crops of grain. Then would come seven years of famine, when\nno crops would grow. Joseph advised the king to build great store\nhouses and to store up the grain during the years of plenty, so that\nthe people might not starve during the years of famine.\n\nPharaoh was much pleased because Joseph told him the meaning of the\ndream, and at once appointed him as the man to gather the grain during\nthe years of plenty.\n\nAnd Pharaoh said to Joseph, \"See, I have set thee over all the land of\nEgypt.\"\n\nAnd Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's\nhand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain\nabout his neck; and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he\nhad, and they cried before him, \"Bow the knee!\" and he made him ruler\nover all the land of Egypt.\n\n{183}{184}\n\n[Illustration]\n TEMPLE AT THEBES\n\n From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library, and used by kind permission.\n\n This is another of the great Egyptian temples, built thousands of\n years ago, with the massive columns still standing.\n[End illustration]\n\n{185}\n\nAnd Pharaoh said unto Joseph, \"I am Pharaoh, and without thy consent\nno man shall lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.\" So\nthe shepherd boy, who had been sold as a slave in Egypt, became next\nto Pharaoh the chief man in all the country!\n\nDuring the next seven years, there never had been such harvests, and\nJoseph went about gathering up the great loads of grain into all the\nstorehouses.\n\nThen came the terrible famine. No grain grew in the fields. But Joseph\nwas ready. The people came to him and bought grain to keep them from\nstarving.\n\nAll this time Joseph's father thought he was dead and he never ceased\nto mourn for his boy. By and by the famine reached the land where\nJoseph's father lived and he sent his sons down to Egypt to buy food,\nbut of course they did not know that the ruler of Egypt was Joseph.\n\nTen of Jacob's sons, each with his donkey, went to Egypt, but the\nyoungest boy, Benjamin, Jacob kept at home.\n\nWhen they came to the palace where Joseph lived, he knew at once that\nthey were his {186} brothers, but they did not know him. At first\nJoseph treated them roughly. He said they were spies. But they told\nhim they were all brothers who lived in the land of Canaan and their\nyoungest brother and their father they had left at home. Joseph still\nseemed to be very angry and put them in prison for three days.\n\nThen he let them out and told them to go home, all but Simeon, whom he\nwould keep as a hostage, and bring back their youngest brother, and\nthen he would believe that they spoke the truth.\n\nThey started back, each with his donkey loaded with grain. When they\nstopped at an inn they found that the money which they had paid for\nthe grain was in the top of each sack.\n\nThey reached home at last and told their father all that had happened.\nThe story made the old man very sad. He would not let them go back to\nEgypt. He said that he had lost two sons, Joseph and Simeon, and he\ncould not let Benjamin, whom he loved next to Joseph, go with them.\n\n\n{187}{188}\n\n[Illustration]\n AN EASTERN HOUSE\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton, and used by\n her kind permission.\n\n This house is made of mud--that is, sun-dried clay, with a roof of\n thatch, and shows how houses were made and looked in Bible times.\n The children of the village have come to have their eyes treated by\n the doctor. Many of the children in the hot countries of the East\n have trouble with their eyes, and blindness. The little village of\n mud houses where this was taken is on the site of the ancient\n Ashdod, one of the five powerful cities of the Philistines.\n[End illustration]\n\n{189}\n\nBut the famine kept on. They had nothing to eat and at last Jacob was\nforced to let them go. They promised to take the best of care of\nBenjamin and started on their journey.\n\nWhen they reached Egypt Joseph was more kind. He asked them how they\nwere and said, \"Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spoke? Is\nhe yet alive?\"\n\nAnd they answered, \"Thy servant, our father, is yet alive. He is in\ngood health.\"\n\nThen he saw Benjamin and said, \"Is this your younger brother of whom\nye spoke unto me?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"God be gracious unto thee, my son.\"\n\nHe gave them a feast, and told them to go home, but as soon as they\nwere gone he sent an officer after them. The officer caught up with\nthem and opened the bags of grain, and there was Joseph's own golden\ncup in the mouth of Benjamin's sack!\n\nThey were wild with fear. They said that their poor old father would\ndie if anything happened to Benjamin. But the stern officer took them\nback to Joseph.\n\nThen Joseph told them who he was, and forgave them for the evil they\nhad once done him.\n\n{190}\n\nHe said to them, \"Go home and say to Jacob, 'Thus saith thy son\nJoseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt; come down unto me, tarry\nnot; and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be\nnear unto me, thou and thy children's children, and thy flocks and thy\nherds, and all that thou hast.' And ye shall tell my father of all my\nglory in Egypt and of all that ye have seen, and ye shall haste and\nbring down my father hither.\"\n\nThe brothers went home and the old man Jacob and all his family came\nto Egypt to live. So Jacob saw Joseph again before he died.\n\nAnd Joseph ruled wisely and well over Egypt all the days of his life.\n\n{191}{192}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE GREAT STATUES OF MEMNON\n\n From a photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library, and used by kind permission.\n\n These great statues, carved out of the solid rock, were erected to\n the honor of two of the Pharaohs of Egypt. You may realize something\n of the immense size of these monuments by noticing how small the\n camel standing at the base seems in comparison.\n[End illustration]\n\n{193}\n\nTHE BOY WHO WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD\n\nOnce upon a time there was a widow who lived, with her only son, in a\ncity in the land of the Bible. She was very poor, and one year she\nfound herself still poorer. Everybody was poor that year, for there\nwas a famine in the land. How thin and hungry some of the children\nbecame! How glad they were to get even poor food! How carefully the\npoor widow watched her barrel of flour and her jar, or cruse, of oil,\nwith which the flour was mixed for baking! How hard she worked to get\nmore! At last she had only a little flour and a little oil left. She\nwas almost starving. There was just enough left to make one more cake\nfor herself and her boy, and after that was gone she did not know what\nthey would do. Perhaps they must die. She went out to gather some\nsticks for a fire. While she was gathering them, a man came by. He was\na prophet, named Elijah, but she did not know him. He called to {194}\nher, and said, \"Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel,\nthat I may drink.\"\n\nAnd as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, \"Bring\nme, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.\"\n\nAnd she said, \"As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an\nhandful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold,\nI am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my\nson, that we may eat it, and die.\"\n\nAnd Elijah said to her, \"Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but\nmake me thereof a little cake first, and bring it to me, and after\nmake for thee and for thy son.\n\n\"For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, 'The barrel of meal shall not\nwaste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the\nLord sendeth rain upon the earth.'\"\n\nAnd she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and\nhe, and her house, did eat many days.\n\nAnd the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail,\naccording to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Elijah.\n\n{195}{196}\n\n[Illustration]\n ON THE ROAD NEAR TIBERIAS,\n WITH THE LAKE OF GALILEE IN THE DISTANCE\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Fontaine Meriwether, and used by her\n kind permission.\n\n This interesting picture, with laden camel and group of native\n people, shows very well the nature of the country about the lake of\n Galilee, the hill rising above the lake and the village nestling on\n its shore. In the distance can be seen the waters of the lake and\n the shadowy hills upon the farther shore. It is thus that the\n country must have looked in the old days when it was the center of\n so much active life.\n[End illustration]\n\n{197}\n\nAnd it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the\nmistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that\nthere was no breath left in him.\n\nAnd she said to Elijah, \"What have I to do with thee, O thou man of\nGod? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay\nmy son?\"\n\nAnd he said to her, \"Give me thy son.\"\n\nAnd he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft,\nwhere he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.\n\nAnd he cried to the Lord; and said, \"O Lord my God, hast thou also\nbrought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?\"\n\nAnd he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried to the\nLord, and said, \"O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul\ncome into him again.\"\n\nAnd the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came\ninto him again, and he revived.\n\nAnd Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber\ninto the house, and delivered him to his mother: and Elijah said,\n\"See, thy son liveth!\"\n\n{198}\n\nAnd the woman said to Elijah, \"Now by this I know that thou art a man\nof God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.\"\n\n{199}{200}\n\n[Illustration]\n GOING TO THE DOCTOR\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton, and used by\n her kind permission.\n\n These poor women of the East have brought their poor little sick\n children on the patient old donkey to the doctor. As the custom is\n in the East, the faces of the women are covered by veils. This is\n the way the Eastern mothers used to bring their sick little children\n to Jesus in the old days.\n[End illustration]\n\n{201}\n\nTHE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN\n\nThe people of the Bible land had lost their kingdom before the time of\nChrist. They had no king of their own, but governors came from Rome, a\ncity hundreds of miles away, and ruled them. But the people hoped that\nthis would not last. They wanted a kingdom of their own. They believed\nGod would give it to them some day. They prayed that it might come.\nWhen Jesus began to teach and hear people, they thought perhaps he\nwould be a king to bring this kingdom that God would give them. But\nJesus had something better than a great kingdom on earth. He tried to\nmake them understand what it was. He called it the kingdom of heaven.\nBy that he meant the rule of God in the world.\n\nGod's rule is not in a great palace, with soldiers and a throne and\ngreat splendor. It is in the heart, and grows up very quietly, like\nthe plants in the field. Jesus once told a story to show this. It was\nthe story of\n\nTHE MUSTARD SEED\n\n\"The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man\ntook, and sowed in his field.\n\n{202}\n\n\"Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is\nthe greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of\nthe air come and lodge in the branches thereof.\"\n\nSo the kingdom of heaven grows very quietly. But it is very precious,\neven if it is hidden away so closely. One might better let anything\nelse go than that.\n\nAgain, he told them, the kingdom of heaven is like to a net, that was\ncast into the sea, and gathered of every kind.\n\nAgain, the kingdom is like to a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls.\n\nHow proud a man is to be a citizen of a great country! In this country\nwe are proud to be Americans. Do you suppose you could be a citizen of\nthe kingdom of God? Yes. Jesus said once that children and people who\nwere like children belong to this kingdom.\n\n\"Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for\nof such is the kingdom of heaven.\"\n\n{203}{204}\n\n[Illustration]\n LOADING CAMELS AT JERUSALEM\n\n From a photograph taken by Prof. D. G. Lyon, and used by his kind\n permission.\n\n In the East much of the commerce is still carried on by means of\n caravans of camels; sometimes there are several thousand camels in\n one of these great caravans conveying all kinds of merchandise from\n one point to another. The camel will carry a very heavy load, but\n it utters piteous cries of complaint when it thinks the load is too\n heavy.\n[End illustration]\n\n{205}\n\nTHE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID\n\n Leprosy.\n A very dreaded disease.\n\n Leper.\n One who has leprosy.\n\n Rent his clothes.\n To show great sorrow or trouble.\n\n Chariot.\n A small wagon with two wheels, used in war.\n\n Flesh shall come again.\n In leprosy the flesh dries up, and the person becomes very thin.\n\n\nIn the old times war was very cruel. Houses were burned and men and\nwomen killed, and very often the little children were taken far away\nand sold for slaves. Sometimes they never came back to their homes or\nfriends again.\n\nThere had been war between the people in Israel and the people who\nlived in a country called Syria, which lay to the north of Israel. In\nthis war a little girl had been taken away, and sold as a slave. She\nwas bought by a great general named Naaman, who took her home, and she\nwaited on Naaman's wife. Naaman and his wife must have been kind to\nthe little slave girl, for when he was sick she wished that he could\nbe made well.\n\n{206}\n\nNow Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man\nwith his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given\ndeliverance to Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a\nleper. And the little maid said to her mistress, \"Would God my lord\nwere with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would heal him of his\nleprosy.\" And one went in, and told his lord, saying, \"Thus and thus\nsaid the maid that is of the land of Israel.\" And the king of Syria\nsaid, \"I will send a letter unto the king of Israel.\"\n\nAnd he departed, and took with him a large present of money and fine\nclothes.\n\nAnd he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, \"Now when\nthis letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my\nservant to thee, that thou mayest heal him of his leprosy.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that\nhe rent his clothes, and said, \"Am I God, to kill and to make alive,\nthat this man doth send unto me to heal a man of his leprosy?\nwherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel\nagainst me.\"\n\nAnd it was so, when Elisha the man of God {207} had heard that the\nking of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying,\n\"Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he\nshall know that there is a prophet in Israel.\"\n\nSo Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the\ndoor of the house of Elisha.\n\nAnd Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, \"Go and wash in Jordan\nseven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be\nclean.\"\n\nThen Naaman was angry, and turned to go away in a rage.\n\nAnd his servants came near, and spoke unto him, and said, \"My father,\nif the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not\nhave done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, 'Wash, and\nbe clean'?\"\n\nThen went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according\nto the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto\nthe flesh of a little child, and he was clean.\n\n\n{208}\n\nHOW THE PEOPLE TRAVELED IN THE LANDS OF THE BIBLE\n\nDid they have railroads? Oh, no. Railroads were first built less than\na hundred years ago, and the Bible times were many hundreds of years\nago.\n\nThen they must have traveled in wagons? Not often.\n\nThere were few roads, and wagons were not very common.\n\nThen they went on horseback? Sometimes, but not often. In the earliest\nBible times horses were only used in war, and only the kings of great\ncountries kept a few, for their most honored soldiers to ride on.\n\nHow did they travel, then? Very often they rode on the backs of\ndonkeys and asses. These are smaller than horses, but can go almost as\nfast. Do you remember how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an ass, with\nthe children shouting and waving palm branches before him? For short\njourneys, or in the land of Palestine itself, the ass was the animal\nmost used.\n\nBut on many sides of the land of Palestine the roads that go out pass\nover country that is more and more bare, until finally the green grass\nis seen no more and only here and there is a small tree, and there are\nno flocks of white sheep, for there is nothing on which they can feed,\nand it is a long way, sometimes a whole day's journey, from one spring\nof water to another. Nothing but yellow sand and bare rocks!\n\n{209}{210}\n\n[Illustration]\n SHEPHERD BOY ON THE HILLS NEAR BETHLEHEM\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n This attractive picture of the shepherd lad shows that the work of\n the shepherd still goes on in Judea as it did in the days of the\n shepherd boy, David. A writer gives this picture of the shepherd\n life at the present day: \"Sometimes we enjoyed our noonday rest\n beside one of those Judean wells, to which two or three shepherds\n come down with their flocks. The flocks mixed with each other, and\n we wondered how each shepherd would get his own again. But after the\n watering and the playing were over, the shepherds one by one went up\n different sides of the valley, and each called out his peculiar\n call; and the sheep of each drew out of the crowd, to their own\n shepherd, and the flocks passed away as orderly as they came. 'The\n Shepherd of the Sheep, . . . when he putteth forth his own sheep, he\n goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his\n voice. And a stranger will they not follow,' 'I am the Good\n Shepherd, and know my sheep and am known of mine.' These words our\n Lord spake in Judea.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{211}\n\nHow the hot sun beats down in the summer! How dry all the ground\nlooks! That is a desert. The little donkeys find it hard to travel on\nthe long, stony desert roads. They must carry water to drink, or they\nwould die of thirst. But if they carry water, they cannot carry much\nelse.\n\nDid you ever see a camel? They have long legs and broad feet, that can\nwalk over the sand without sinking in. What long necks and queer\nhumped backs they have! They are not beautiful animals. I am sorry to\nsay that they are not very good tempered either, but are often very\ncross and stubborn. Sometimes they reach out that long neck and try to\nbite. Sometimes they refuse to go if they think they are loaded too\nheavily. But often they are very patient. They carry heavy loads and\ntravel long distances. They can go a long time without drinking, where\na horse or an ass would die of thirst. They are made for a desert\ncountry. Men call them \"the ship of the desert.\" They were often used\nfor long journeys in Bible times, as they are still in the same\ncountries. Here is a story which tells how a servant of Abraham made a\nlong journey on camels, and how the camels were given drink at the\nclose of the journey.\n\n\n\"And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and\ndeparted; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he\narose, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of {212} Nahor. And he\nmade his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at\nthe time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw\nwater,\" and Rebekah, a niece of Abraham, \"came out with her pitcher\nupon her shoulder. And the maiden was very fair to look upon: and she\nwent down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the\nservant ran to meet her, and said, 'Let me, I pray thee, drink a\nlittle water of thy pitcher.'\n\n\"And she said, 'Drink, my lord': and she hasted, and let down her\npitcher upon her hand, and gave him to drink.\n\n\"And when she had done giving him drink, she said, 'I will draw water\nfor thy camels also, until they have done drinking.'\n\n\"And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran\nagain unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.\"\n\nThen she went home and told of him, and her brother ran and came out\nto the servant and said, \"'Come in, thou blessed of the Lord;\nwherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and\nroom for the camels.'\n\n\"And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave\nstraw and {213} provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet\nand the men's feet that were with him. And there was set food before\nhim to eat.\"\n\nA few days later Rebekah, with her servant, mounted the camels, too,\nand went back with Abraham's servant, the long desert journey, to be\nthe wife of Abraham's son Isaac.\n\n{214}\n\nHOUSES IN THE LANDS OF THE BIBLE\n\nThe people in Bible lands did not have houses like those we live in\nto-day. You would not like to live in their houses. They were low, and\nsmall, and dark. Some were built of stone, but many were built of a\nsun-dried brick. They had flat roofs, where the people often went and\nwhere they slept in warm weather. A stair led up to the roof from the\noutside. Those that were made of the sun-dried brick were not very\ndurable. Thieves could easily \"break through and steal.\" The house\nwhich the man \"built upon the sand\" crumbled into mud and was swept\naway when \"the winds blew and the floods came\" and \"great was the fall\nof it.\"\n\nOf course the king lived in a beautiful palace and rich people had\nfine houses, but the houses of the poor people were only huts.\n\n{215}{216}\n\n[Illustration]\n CHILDREN OF NAZARETH\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Fontaine Meriwether.\n and used by her kind permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{217}\n\nCHILDREN IN THE LANDS OF THE BIBLE\n\nThe children of Bible lands were very well cared for. They were sent\nto school. They were taught the Bible very carefully and every Sabbath\nthey went to church. The children were very busy. They learned early\nto watch over the sheep, to work in the fields, to card and spin the\nwool and weave the cloth. Every child was taught some special trade or\nbusiness. Still they had time to play and enjoyed their games as much\nas you do.\n\nJesus was taught to be a carpenter like Joseph. Nazareth, where he\nlived when he was a boy, is a small town in Galilee. There are\nbeautiful fields and hills about. When he climbed the hills he could\nsee, far away, the sea. He must have loved to pick the lovely lilies\nwhich grew in the fields. All the little boys and girls must have\nliked to play with Jesus, for he must have been always gentle and\nkind.\n\n\n{218}\n\nJERUSALEM\n\nThe city that the Bible tells most about is Jerusalem. It is on a high\nridge of hills in the middle of the land. On one side of it is a deep\nvalley, and across the valley a hill called the Mount of Olives. On\nthat hill there was a village, Bethany, where some of Jesus' friends\nlived. Deep valleys were on two other sides of the city.\n\nWhy did they build cities on the hilltops, and not in the valleys?\nBecause, in the old days when wars often took place, a city on a\nhilltop could not be so easily taken. It was a safe place to live. To\nmake it still safer, a wall was built around it, very thick and high.\nOn the top there was a path, with a low wall outside, so that in war\narmed men could go up and shoot from the wall. In the walls there were\ngreat gates, that were shut at night and when there was a war.\n\nIn the city of Jerusalem was the palace of the Jewish kings, and the\ntemple. King Solomon built the first temple. It stood for over three\nhundred and fifty years, then it was destroyed in a war. The city was\nburned and the walls thrown down, and many of the people were killed.\nAfter more than fifty years, another temple was built on the same\nspot. It was later added to and made more beautiful. It was built of\nwhite stone. A man who saw it wrote that it looked, when the sun shone\non it, like a mountain of snow.\n\n{219}{220}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE SISTINE MADONNA\n By Raphael (1483-1520)\n\n Raphael is generally considered the greatest of all painters, and\n the Sistine Madonna is the most famous Madonna in the world.\n\n \"The Sistine Madonna is above all words of praise; all extravagance\n of expression is silenced before her simplicity. Not one false\n note, not one exaggerated emphasis, jars upon the harmony of body,\n soul, and spirit. Confident, but entirely unassuming; serious, but\n without sadness; joyous, but not to mirthfulness; eager, but without\n haste; she moves steadily forward with steps timed to the rhythmic\n music of the spheres.\"--_Estelle M. Hurll_\n[End illustration]\n\n{221}\n\nThis stood a long time, almost six hundred years, then in another war\nit also was thrown down, and never has been built again. It was this\ntemple that was standing when Christ lived. He often taught in the\nopen spaces about it. When he was a boy of twelve he first visited it,\nand the last days of his life he spent teaching in it. Jesus loved the\ntemple and Jerusalem very much. He was very sorry that it must be\ndestroyed. He said once, \"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the\nprophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I\nhave gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood\nunder her wings, and ye would not!\"\n\nA Jewish poet wrote a little poem about Jerusalem, to show how he\nloved it. Here it is:--\n\n \"I was glad when they said unto me,\n Let us go into the house of the Lord.\n\n \"Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.\n\n \"Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:\n\n \"Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the\n Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give\n thanks unto the name of the Lord.\n\n \"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:\n they shall prosper that love thee. {222}\n\n \"Peace be within thy walls,\n and prosperity within thy palaces.\n\n \"For my brethren and companions' sakes,\n I will now say, Peace be within thee.\n\n \"Because of the house of the Lord our God\n I will seek thy good.\"\n\nAnother poet who was living in a foreign land, wrote\nanother poem:--\n\n \"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat\n down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.\n\n \"We hung our harps upon the willows in\n the midst thereof.\n\n \"For there they that carried us away captive\n required of us a song; and they that\n wasted us required of us mirth, saying,\n Sing us one of the songs of Zion.\n\n \"How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?\n\n \"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,\n let my right hand forget her cunning.\n\n \"If I do not remember thee, let my tongue\n cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer\n not Jerusalem above my chief joy.\"\n\n{223}\n\nWhen one Bible writer hoped for some great good in the future, and\nwanted to make a very glorious picture, as splendid as he could, he\ntold of a city coming down from heaven, and called it the New\nJerusalem, because that city was dearer to him than any other place he\nknew, and he said:--\n\n \"AND I JOHN SAW THE HOLY CITY,\n NEW JERUSALEM,\n COMING DOWN FROM GOD OUT OF HEAVEN.\"\n\n{224}\n\nTHE JORDAN\n\nUp among the mountains in the North of the land of the Bible a little\nstream flows down from a rocky valley. After wandering through\nbeautiful hills with many trees and vines, it comes into a wide valley\nand passes through a little lake. Then it goes tumbling and roaring\ndown a narrow gorge with high rocks on each side.\n\nAfter that it widens out into the beautiful lake of Gennesaret, or Sea\nof Galilee. In the time of Jesus there were many towns about this lake\nand many boats sailing over it.\n\nAfter leaving this lake, the river flows through a valley, winding\nfrom one side of it to the other. The valley grows deeper and deeper,\nuntil at last to get into it one must go down, down long, steep hills\nby winding roads, down narrow valleys where the rocks are piled high\nabove one. At last the river flows through a wide, sandy plain into\nthe Dead Sea.\n\nThe Jordan is the largest river of the Bible {225} land. The Hebrews\nused to tell their little children that in the ancient time, when they\nfirst came into the land, the Jordan stopped flowing so that their\nfathers, with all their little children, and cattle and sheep, crossed\nit on dry ground. Later King David crossed it, once when he found that\nall his country had gone over to his enemies. A few weeks later he\ncame back, and many people went down to the river to welcome him. The\ngreat general who had leprosy was sent to wash in the river, and he\nwas healed.\n\nJesus was baptized in the river. He often crossed it, and he lived and\ntaught on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, through which it flows.\n\n\n{226}\n\nTHE DEAD SEA\n\nThe strangest lake in the world is the lake that is called the Dead\nSea. It is east of Canaan. The Jordan runs into it, but no river runs\nout of it. It lies deep down between mountains. On one side the hills\nrise so steep that one cannot climb them. On the other, there is only\nhere and there a place where a man on horseback can scramble down the\nrocks into the valley.\n\nWhy is it called the Dead Sea? Because the water is so salt that no\nfish live in it. It looks very clear and beautiful as it lies in the\nsunshine, but no one can drink it, it is so salt. Sometimes people\nbathe in it. It is so heavy that no one can sink. No towns were ever\non its shore. Not a single person lives near it. Few people have ever\nsailed on its waters. The valley in which it lies is so deep that it\nis much lower than the ocean. All these things make it the strangest\nlake in the world.\n\n{227}{228}\n\n[Illustration]\n ON THE SHORES OF THE DEAD SEA\n\n From a photograph in the possession of Rev. Louis F. Giroux of the\n American International College, Springfield, Mass., and used by his\n kind permission.\n\n \"The water is very nauseous to the taste and oily to the touch,\n leaving on the skin when it dries a thick crust of salt. But it is\n very brilliant. Seen from far away no lake on earth looks more blue\n and beautiful. Swim out upon it, and at a depth of twenty feet you\n can count the pebbles through the transparent water. It is difficult\n to sink the limbs deep enough to swim; if you throw a stick on the\n surface it seems to rest as on a mirror, so little of it actually\n penetrates the water. No fish or any living thing can exist in its\n waters.\"--_Smith_\n[End illustration]\n\n{229}\n\nBETH-LEHEM\n\n Moab\n A country east of Palestine.\n\n Glean\n To follow after the reapers and pick up what they have left behind.\n\n\nThe \"little town of Beth-lehem,\" as it lies among the hills of Judaea,\nis one of the most famous places in all the world. But it is not\nfamous because of its wealth or its size, it is famous because of the\npeople who lived there. Beth-lehem means in the Hebrew language,\n\"House of Bread,\" and it was in the fields of Boaz about Beth-lehem\nthat the beautiful Ruth of Moab gleaned.\n\nThen it was David's home. In the pastures beyond the town he used to\nfeed his father's flocks. Sometimes it has been called \"the city of\nDavid.\"\n\nBut what makes it more famous than all else is the fact that in\n\"Beth-lehem's manger\" the little child Jesus was born, and over the\nold town hung in the night the star of Beth-lehem. It was here that\nthe shepherds {230} who were keeping their flocks outside the town\ncame to see the newborn child, and it was here that the Wise Men came\nto worship him and bring him gifts. It is true that Jesus did not stay\nhere long. The wicked King Herod wished to kill him, and Mary and\nJoseph took him to Egypt. When they came back they lived in the town\nof Nazareth. But all the world loves the little town of Beth-lehem\nbecause it was Jesus' birthplace.\n\n{231}\n\nHYMNS FOR THE DAY\n\n{232}\n\n{233}\n\nLORD OF ALL BEING\n\n Lord of all being; throned afar,\n Thy glory flames from sun and star;\n Center and soul of every sphere,\n Yet to each loving heart how near!\n\n Sun of our life, Thy quickening ray\n Sheds on our path the glow of day;\n Star of our hope, Thy softened light\n Cheers the long watches of the night.\n\n Our midnight is Thy smile withdrawn;\n Our noontide is Thy gracious dawn;\n Our rainbow arch Thy mercy's sign;\n All, save the clouds of sin, are Thine.\n\n Lord of all life, below, above,\n Whose light is truth, whose warmth is love,\n Before Thy ever-blazing throne\n We ask no luster of our own.\n\n Grant us Thy truth to make us free,\n And kindling hearts that burn for Thee,\n Till all Thy living altars claim\n One holy light, one heavenly flame.\n --_Oliver Wendell Holmes_.\n\n By permission of Houghton, Mifflin & Co.\n\n{234}\n\nON OUR WAY REJOICING\n\n On our way rejoicing,\n As we homeward move,\n Hearken to our praises,\n O Thou God of love.\n Is there grief or sadness?\n Thine it cannot be.\n Is our sky beclouded?\n Clouds are not from Thee.\n\n If with honest-hearted\n Love for God and man,\n Day by day Thou find us\n Doing what we can,\n Thou who giv'st the seedtime\n Wilt give large increase,\n Crown the head with blessings,\n Fill the heart with peace.\n\n On our way rejoicing\n Gladly let us go;\n Conquered hath our Leader;\n Vanquished is our foe.\n Christ without, our safety;\n Christ within, our joy;\n Who, if we be faithful,\n Can our hope destroy?\n --_John Samuel Bewley Monsell_.\n\n{235}{236}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS BLESSING THE LITTLE CHILDREN\n By Bernard Plockhorst (1825- )\n\n GOING TO JESUS\n\n \"The Master has come over Jordan.\"\n Said Hannah the mother one day;\n He is healing the people who throng Him\n With a touch of His finger, they say.\n\n \"And now I shall carry the children,\n Little Rachel and Samuel and John;\n I shall carry the baby Esther\n For the Lord to look upon.\"\n\n The father looked at her kindly,\n But he shook his head and smiled.\n \"Now who but a doting mother\n Would think of a thing so wild?\n\n \"If the children were tortured by demons,\n Or dying of fever, 't were well;\n Or had they the taint of the leper,\n Like many in Israel.\"\n\n \"Nay, do not hinder me. Nathan,\n I feel such a burden of care;\n If I carry it to the Master,\n Perhaps I shall leave it there.\n\n \"If He lay His hands on the children,\n My heart will be lighter, I know;\n For a blessing for ever and ever\n Will follow them as they go.\"\n\n So over the hills of Judah,\n Along the vine-rows green.\n With Esther asleep on her bosom,\n And Rachel her brothers between,\n\n 'Mong the people who hung on His teaching,\n Or waited His touch or His word,\n Through the row of proud Pharisees listening\n She passed to the feet of her Lord.\n\n \"Now why shouldst thou hinder the Master,\"\n Said Peter, \"with children like these?\n Seest not how from morning to evening\n He teacheth, and healeth disease?\"\n\n Then Christ said, \"Forbid not the children;\n Permit them to come unto Me:\"\n And He took in His arms little Esther,\n And Rachel He set on His knee.\n\n And the heavy heart of the mother\n Was lifted all earth-care above,\n As He laid His hands on the brothers,\n And blest them with tenderest love;\n\n As He said of the babes in His bosom,\n \"Of such is the kingdom of heaven:\"\n And strength for all duty and trial\n That hour to her spirit was given.\n --_Julia Gill_\n[End illustration]\n\n{237}\n\nOF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN\n\n I think, when I read that sweet story of old,\n When Jesus was here among men,\n How He called little children as lambs to His fold,\n I should like to have been with them then.\n\n I wish that His hands had been placed on my head,\n That His arm had been thrown around me,\n And that I might have seen His kind look when He said,\n \"Let the little ones come unto Me.\"\n\n Yet still to His footstool in prayer I may go,\n And ask for a share in His love;\n And if I thus earnestly seek Him below,\n I shall see Him and hear Him above,\n\n In that beautiful place He has gone to prepare\n For all who are washed and forgiven;\n And many dear children shall be with Him there,\n For \"of such is the kingdom of heaven.\"\n\n But thousands and thousands who wander and fall\n Never heard of that heavenly home;\n I wish they could know there is room for them all,\n And that Jesus has bid them to come.\n\n I long for the joy of that glorious time,\n The sweetest, the brightest, the best,\n When the dear children of every clime\n Shall crowd to His arms and be blest.\n --_Jemima Thompson Luke_.\n\n{238}\n\nSUN OF MY SOUL\n\n Sun of my soul, Thou Saviour dear,\n It is not night if Thou be near;\n Oh, may no earth-born cloud arise\n To hide Thee from Thy servant's eyes!\n\n When soft the dews of kindly sleep\n My weary eyelids gently steep,\n Be my last thought--how sweet to rest\n Forever on my Saviour's breast.\n\n Abide with me from morn till eve,\n For without Thee I cannot live;\n Abide with me when night is nigh,\n For without Thee I dare not die.\n\n Be near to bless me when I wake,\n Ere through the world my way I take;\n Abide with me till in Thy love\n I lose myself in heaven above.\n --_John Keble_.\n\n\n{239}\n\nDAY BY DAY\n\n Every day has its dawn,\n Its soft and silent eve,\n Its noontide hours of bliss or bale,--\n Why should we grieve?\n\n Why do we heap huge mounds of years\n Before us and behind,\n And scorn the little days that pass\n Like angels on the wind?\n\n Each turning round a small, sweet face,\n As beautiful as near;\n Because it has so small a face\n We will not see it clear:\n\n We will not clasp it as it flies,\n And kiss its lips and brow:\n We will not bathe our wearied souls\n In its delicious Now.\n\n And so it turns from us, and goes\n A way in sad disdain:\n Though we would give our lives for it,\n It never comes again.\n\n\n{240}\n\nWHAT CAN LITTLE HANDS DO?\n\n Oh, what can little hands do\n To please the King of heaven?\n The little hands some work may try\n To help the poor in misery:\n Such grace to mine be given.\n\n Oh, what can little lips do,\n To please the King of heaven?\n The little lips can praise and pray,\n And gentle words of kindness say:\n Such grace to mine be given.\n\n Oh, what can little eyes do,\n To please the King of heaven?\n The little eyes can upward look,\n And learn to read God's holy Book:\n Such grace to mine be given.\n\n Oh, what can little hearts do,\n To please the King of heaven?\n Our hearts, if God His Spirit send,\n Can love and trust their Saviour-Friend:\n Such grace to mine be given.\n\n When hearts, and hands, and lips unite\n To please the King of heaven,\n And serve the Saviour with delight,\n They are most precious in His sight:\n Such grace to mine be given.\n --_Fabin_.\n\n\n{241}\n\nHOW GENTLE GOD'S COMMANDS\n\n How gentle God's commands,\n How kind His precepts are!\n Come cast your burdens on the Lord,\n And trust His constant care.\n\n While Providence supports,\n Let saints securely dwell;\n That hand which bears all nature up\n Shall guide His children well.\n\n Why should this anxious load\n Press down your weary mind?\n Haste to your heavenly Father's throne,\n And sweet refreshment find.\n\n His goodness stands approved,\n Down to the present day;\n I'll drop my burden at His feet,\n And bear a song away.\n --_Philip Doddridge_.\n\n\n{242}\n\nABOVE THE CLEAR BLUE SKY\n\n Above the clear blue sky,\n In heaven's bright abode,\n The angel host on high\n Sing praises to their God:\n Alleluia!\n They love to sing\n To God their King\n Alleluia!\n\n But God from children's tongues\n On earth receiveth praise;\n We then our cheerful songs\n In sweet accord will raise:\n Alleluia!\n We, too, will sing\n To God our King\n Alleluia!\n\n O blessed Lord, Thy truth\n To all Thy flock impart,\n And teach us in our youth\n To know Thee as Thou art.\n Alleluia!\n Then shall we sing\n To God our King\n Alleluia!\n --_John Chandler_.\n\n{243}\n\nBEDTIME STORIES\n\n{244}\n\n{245}\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FIRST CHRISTMAS\n\nOnce there were two little children who lived in a large, red brick\nhouse, on a quiet street in the city. The names of these little\nchildren were Margaret and Harold. Margaret was five years old, and\nHarold was eight. Margaret and Harold used to have the best of times\ntogether. They played with their dog Sport and their cat Spot. They\nbuilt houses of blocks. They colored pictures with their crayons. In\nwinter, Harold drew Margaret on his sled, and in summer they played in\nthe garden. But, better than all else, they loved to hear their mamma\ntell stories. Every night, before they went to bed, she told them a\nstory.\n\n\"What shall it be to-night?\" said mamma, as they sat before the fire\nafter a cold winter's day.\n\n\"A Bible story,\" said Margaret.\n\n\"Very well,\" replied mamma. \"It shall be a Bible story to-night, and\nsince it is almost Christmas-time, I will tell you about the dear\nlittle Christ-child who was born in Bethlehem, and the first\nChristmas.\"\n\nSo Margaret cuddled up in her mamma's lap, and Harold sat at her feet,\nand she began.\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FIRST CHRISTMAS.\n\n\"Once upon a time, there was a little town called Bethlehem of Judea,\nand late one afternoon in winter, a man named Joseph, and his wife\nnamed Mary, came to this {246} town. They were very glad to reach the\nvillage, for they were cold and hungry. But they were disappointed. No\none would take them in. There is an old song which tells about it:--\n\n \"'O, dark was the night,\n And cold blew the wind,\n But Joseph and Mary\n No shelter could find.\n\n \"'In all the fair city\n Of Bethlehem,\n In cottage or inn,\n Was no room for them.'\"\n\n\"Wouldn't anyone let them in?\" said Margaret.\n\n\"No,\" said mamma. \"They went to the inn, or hotel, of Bethlehem, and\nthe keeper of the inn said, 'No room for you here, go away.' They went\nto each one of the houses, and the people who lived in them said\ncrossly, 'No room for you here, go away.'\"\n\n\"I would have let them in if I had been there,\" said Harold,\nearnestly.\n\n\"I would, too,\" said Margaret. \"Were they very cold, dear mamma?\"\n\n\"Yes, my dears,\" said mamma, smiling, \"I know that you would have been\nkind to them. But you see this was before Jesus had taught people to\nbe good and kind to others. Well, they were very cold and very sad,\nbut at last the keeper of the inn let them go into his stable, and\nthere were oxen there, and hay, and stalls for the cattle, and\nmangers.\"\n\n{247}{248}\n\n[Illustration]\n BETHLEHEM AT SUNSET\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Frank L. Goodspeed, and used by her\n kind permission.\n\n This beautiful picture of Bethlehem was taken just at sunset, with a\n cloud effect unusual in Eastern skies. \"So must the little town have\n looked when Joseph and Mary, weary from their long journey,\n approached it. The short winter's day was probably closing in as the\n two travelers from Nazareth neared their journey's end. The way had\n been long and weary. A sense of rest and peace must almost\n unconsciously have crept over the travelers when at last they\n reached the rich fields that surrounded the ancient 'House of\n Bread,' and, passing through the valley, which, like an\n amphitheater, sweeps up to the twain heights along which Bethlehem\n stretches, ascended through the terraced vineyards and\n gardens.\"--_Edersheim_\n[End illustration]\n\n{249}\n\n\"Like grandpapa's barn?\" asked Harold.\n\n\"Yes,\" answered mamma, \"only not so nice and comfortable, for this\nstable was a cave, cut out of the rock. That night, in the stable, the\nlittle baby Jesus was born, and his dear mother Mary wrapped him all\nwarmly up, and laid him in one of the cattle mangers for a cradle.\"\n\n\"Was he a little tiny, tiny baby, like Grace's little brother?\" asked\nMargaret.\n\n\"Yes, my dear,\" said mamma, \"and the sweetest little tiny baby you\never saw.\n\n\"And in the fields near by there were shepherds keeping watch over\ntheir flocks by night, and while they watched they saw suddenly a\ngreat light, and an angel stood before them and said, 'Be not afraid,\nfor I bring you good tidings of great joy for all the people. For\nthere is born in Bethlehem a little child Jesus, who is to be the\nSaviour of the world.' And when the angel had finished speaking, they\nheard voices, singing like a great chorus in the sky, and this was the\nsong they sang,--\n\n \"'Glory to God in the highest,\n And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased.'\n\n\"Then the shepherds went to Bethlehem, and found the little child\nJesus lying in the manger, and loved him, and told everyone what they\nhad seen and heard.\n\n\"And later, wise men from the East came on their three white camels,\nguided by the star of Bethlehem, which shone in the sky. And as they\ncame near to Bethlehem, they {250} said to everyone, 'Where is he\nwhich is born king of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the East,\nand have come to worship him.'\n\n\"And the star led them at last to the stable where Jesus was, and they\nbrought beautiful gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh, and they\nworshiped him.\"\n\n\"And that is how Christmas came!\" said Margaret.\n\n\"I am very glad that the little child Jesus was born.\"\n\n\"You must love him very much,\" said mamma, \"for he was born, and grew\nup, and died at last, for our sakes. And now I want to read you a\nsweet little poem, which a very good man, named Phillips Brooks, once\nwrote about Bethlehem. I want you both to learn it to say to papa. Now\nlisten while I read.\"\n\n \"O little town of Bethlehem,\n How still we see thee lie;\n Above thy deep and dreamless sleep.\n The silent stars go by;\n Yet in thy dark streets shineth\n The everlasting light;\n The hopes and fears of all the years\n Are met in thee to-night.\n\n \"O holy child of Bethlehem,\n Descend to us we pray,\n Cast out our sin, and enter in,\n Be born in us to-day.\n We hear the Christmas angels\n The great glad tidings tell;\n Oh, come to us, abide with us,\n Our Lord Immanuel.\"\n\n[Footnote: By courtesy of E. P. Dutton & Co.]\n\n\n{251}\n\nTHE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY\n\nOne Sunday Harold noticed that all the people who came from one of the\nchurches wore a little piece of palm, or evergreen.\n\n\"What does that mean?\" said Harold.\n\n\"Oh, this is Palm Sunday,\" said mamma. \"This was one of the glad days\nin Jesus' life. To-night I will tell you all about it.\"\n\nWhen it grew dark mamma called Margaret and Harold, and began\n\n\nTHE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY.\n\n\"You know that Jesus was poor and homeless, yet he was very rich in\nthe love of his friends. He was never honored but once as his friends\nliked. That was on Palm Sunday, and the children helped to do it.\n\n\"It happened at the great city of Jerusalem. Jesus did not go to the\ncity very often. He liked to live in the villages and in the country\nbetter. At this time there was a great feast in the city, and Jesus\nwas going to the feast with his friends.\"\n\n\"What sort of a feast was it, mamma?\" asked Harold.\n\n\"It was not exactly what we call a feast,\" mamma replied. \"It was more\nlike a great celebration. It recalled a great event in the nation's\nhistory, the escape of the Jews from captivity. It was called the\n'Feast of the Passover.' {252} The Jewish people from all over the\nworld came to Jerusalem to celebrate it.\"\n\n\"Why, it must have been the Fourth of July of the Jews,\" said Harold.\n\n\"Something like that,\" replied mamma, smiling. \"Only the little Jewish\nboys did not make as much noise as my small son makes on his country's\nbirthday.\n\n\"Well, the friends of Jesus who came with him to this feast wanted to\nshow how much they loved him. They often wanted to treat him as though\nhe were a king. Once they did treat him in this way, and Jesus did not\nforbid it. It does people good to show their friends how much they\nlove them.\n\n\"Jesus stayed at night with his friends, in a village not far from the\ncity, and every morning he came into the city. One morning he came\nover the hill, on the road which leads into the city, riding on an\nass. It was a beautiful morning, and all his friends who were with him\nwere filled with gladness. They shouted and sang as they marched\nalong. They shouted 'Hosanna!' just as you shout 'Hurrah!' when you\nare marching in your processions. 'This man is going to be our king!'\nthey called. 'Praise God for our king!' People from the city saw them\ncoming and went out to meet them, so that there was a great multitude.\nThey broke off branches of the palm trees along the way, and waved\nthem in the air, just as the soldiers wave the royal banners of the\nking. Some of the people took off their cloaks and laid them on the\nground for him to ride over, just as if he were a great king. They\nplaced their palm branches on the ground, too, so that they seemed\nlike a beautiful green carpet.\"\n\n{253}{254}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS ENTERING JERUSALEM IN TRIUMPH\n By Bernard Plockhorst (1825- )\n\n \"And as he went, they spread their garments in the way. And as he\n was now drawing nigh, even at the descent of the Mount of Olives,\n the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise\n God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen;\n saying, Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord:\n peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.\"--_Luke 19:36-38_\n[End illustration]\n\n{255}\n\n\"Oh,\" said Margaret, \"how pleased Jesus must have been!\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said mamma, \"Jesus was pleased to know that the people loved\nhim. And he was a king, you know, though he never sat upon a throne.\nThe Bible sometimes calls him, 'King of kings, and Lord of lords.'\n\n\"When they reached the city, there were many little children in the\nstreets and about the temple. Now the children always loved Jesus, and\nwhen they saw him coming in this procession they all ran to meet him.\nThey all joined in the procession, and sang songs, and shouted\n'Hosanna!' and waved their hands for the children's king. Some of\nthose people who did not like Jesus tried to stop the children. But\nJesus would not tell them to stop.\"\n\n\"If I had been there, I would have shouted for Jesus,\" said Harold.\n\n\"That is my brave boy,\" said mamma. \"But you must remember that there\nis just as much chance to let people know that you stand up for Jesus\nnow, as then. You must never be afraid to let it be known that you are\nJesus' friend.\n\n\"Now we will sing that hymn that you like so much. It is a good hymn\nfor Palm Sunday.\"\n\nSo they sang,--\n\n \"Onward, Christian soldiers,\n Marching as to war,\n With the cross of Jesus\n Going on before. {256}\n Christ, the royal Master,\n Leads against the foe;\n Forward into battle,\n See, His banners go.\n\n \"Like a mighty army\n Moves the church of God;\n Brothers, we are treading\n Where the saints have trod;\n We are not divided,\n All one body we,\n One in hope and doctrine,\n One in charity.\n\n \"Crowns and thrones may perish,\n Kingdoms rise and wane,\n But the church of Jesus\n Constant will remain;\n Gates of hell can never\n 'Gainst that church prevail;\n We have Christ's own promise,\n And that cannot fail.\n\n \"Onward, then, ye people,\n Join our happy throng,\n Blend with ours your voices\n In the triumph song;\n Glory, laud, and honor\n Unto Christ the King;\n This through countless ages\n Men and angels sing.\"\n\n\n{257}\n\nHOW JESUS GAVE HIS LIFE FOR THE WORLD\n\nOne afternoon in the springtime, just before Easter, Margaret was\nplaying with her dolls. Her mamma came into the room and said:--\n\n\"I want my little girl to be good while I am gone; I am going to\nchurch.\"\n\n\"Why, mamma,\" said Margaret, \"this is not Sunday, this is Friday.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said mamma, \"and this evening I will tell you and Harold why I\nam going to church on Friday.\"\n\nAt bedtime, mamma said, \"Now I will tell you\n\n\nHOW JESUS GAVE HIS LIFE FOR THE WORLD.\n\n\"It is a very sad and yet a very sweet story. It is very sad to think\nthat Jesus had enemies who hated him so much that they could kill him,\nand yet we love the story because it tells us how much Jesus loved us.\n\n\n\"If we love anyone very much, we are willing to give up things for\nhim.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said Margaret, \"Harold loves me, and he gave up his party when\nI was sick, and noise troubled me.\"\n\n\"That was a very kind and unselfish thing for Harold to do,\" said\nmamma, \"but Jesus gave up very much more than that for our sakes.\n\n\"You would have to love anyone very much indeed to give up your home\nfor him. You would have to love {258} anyone better than you love\nyourself to give up your life for him.\"\n\n\"Do you mean like Frank's papa,\" said Harold, \"when he ran into the\nfire when his house burned, to get Frank, and almost died?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said mamma, \"Frank's papa loved his little boy better than he\nloved his own life, and he was ready to give his own life that his\nlittle boy might be saved.\"\n\n\"But why is the story sad, then?\" said Margaret.\n\n\"It is sad,\" replied mamma, \"because his death was such a cruel one,\nand because he suffered so much.\n\n\"One night Jesus gathered his dearest friends about him, and they had\nsupper together, and he told them how much he loved them, and that\nthey must never forget him.\n\n\"After the supper was over he went out into the night, to a place\ncalled the Garden of Gethsemane. Then his enemies came with torches,\nand found him there, and seized hold upon him, and bound him with\nropes, and led him away.\n\n\"After they had treated him with great cruelty, they took him to a\nhill called Calvary outside the city, and there, before a great\nmultitude of people, they nailed his hands and his feet to a cross of\nwood, and after he had suffered very much, he died there upon the\ncross. Then it grew dark upon the hill, and an earthquake shook the\nground, and the people ran away in terror, because they began to see\nwhat a wicked thing they had done.\"\n\n\"Oh, what wicked people,\" said Margaret, \"to kill dear Jesus!\"\n\n\n{259}{260}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS IN THE HOME OF MARY AND MARTHA\n By Siemiradski (1843- )\n\n \"And fast beside the olive-bordered way\n Stands the blessed home where Jesus deigned to stay;\n The peaceful home, to zeal sincere\n And heavenly contemplation dear,\n Where Martha loved to wait with reverence meet,\n And wiser Mary lingered at Thy sacred feet.\"\n --_John Keble_\n[End illustration]\n\n{261}\n\n\"Jesus loved even them,\" said mamma, softly. \"He was so good that he\nloved them, even while they were killing him, and asked his Father in\nheaven to forgive them, too.\n\n\"You must remember that when we do what is wrong, we hurt our Father\nin heaven very much, but Jesus has taught us that he loves us still,\nand is ready to forgive us when we ask him.\n\n\"So this is the reason why we love Jesus so much. 'We love him because\nhe first loved us.' This is the reason why mamma went to church\nto-day, to thank God for sending to the world such a loving Jesus, and\nto remember the day on which he died for us, and for all the world.\n\n\"Now mamma will sing you a beautiful hymn about the cross. The cross\nwas dreadful then, but we love it now because it makes us remember the\nlove of Jesus.\"\n\n \"In the cross of Christ I glory;\n Towering o'er the wrecks of time;\n All the light of sacred story\n Gathers round its head sublime.\n\n \"When the woes of life o'ertake me,\n Hopes deceive and fears annoy,\n Never shall the cross forsake me;\n Lo! it glows with peace and joy.\n\n \"When the sun of bliss is beaming\n Light and love upon my way,\n From the cross the radiance streaming\n Adds new luster to the day.\n\n{262}\n\n \"Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,\n By the cross are sanctified;\n Peace is there that knows no measure,\n Joys that through all time abide.\n\n \"In the cross of Christ I glory;\n Towering o'er the wrecks of time;\n All the light of sacred story\n Gathers round its head sublime.\"\n\n{263}{263}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE FIRST EASTER DAWN\n By J. K. Thompson\n\n \"The day of resurrection,\n Earth, tell it out abroad:\n The Passover of gladness,\n The Passover of God.\n From death to life eternal,\n From earth unto the sky,\n Our Christ hath brought us over\n With hymns of victory.\"\n --_John of Damascus_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{265}\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FIRST EASTER DAY\n\nIt was Easter Day. Both Margaret and Harold went to church. It was a\nbeautiful day, warm and pleasant. The grass was green, and the tulips\nand the crocuses were blossoming in the gardens. Everybody was glad\nthat the snow and the cold of winter had gone. When they were on their\nway to church, they saw a robin on a branch of a tree. The children\nlaughed with pleasure to see Mr. Robin Redbreast back again. At church\nthere were beautiful flowers, and the choir sang Easter songs and\nhymns. One of the hymns Harold liked very much indeed. He said it made\nhim feel that the world was so glad that it couldn't help singing its\ngladness right out. This hymn began--\n\n \"Christ the Lord is risen to-day\n Sons of men and angels say,\n Raise your joys and triumphs high,\n Sing, ye heavens, and, earth, reply.\"\n\nIn the evening they sat with their mamma, watching the beautiful\nsunset.\n\n\"Mamma,\" said Harold, \"I don't think that I just understand about that\nlong word the minister used so much this morning--resurrection; won't\nyou explain it, please?\"\n\n{266}\n\n\"Well,\" said mamma, \"it is not very easy for little folks to\nunderstand, but I will try. I will tell you the\n\n\nSTORY OF THE FIRST EASTER DAY.\n\n\"You know that the enemies of Jesus crucified him as I told you, and\nhe died upon the cross.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said Margaret, soberly, \"I know about that. My little kittie\ndied. She went to sleep, and couldn't wake up any more. Poor little\nkittie!\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said mamma, \"and you know that dear Grand-mamma White went to\nsleep and didn't wake up, and God took her dear, beautiful soul to be\nwith him.\n\n\"After Jesus had suffered on the cross, he went to sleep, that sound,\nsound sleep that we call death. Then they took him from the cross, and\nplaced his body in a tomb dug out of the rock, and rolled a great\nstone before the door. His disciples and all his friends were very,\nvery sad, because they thought they would never see him again.\"\n\n\"But they did, mamma,\" said Harold.\n\n\"Oh, yes,\" said Margaret, \"he wasn't truly dead.\"\n\n\"Ah, yes, my dears,\" said mamma, \"he was truly dead, but after he had\nlain there quietly for three days, a wonderful thing happened. He came\nto life again. He came out from the tomb. He went to see his friends\nand his disciples. He made them very happy. He told them that soon he\nmust go back to his Father in heaven, and that they must go everywhere\nin all the world, telling people about him.\n\n\"Now I will read you the beautiful story of the first Easter Day, as\nit is told in the Bible:--\n\n{267}\n\n\"'Now on the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while\nit was yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from\nthe tomb. She runneth, therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to\nthe other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, \"They have\ntaken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we know not where they have\nlaid him.\"\n\n\"'Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they went\ntoward the tomb. And they both ran together: and the other disciple\noutran Peter, and came first to the tomb; and stooping and looking in\nhe seeth the linen cloths lying, yet entered he not in. Simon Peter\ntherefore cometh, following him, and entered into the tomb; and he\nbeholdeth the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, that was upon his\nhead, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by\nitself. Then entered in therefore the other disciple also, which came\nfirst to the tomb, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not\nthe scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. So the disciples\nwent away again unto their own home.\n\n\"'But Mary was standing without at the tomb weeping. So, as she wept,\nshe stooped and looked into the tomb; and she beholdeth two angels in\nwhite sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of\nJesus had lain. And they say unto her, \"Woman, why weepest thou?\"\n\n\"'She said unto them, \"Because they have taken away my Lord, and I\nknow not where they have laid him.\"\n\n\"'When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and beholdeth Jesus\nstanding, and knew not that it was Jesus.\n\n{268}\n\n\"'Jesus saith unto her, \"Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?\"\n\n\"'She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, \"Sir, if thou\nhast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will\ntake him away.\"\n\n\"'Jesus saith unto her, \"Mary!\"\n\n\"'She turneth herself, and saith unto him in Hebrew, \"Rabboni!\" which\nis to say, \"Master.\"\n\n\"'Jesus saith to her, \"Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto my\nFather and your Father, and my God and your God.\"\n\n\"'Mary Magdalene cometh and telleth the disciples, \"I have seen the\nLord\"; and how that he had said these things unto her.'\"\n\n\n\"That is a very beautiful story, is it not?\" said mamma, when she had\nfinished reading. \"And how glad Mary and all the friends of Jesus must\nhave been to see him again! Now the sunset has faded, and I will sing\nyou an Easter hymn.\"\n\n[Footnote: Tune, \"The Son of God goes forth to war.\"]\n\n \"The terror of the night has fled,\n Its shadows fade away;\n The tomb wherein our Lord lay dead\n Is open to the day.\n\n \"That Easter morn when He came forth,\n Who gave Him greeting there?\n The flowers, the birds, the radiant earth,\n And all the garden fair.\n\n{269}\n\n \"Once more the glorious day is here,\n The day that saw Him rise,\n When Love was victor over fear,\n And glory filled the skies.\n\n \"Who comes to greet our risen King?\n Not birds and flowers alone,\n Our loyal hearts to Him we bring,\n And worship at His throne.\"\n\n{270}\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FIRST THANKSGIVING\n\nHarold and Margaret had been hoping for a snowy Thanksgiving, and they\nwere very happy when, two days before Thanksgiving, the snow began to\nfall in great flakes. The sun shone again on Thanksgiving morning, and\nat nine o'clock the sleigh with the two dapple gray horses was ready\nto take all the family to Grandpa Emerson's over the river and away\nfour miles across the snowy fields in the country. How they enjoyed\nthe ride in the fresh cold air! What a merry tune was sung by the\njingling of the sleighbells! And how happy they were after they\nreached the big old farmhouse! First, of course, they were kissed and\nhugged by Grandpa Emerson and Grandma Emerson. Then they went out to\nthe barn to see the horses and cows. Then they went sliding down the\nhill behind the barn. Then they made a beautiful snow man, and by that\ntime they were ready for Grandma Emerson's Thanksgiving dinner. They\nwere to stay at the farm for a few days, and toward evening as they\nsat before the roaring fire in the big fireplace they asked mamma for\na story. \"I will tell you,\" she said,\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FIRST THANKSGIVING.\n\n\"The first settlers of New England were the Pilgrims who came across\nthe sea from England in the ship Mayfower.\"\n\n{271}\n\n\"Oh, yes,\" said Harold, \"I remember when we went to Plymouth and saw\nthe Plymouth Rock and the old houses and the monument on the hill.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said mamma, \"that is where they landed and built their log\nhouses. I will recite a poem which I learned when I was a girl and\nwent to school like Margaret.\"\n\n \"The breaking waves dashed high\n On a stern and rockbound coast,\n And the woods against a stormy sky\n Their giant branches tossed;\n\n \"And the heavy night hung dark\n The hills and waters o'er,\n When a band of exiles moored their bark\n On the wild New England shore.\n\n \"Not as the conqueror comes,\n They, the true-hearted, came,\n Not with the roll of the stirring drums,\n And the trumpet that sings of fame;\n\n \"Not as the flying come,\n In silence and in fear,--\n They shook the depths of the desert gloom\n With their hymns of lofty cheer.\n\n \"Amidst the storm they sang,\n And the stars heard and the sea!\n And the sounding aisles of the dim wood rang\n To the anthem of the free!\n\n{272}\n\n \"The ocean eagle soared\n From his nest by the white wave's foam,\n And the rocking pines of the forest roared--\n This was their welcome home!\n\n \"There were men with hoary hair\n Amidst that pilgrim band--\n Why had they come to wither there\n Away from their childhood's land?\n\n \"There was woman's fearless eye,\n Lit by her deep love's truth;\n There was manhood's brow, serenely high,\n And the fiery heart of youth.\n\n \"What sought they thus afar?\n Bright jewels of the mine?\n The wealth of seas, the spoils of war?--\n They sought a faith's pure shrine.\n\n \"Ay, call it holy ground,\n The soil where first they trod!\n They have left unstain'd what there they found--\n Freedom to worship God!\"\n\n\n\"Did they have a very hard time at Plymouth?\" said Margaret.\n\n\"Yes, my dear,\" replied mamma, \"a very hard time. There were little\nchildren, and they often had to go cold and hungry. After the\nMayflower brought them to Plymouth, it had to sail away again to\nEngland and leave them in the wilderness alone.\"\n\n\"There were Indians, too,\" said Harold.\n\n{273}{274}\n\n[Illustration]\n THRESHING\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton, and used by\n her kind permission.\n\n In the East the grain is threshed by the trampling of beasts, or\n sometimes, as in this picture, by a rude kind of threshing wheel.\n The wheels are carried in the framework on which the man is sitting.\n Sometimes a sledge with iron or stone teeth driven into the bottom\n is used.\n[End illustration]\n\n{275}\n\n\"Yes,\" said mamma, \"but they had the brave Miles Standish to protect\nthem. At one time, so the story goes, they were almost starving. The\nwinter was coming on, and they did not know what to do. So they set\napart a certain day to fast and ask God's help in their distress. I am\nnot sure that it is true, but we will suppose that a little girl and\nboy like you had climbed the hill to gather a few sticks of wood for\nthe fire. We will suppose that the little girl was looking out to sea,\nand suddenly she cried, 'Oh, John, what can that be, is it a sail?'\n\n\"And we will suppose that John said, 'Oh, no, Priscilla, that is\nnothing but a seagull; there is no ship coming.'\n\n\"But Priscilla insisted.\n\n\"'It is, John, it is a sail.' And John looked again and cried, 'Yes!\nyes! it is, it is a sail!'\n\n\"Then how they ran to the village shouting, 'A sail! a sail!' and how\nthe people came crowding out of the little church where they had\ngathered to pray, and how happy they all were!\n\n\"I do not know whether the children caught sight of the sail first,\nbut it is true that on the day appointed for fast and prayer, a ship\ncame from England, and the fast day was turned into a day of feasting\nand thanksgiving to God for his mercies. And ever after in New\nEngland, and now all over this country, the people keep this day; a\nday for feasting and joy, but a day also of humble thankfulness to God\nfor all his goodness to his children.\n\n\"Now, we will draw the curtains and sing a Thanksgiving hymn.\"\n\n{276}\n\n \"O God, beneath Thy guiding hand\n Our exiled fathers crossed the sea,\n And when they trod the wintry strand\n With prayer and psalm they worshiped Thee.\n\n \"Thou heard'st well pleased the song, the prayer:\n Thy blessing came; and still its power\n Shall onward through all ages bear\n The memory of that holy hour.\n\n \"Laws, freedom, truth, and faith in God,\n Came with those exiles o'er the waves.\n And where their pilgrim feet have trod,\n The God they trusted guards their graves.\n\n \"And here Thy name, O God of love,\n Their children's children shall adore\n Till these eternal hills remove,\n And spring adorns the earth no more.\"\n\n{277}{278}\n\n[Illustration]\n SHEEP\n By Jacque\n\n \"Little lambs, so white and fair,\n Are the shepherd's constant care;\n Now he leads their tender feet\n Into pastures green and sweet.\n\n \"Now they listen and obey,\n Following where he leads the way;\n Heavenly Father, may we be\n Thus obedient unto Thee.\"\n --_Selected_\n[End illustration]\n\n{279}\n\nWHO WAS THE NEIGHBOR?\n\n\"What is that long word?\" asked Harold.\n\n\"That is 'neighbor,'\" said mamma. \"Can you tell me what it means?\"\n\n\"Oh, yes,\" said Harold. \"It means the people who live close by. Ralph\nand Elizabeth are our neighbors, because they live in the house next\ndoor.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said mamma, \"and in the old times when people did not travel as\nmuch as they do now, they did not know much about any except their\nneighbors. The Old Testament says that you should love your neighbor.\nThat meant the people you meet day by day. The people of Jesus' time\nsaid that you should love your neighbor, but you might hate your\nenemy. Jesus said that was not right. Do you remember what he said\nabout that, Harold?\"\n\n\"I know,\" said Margaret, \"we had it in our Sunday School class last\nSunday. 'Love your enemies.'\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said mamma, \"and he once told a story about neighbors. It is\ncalled the story of\n\n\nTHE GOOD SAMARITAN.\n\n\"'And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying,\nMaster, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?\n\n\"'He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou?\n\n{280}\n\n\"'And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy\nheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all\nthy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.\n\n\"'And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou\nshalt live.\n\n\"'But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my\nneighbor?\n\n\"'And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to\nJericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his raiment, and\nwounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.\n\n\"'And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he\nsaw him, he passed by on the other side.\n\n\"'And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on\nhim, and passed by on the other side.\n\n\"'But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and\nwhen he saw him, he had compassion on him.\n\n\"'And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine,\nand set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care\nof him.\n\n\"'And on the morrow when he departed, he took, out two pence, and gave\nthem to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever\nthou spendest more, when I come again I will repay thee.\n\n\"'Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that\nfell among thieves?\n\n\"'And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him,\nGo, and do thou likewise.'\n\n\"What do you think that story means?\" asked mamma.\n\n{281}\n\n\"I think,\" said Harold, \"that it means that to be neighbor to anybody\nis to help him.\"\n\nMargaret thought a minute. \"It seems to me,\" she said, \"that neighbors\ncan live a long way off, then. Our teacher said she would tell us next\nSunday how we could help poor little children in a big city five\nhundred miles away. That will make us neighbors to them, won't it,\nmamma?\"\n\n\"Why, yes,\" said mamma. \"So it will.\" Then she smiled a little and\nsaid, \"I think we have some neighbors living in China and some others\nliving in India.\"\n\nWhat do you suppose mamma meant?\n\n\n{282}\n\nTHE GOOD SHEPHERD\n\nHarold and Margaret were looking at a picture of an Eastern shepherd\nwith his flocks.\n\n\"Mamma,\" said Harold, \"is this our country? This man is not dressed as\nmen are here.\"\n\n\"No,\" said mamma, \"it is a picture of a shepherd and his sheep in the\ncountry of the Bible.\"\n\n\"What makes the shepherd go before the sheep, mamma?\" asked Harold.\n\n\"In that country,\" said mamma, \"the sheep are not driven, but led.\"\n\n\"Were sheep more plenty in the Bible land than in ours? I have never\nseen many sheep,\" said Harold.\n\n\"Yes,\" answered mamma, \"most of the children in the Bible land knew all\nabout sheep. Many of the hillsides had little white flocks of sheep on\nthem. They were not kept in fields with fences. They wandered about over\nthe open pasture lands; and so a man or a boy must be with them to watch\nover them. He was called the shepherd. He took them to the best\npastures. At some seasons of the year he had to lead them a long way to\nfind water. He kept the bears and the wolves and the lions away. He kept\naway the thieves who might come to steal the sheep. At night he drove\nthe sheep to a fold, or shed, or sometimes he slept with them all night\nin the open air, beneath the stars.\n\n{283}{284}\n\n[Illustration]\n AN EASTERN SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP\n\n From a photograph taken by W. J. Aitchison, Esq., of Hamilton,\n Canada, and used by his kind permission.\n\n These sheep are feeding just outside Jerusalem. \"All the plateaus\n east of the Jordan, and the mountains of Palestine and Syria, are\n pasture grounds for innumerable flocks and herds. In the spring\n there is plenty of grass. Later, when the rain has ceased, the sheep\n still nibble the dry herbage and stubble and flourish where, to a\n western eye, all is barren desert. They require water but once a\n day. The descendants of the same shepherds who tended the flocks in\n Bible days still occupy the great sheep walks of Palestine\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{285}\n\nThe shepherd named the sheep, and the sheep all knew him and loved\nhim. They would follow him, but they would not follow a stranger.\nBecause the people of the Bible land knew so much about the sheep and\nthe shepherds, the writers of the Bible said a good deal about them.\nNow get the Bible and I will read you some of the things which it says\nabout sheep.\"\n\n\nMargaret brought the Bible, and mamma read first what Jesus said about\nhimself as the good shepherd:--\n\n\"'Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door\ninto the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same\nis a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the\nshepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear\nhis voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.\nWhen he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the\nsheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will they\nnot follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of\nstrangers.'\n\n\n\n\"'Jesus said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the\ndoor of the sheep. All that came before me are thieves and robbers:\nbut the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter\nin, he shall go in and out, and shall find pasture. The thief cometh\nnot, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they\nmay have life, and may have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the\ngood shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. He that is a\nhireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth\nthe wolf coming, {286} and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf\nsnatcheth them, and scattereth them: he fleeth because he is a\nhireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I\nknow mine own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me,\nand I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.'\"\n\n\n\n\"This means, my dears,\" said mamma, \"that Jesus cares for you and for\nall his children, just as a good and faithful shepherd cares for his\nsheep. The good shepherd brings his sheep safely home at night, and\nthe porter, or keeper of the fold, opens the door and lets them in.\nThe sheep hear his voice, and he calls each one by name and they\nfollow him, but they will not follow a stranger.\"\n\n\"What does 'hireling' mean?\" said Margaret.\n\n\"It means, dear,\" replied mamma, \"one who is hired to care for the\nsheep, but who does not know them or love them as the good shepherd\ndoes.\"\n\n\"I know,\" said Harold; \"it means that Jesus can take care of us better\nthan anyone else.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said mamma, \"that is just what it means. And here is another\nstory from the Bible, which Jesus told to show how very tenderly he\nloves and cares for his little ones\":--\n\n\n\"'Jesus said, See that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I\nsay unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of\nmy Father which is in heaven. How think ye? If any man have a hundred\nsheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety\nand nine, and go unto the mountains and seek that which goeth astray?\n\n{287}{288}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE GOOD SHEPHERD\n By W. C. T. Dobson\n\n \"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for\n the sheep. He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the\n sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and\n fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth them: he fleeth\n because he is a hireling, and careth not for his sheep. I am the\n good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me, even as\n the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life\n for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold:\n them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and they shall\n become one flock, one shepherd.\"--_The Words of Jesus_\n[End illustration]\n\n{289}\n\nAnd if so be that he find it, verily, I say unto you, he rejoiceth\nover it more than over the ninety and nine which have not gone astray.\nEven so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one\nof these little ones shall perish.'\"\n\n\"In the book of the Bible called the Psalms,\" continued mamma, \"the\ntwenty-third is often called the Shepherd Psalm.\"\n\n\"Oh, we know that psalm,\" said Margaret.\n\n\"Suppose,\" said mamma, \"that one of the sheep in our picture could talk\nand think like you. Would he not wish to say something about his\nshepherd, very much like this psalm? The sheep would tell you how the\nshepherd led him to the green pastures, and let him rest by the brooks\nthat flow gently through the meadows, and kept him safe in the valleys\nwhere no wild beasts were hiding to kill him, and put out his long staff\nto guide him and to help him up the steep paths of the hills. Now let us\nsay the psalm together.\"\n\n \"'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.\n He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:\n He leadeth me beside the still waters.\n He restoreth my soul:\n He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.\n Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,\n I will fear no evil; for thou art with me:\n Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.\n Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: {290}\n Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over.\n Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:\n And I will dwell in the House of the Lord for ever.'\"\n\n\"Mamma,\" said Harold, \"sheep don't eat at tables, or have cups.\"\n\n\"No,\" said mamma, smiling, \"that shows us that, after all, this psalm\nis about a man, and not about a sheep. It means that when troubles and\ndangers are all about us God still gives all that we need. Sometime\nthat will mean a great deal more to you than it does now.\"\n\n\"I don't understand,\" said Margaret, \"about anointing the head with\noil, and dwelling in the house of the Lord.\"\n\n\"In the Bible land,\" said mamma, \"when a man wished to honor a guest\nwhom he had invited to a feast, he poured out a little sweet-smelling\noil upon his head. The psalm means that God makes his people, even\nwhen they are in the midst of danger, feel as happy as though they\nwere honored guests at a feast. To dwell in the house of the Lord\nforever means that we are to feel always perfectly secure, as though\nwe were living in God's own house, where nothing could ever harm us.\"\n\nHarold thought a moment, and then he said, \"I think that I know what\nall the stories about sheep in the Bible mean. They mean that people\nare like sheep, and they can't take care of themselves, but that God\nloves them very much, and that he will always take care of them.\"\n\n\"Yes, that is just it,\" said mamma, \"and now! as it is {291} growing\ndark, let us sing that song which is the twenty-third psalm put into\ndifferent words.\"\n\n \"The Lord is my shepherd; no want shall I know;\n I feed in green pastures, safe-folded I rest;\n He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow,\n Restores me when wandering, redeems when oppressed.\n\n \"Through the valley and shadow of death though I stray,\n Since Thou art my guardian, no evil I fear;\n Thy rod shall defend me, Thy staff be my stay;\n No harm can befall, with my Comforter near.\n\n \"In the midst of affliction my table is spread;\n With blessings unmeasured my cup runneth o'er;\n With perfume and oil Thou anointest my head;\n O what shall I ask of Thy providence more?\n\n \"Let goodness and mercy, my bountiful God,\n Still follow my steps till I meet Thee above;\n I seek, by the path which my forefathers trod\n Through the land of their sojourn, Thy kingdom of love.\"\n\n\n{292}\n\nLITTLE BROTHERS OF THE AIR AND FIELDS\n\nMargaret and Harold had learned to be kind to animals. They belonged\nto a \"Band of Mercy,\" a company of boys and girls who were pledged\nnever to be unkind to any dumb creature, and to rescue any poor beast\nwho might be in distress or suffering cruel treatment. They had many\nchances to help poor dogs and cats which were being persecuted by\ncruel boys. One day they came home from school and told about a poor\nlittle kitten which they had protected when it was almost dead from\nfright. \"That was very kind,\" said mamma, \"and to-night I will read\nyou some stories and poems about kindness to animals which I have been\nsaving. Margaret and Harold played with their dog Sport and their big\ncat Spot until supper time. After supper they were ready for the\nstories and poems.\n\n\"Once upon a time,\" said mamma, \"there lived a very good man who came\nto be known as St. Francis of Assisi. He was very kind to all birds\nand animals. He called the birds 'little brothers of the air' and the\nanimals 'little brothers of the field and woods.' These stories are\ntold about him:--\n\n\"'Once, full of joy, he was going on his way when, perceiving some\nflocks of birds, he turned aside a little from the road to go to them.\nFar from taking flight, they flocked around him as if to bid him\nwelcome.\n\n{293}{294}\n\n[Illustration]\n HEAD OF DOG\n[End illustration]\n\n{295}\n\n\"Brother birds,\" he said to them, \"you ought to praise and love your\nCreator very much. He has given you feathers for clothing, wings for\nflying, and all that is needful for you. He has made you the noblest\nof his creatures; he permits you to live in the pure air; you have\nneither to sow nor to reap, and yet he takes care of you, watches over\nyou and guides you.\" Then the birds began to arch their necks, to\nspread out their wings, to open their beaks, to look at him, as if to\nthank him, while he went up and down in their midst stroking them with\nthe border of his tunic, sending them away at last with his blessing.'\n\n\"'In this same tour, passing through Alviano, he began to preach to\nthe people, but the swallows so filled the air with their chirping\nthat he could not make himself heard. \"It is my turn to speak,\" he\nsaid to them; \"little swallow sisters, hearken to the word of God;\nkeep silent and be very quiet until I have finished.'\"\n\n\"'At Rieti a family of redbreasts were the guests of the monastery,\nand the young birds made marauding expeditions on the very table where\nthe Brothers were eating. Not far from there, at Greccio, at another\ntime, they brought to Francis a little rabbit that had been taken\nalive in a trap. \"Come to me, Brother Rabbit,\" he said to it. And as\nthe poor creature, being set free, ran to him for refuge, he took it\nup, caressed it, and finally put it on the ground that it might run\naway; but it returned to him again and again, so that he was obliged\nto send it to the neighboring forest before it would consent to return\nto freedom.'\n\n{296}\n\n\"'One day he was crossing the Lake of Rieti. The boatman in whose bark\nhe was making the passage offered him a fish of uncommon size. Francis\naccepted it with joy, but, to the great amazement of the fisherman,\nput it back into the water, bidding it bless God.'\n\n\"Here is a story which I once read about a very good and distinguished\nman who tells how he learned when he was a boy not to kill even the\nsmallest animal needlessly.\n\n\"'I saw one day a little spotted turtle sunning itself in the shallow\nwater, and I lifted the stick in my hand to kill it, for, though I had\nnever killed any creature, I had seen other boys kill birds, squirrels,\nand the like, and I had a disposition to follow their wicked example;\nbut all at once something checked my little arm, and a voice within me\nsaid, clear and loud, \"It is wrong,\" and so I held my uplifted stick\nuntil the turtle vanished from my sight. Then I went home and told my\nmother, and asked her what it was that told me it was wrong. She wiped a\ntear from her eye, and took me in her arms, and said: \"Some call it\nconscience, but I call it the voice of God in the human soul. If you\nlisten to it and obey it, then it will speak clearer and clearer, and\nalways guide you right. But if you do not listen to it, or disobey it,\nthen it will fade out, little by little, and leave you in the dark\nwithout a guide. Your life, my child, depends on heeding that little\nvoice.\"'\n\n\"And here are some poems which teach us to be gentle and kind to the\ndumb animals who depend upon us for life and look to us for mercy. The\npoet Cowper says:--\n\n{297}{298}\n\n[Illustration]\n BOY AND DOG\n By Blume\n[End illustration]\n\n{299}\n\n \"'I would not enter on my list of friends,\n Though graced with polished manners and fine sense,\n Yet wanting sensibility, the man\n Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.'\n\n\n\"Coleridge in a great poem, 'The Ancient Mariner,'\nwhich I will read to you when you are a little older, says:--\n\n \"'He prayeth well who loveth well\n Both man and bird and beast.\n\n \"'He prayeth best who loveth best\n All things, both great and small;\n For the dear God who loveth us,\n He made and loveth all.'\n\n\n\"And here are two verses whose author I do not know:--\n\n\n \"'Maker of earth, and sea, and sky,\n Creation's Sovereign Lord and King;\n Who hung the starry worlds on high\n And formed alike the sparrow's wing:\n Bless the dumb creatures of Thy care,\n And listen to their voiceless prayer.\n\n \"'All-Father! who on Mercy's throne\n Hear'st Thy dumb creatures' faintest moan,--\n Thy love be ours, and ours shall be\n Returned in deeds to these and Thee.'\n\n\n\"There is a poem by John Ruskin which speaks of that\ngood time coming when cruelty shall cease and terrible\nwars shall be no more.\"\n\n{300}\n\nA SONG OF PEACE.\n\n \"'Put off, put off your mail, ye kings, and beat your brands to dust;\n A surer grasp your hands must know, your hearts a better trust.\n Nay, bend aback the lance's point, and break the helmet bar,\n A noise is in the morning winds, but not the note of war!\n\n \"'Among the grassy mountain paths the glittering troops increase;\n They come! they come! how fair their feet--they come that publish peace.\n Yea, Victory, fair Victory, our enemies are ours,\n And all the clouds are clasped in light, and all the earth with flowers.\n\n \"'Ah! still depressed and dim with dew, but wait a little while,\n And radiant with the deathless rose the wilderness shall smile,\n And every tender, living thing shall feed by streams of rest,\n Nor lamb shall from the fold be lost, nor nursling from the nest.'\"\n\n\n\"That reminds us of what the prophet said about the time when all the\nbeasts even shall lose their cruel traits and live at peace with each\nother, and even play with little children.\"\n\n\"Could that ever be true, mamma?\" interrupted Harold.\n\n\n{301}{302}\n\n[Illustration]\n ON GUARD\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{303}\n\n\"Well, even now, my dear,\" replied mamma, \"wild and fierce animals\nhave been wholly tamed by kindness. We cannot tell what beautiful\nthings might happen if all evil and unkindness should be driven from\nthe world and men should live as Christ taught us to live.\n\n\"Here are the prophet's words: 'And the wolf shall dwell with the\nlamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and\nthe young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall\nlead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones\nshall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And\nthe sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned\nchild shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt nor\ndestroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the\nknowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.'\n\n\"These verses are from the Psalms and the Proverbs:--\n\n \"'For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a\n thousand hills.\n\n \"'I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the\n field are mine.'\n\n \"'The merciful man doeth good to his own soul; but he that is cruel\n troubleth his own flesh.'\n\n \"'A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast; but the tender\n mercies of the wicked are cruel.'\n\n\"And here are some of the words of Jesus about animals and birds\nand about kindness:--\n\n{304}\n\n \"'Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.'\n\n \"'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.'\n\n \"'The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the\n Son of man hath not where to lay his head.'\n\n \"'Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye\n shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye\n shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than\n the raiment? Behold the birds of the heavens, that they sow not,\n neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your Heavenly\n Father feedeth them. Are ye not of much more value than they?'\n\n \"'Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them\n shall fall on the ground without your Father; but the very hairs of\n your head are all numbered.'\"\n\n \"And now it is late and my little lambs must go to their beds. I am\n sure that you both will be kind in every way to your little brothers\n of the air and the woods and fields, and your little dumb brothers\n in the streets of the city.\"\n\n{305}\n\nSHEPHERD HYMNS\n\n{306}\n\n{307} {308}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE GOOD SHEPHERD\n By Bernard Plockhorst (1825- )\n\n \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door\n into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same\n is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the\n shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear\n his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them\n out. When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and\n the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will\n they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice\n of strangers.\"--_The Words of Jesus_\n[End illustration]\n\n{309}\n\nSAVIOUR, LIKE A SHEPHERD LEAD US\n\n Saviour, like a shepherd lead us,\n Much we need Thy tenderest care;\n In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,\n For our use Thy folds prepare;\n Blessed Jesus,\n Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.\n\n We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,\n Be the guardian of our way;\n Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,\n Seek us when we go astray;\n Blessed Jesus,\n Hear the children when they pray.\n\n Early let us seek Thy favor,\n Early let us do Thy will;\n Holy Lord, our only Saviour,\n With Thy grace our bosoms fill;\n Blessed Jesus,\n Thou hast loved us, love us still.\n --_Dorothy Ann Thrupp_.\n\n{310}\n\nWAS THERE EVER KINDEST SHEPHERD?\n\n Was there ever kindest shepherd\n Half so gentle, half so sweet\n As the Saviour, who would have us\n Come and gather round His feet?\n There's a wideness in God's mercy,\n Like the wideness of the sea;\n There's a kindness in His justice,\n Which is more than liberty.\n\n For the love of God is broader\n Than the measure of man's mind;\n And the heart of the Eternal\n Is most wonderfully kind.\n If our love were but more simple,\n We should take Him at His word;\n And our lives would be all sunshine\n In the sweetness of our Lord.\n --_Frederick William Faber_\n\n{311}{312}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE LOST LAMB FOUND\n By P. Giradet\n\n Sometimes in winter the sheep suffer greatly from the cold and heavy\n snowstorms. This is a description of sheep covered by the snow in\n winter:--\n\n \"The flock was buried Beneath a great white billow as high as a barn\n and as broad as a house. This great drift was rolling and curling\n beneath the violent blast, tufting and combing with rustling swirls,\n and carved as if patterns of cornice where the grooving-chisel of\n the wind swept round. Ever and again the tempest snatched little\n whiffs from the channeled edges, twirled them round and made them\n dance over the chine of the monster pile, then let them lie like\n herringbones or the seams of the sand where the tide has been. And\n all the while, from the smothery sky, more and more fiercely at\n every blast, came the pelting pitiless arrows winged with murky\n white and pointed with the barbs of the frost.\"--_Blackmore_\n[End illustration]\n\n{313}\n\nGRACIOUS SAVIOUR, HOLY SHEPHERD\n\n Gracious Saviour, holy Shepherd,\n Little ones are dear to Thee;\n Gathered with Thine arms, and carried\n In Thy bosom, may they be\n Sweetly, fondly, safely tended,\n From all want and danger free.\n\n Let Thy holy words instruct them;\n Fill their minds with heavenly light;\n Let Thy love and grace constrain them\n To approve whate'er is right;\n Let them feel Thy yoke is easy,\n Let them prove Thy burden light.\n\n Taught to lisp Thy holy praises\n Which on earth Thy children sing,\n With both lips and hearts, unfeigned,\n Glad thank-offering may they bring;\n Then with all Thy saints in glory\n Join to praise their Lord and King.\n --_Jane E. Leeson and J. Whittemore_.\n\n\n{314}\n\nIN HEAVENLY LOVE ABIDING\n\n In heavenly love abiding,\n No change my heart shall fear,\n And safe is such confiding,\n For nothing changes here.\n The storm may roar without me,\n My heart may low be laid;\n But God is round about me,\n And can I be dismayed?\n\n Wherever He may guide me,\n No want shall turn me back;\n My Shepherd is beside me,\n And nothing can I lack.\n His wisdom ever waketh,\n His sight is never dim,\n He knows the way He taketh,\n And I will walk with Him.\n\n Green pastures are before me,\n Which yet I have not seen;\n Bright skies will soon be o'er me,\n Where darkest clouds have been.\n My hope I cannot measure,\n My path to life is free;\n My Saviour has my treasure,\n And He will walk with me.\n --_Anna L. Waring_.\n\n{315}\n\nTHE KING OF LOVE\n\n The King of love my Shepherd is,\n Whose goodness faileth never;\n I nothing lack if I am His,\n And He is mine forever.\n\n Where streams of living water flow\n My ransomed soul He leadeth,\n And where the verdant pastures grow,\n With food celestial feedeth.\n\n Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,\n But yet in love He sought me,\n And on His shoulder gently laid,\n And home, rejoicing, brought me.\n\n In death's dark vale I fear no ill\n With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;\n Thy rod and staff my comfort still,\n Thy cross before to guide me.\n\n And so, through all the length of days\n Thy goodness faileth never;\n Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise\n Within Thy house forever.\n --_Sir H. W. Baker_.\n\n{316}\n\n{317}\n\nPRAYERS FOR LITTLE CHILDREN\n\n{318}\n\n{319}\n\nPRAYERS FOR LITTLE CHILDREN\n\n Our Father which art in heaven,\n Hallowed be Thy name.\n Thy kingdom come.\n Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.\n Give us this day our daily bread.\n And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.\n And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.\n For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.\n AMEN.\n\n\n Jesus, take this heart of mine,\n Make it pure, and only Thine.\n I Thy little child would be,\n Help me, Lord, to live for Thee. AMEN.\n\n I thank Thee, Lord, for quiet rest,\n And for Thy care of me;\n Oh, let me through this day be blest,\n And kept from harm by Thee.\n Oh, let me thank Thee, kind Thou art\n To children such as I,\n Give me a gentle, loving heart;\n Be Thou my friend on high. AMEN.\n --_Beginner's Reading Book_.\n\n\n Dear Lord, for these three things I pray:\n To know Thee more clearly,\n To love Thee more dearly,\n To follow Thee more nearly.\n Every day. AMEN.\n\n\n{320}\n\n Father in heaven, help Thy little children\n To love and serve Thee throughout this day.\n Help us to be truthful, help us to be kindly,\n That we may please Thee in all we do or say.\n\n Dear Lord, we pray Thee, keep Thy little children\n From doing wrong throughout this happy day.\n Hear our morning promises. Father, help us keep them,\n That we may please Thee in all we do or say. AMEN.\n\n\n For Jesus Christ, the children's friend,\n We thank Thee, heavenly Father.\n For Jesus Christ, who keeps us to the end,\n We thank Thee, heavenly Father. AMEN.\n\n\n Father, we thank Thee for the night,\n And for the pleasant morning light;\n For rest and food and loving care,\n And all that makes the day so fair.\n\n Help us to do the things we should,\n To be to others kind and good;\n In all we do in work or play,\n To grow more loving every day. AMEN.\n\n\n Dear Lord, we thank Thee for Thy care,\n And all Thy mercy sends;\n For food we eat, the clothes we wear,\n Our health and home and friends. AMEN.\n\n{321}{322}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE SOUL'S AWAKENING\n By James Sant (1820- )\n\n \"Can a little child like me,\n Thank the Father fittingly?\n Yes, oh, yes,--be good and true,\n Patient, kind in all you do,\n Love the Lord and do your part,\n Learn to say with all your heart,--\n Father, we thank Thee;\n Father in heaven, we thank Thee.\"\n --_Mary Mapes Dodge_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{323}\n\n Loving Jesus, meek and mild,\n Look upon a little child.\n Make me gentle as Thou art,\n Come and live within my heart.\n\n Take my childish hand in Thine,\n Guide these little feet of mine,\n And the world shall ever see\n Christ, the holy child, in me. AMEN.\n\n\n Lord, though Thy home is in the sky,\n Thou art not far away;\n Thou lookest down with loving eye\n When little children pray.\n\n We thank Thee for Thy tender care,\n And for Thy precious love,\n For all the beauty Thou hast made\n Of earth and heaven above. AMEN.\n\n\n Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me;\n Bless Thy little lamb to-night.\n Through the darkness be Thou near me;\n Keep me safe till morning light.\n\n All this day Thy hand has led me,\n And I thank Thee for Thy care;\n Thou hast warmed me, clothed and fed me,\n Listen to my evening prayer.\n\n Let my sins be all forgiven,\n Bless the friends I love so well;\n Take us all at last to heaven,\n Happy there with Thee to dwell. AMEN.\n\n\n{324}\n\nMy Father in heaven, I thank Thee for my many blessings. I love Thee\nvery much. Help me to love Thee more and to obey Thee better. Forgive\nall my sins, I pray Thee. Give me good thoughts. Give me\nunderstanding. Bless all my friends and keep them and me, both now and\nforever. AMEN.\n --_By courtesy of the Clarke School, Northampton, Mass_.\n\n\nA CHILD'S GRACE\n\n Some hae meat and canna eat,\n And some wad eat that want it;\n But we hae meat and we can eat,\n And sae the Lord be thankit. AMEN.\n --_Robert Burns_.\n\n\nGRACE FOR A CHILD\n\n Here, a little child, I stand,\n Heaving up my either hand;\n Cold as paddocks though they be,\n Here I lift them up to Thee,\n For a benison to fall\n On our meat and on us all. AMEN.\n --_Robert Herrick_.\n\n{325}\n\nOLD TIME VERSES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN\n\n{326}\n\n{327}\n\nAGAINST IDLENESS AND MISCHIEF\n\n How doth the little busy bee\n Improve each shining hour,\n And gather honey all the day\n From every opening flower!\n\n How skillfully she builds her cell!\n How neat she spreads the wax!\n And labors hard to store it well.\n With the sweet food she makes.\n\n In works of labor or of skill\n I would be busy, too:\n For Satan finds some mischief still\n For idle hands to do.\n\n In books, or work, or healthful play,\n Let my first years be pass'd;\n That I may give for every day\n Some good account at last.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n\n{328}\n\nAGAINST PRIDE IN CLOTHES\n\n How proud we are! how fond to show\n Our clothes, and call them rich and new,\n When the poor sheep and silkworm wore\n That very clothing long before.\n\n The tulip and the butterfly\n Appear in gayer coats than I;\n Let me be dress'd fine as I will,\n Flies, worms, and flowers exceed me still.\n Then will I set my heart to find\n Inward adornings of the mind;\n Knowledge and virtue, truth and grace!\n These are the robes of richest dress.\n No more shall worms with me compare,\n This is the raiment angels wear;\n The Son of God, when here below,\n Put on this best apparel, too.\n\n It never fades, it ne'er grows old,\n Nor fears the rain, nor moth, nor mould;\n It takes no spot, but still refines;\n The more 't is worn the more it shines.\n In this on earth would I appear,\n Then go to heaven and wear it there;\n God will approve it in His sight,\n 'Tis His own work and His delight.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n\n{329}\n\nTHE ANT, OR EMMET\n\n These emmets, how little they are in our eyes!\n We tread them to dust, and a troop of them dies,\n Without our regard or concern;\n Yet, as wise as we are, if we went to their school,\n There's many a sluggard and many a fool\n Some lessons of wisdom might learn.\n\n They wear not their time out in sleeping or play,\n But gather up corn in a sunshiny day,\n And for winter they lay up their stores;\n They manage their work in such regular forms\n One would think they foresaw all the frosts and the storms,\n And so brought their food within doors.\n\n But I have less sense than a poor creeping ant\n If I take not due care for the things I shall want,\n Nor provide against dangers in time;\n When death or old age shall once stare in my face,\n What a wretch shall I be in the end of my days\n If I trifle a way all their prime!\n\n Now, while my strength and my youth are in bloom,\n Let me think what shall serve me when sickness shall come,\n And pray that my sins be forgiven;\n Let me read in good books, and believe, and obey,\n That, when death turns me out of this cottage of clay,\n I may dwell in a palace in heaven.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n\n{330}\n\nA MORNING SONG\n\n My God, who makes the sun to know\n His proper hour to rise,\n And, to give light to all below,\n Doth send him round the skies.\n\n When from the chambers of the east\n His morning race begins,\n He never tires, nor stops to rest,\n But round the world he shines.\n\n So, like the sun, would I fulfill\n The business of the day;\n Begin my work betimes, and still\n March on my heavenly way.\n\n Give me, O Lord, Thine early grace,\n Nor let my soul complain,\n That the young morning of my days\n Has all been spent in vain.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n{331}{332}\n\n[Illustration]\n MADONNA OF THE ANGELS\n By Adolph Bouguereau (1825-1905)\n\n \"The mother with the Child,\n Whose tender winning arts\n Have to His little arms beguiled\n So many wounded hearts.\"\n --_Matthew Arnold_\n[End illustration]\n\n{333}\n\nAN EVENING SONG\n\n And now another day is gone,\n I'll sing my Maker's praise;\n My comforts every hour make known\n His providence and grace.\n\n But how my childhood runs to waste!\n My sins, how great their sum!\n Lord, give me pardon for the past,\n And strength for days to come.\n\n I lay my body down to sleep,\n Let angels guard my head;\n And, through the hours of darkness, keep\n Their watch around my bed.\n\n With cheerful heart I close my eyes,\n Since Thou wilt not remove;\n And in the morning let me rise,\n Rejoicing in Thy love.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n\n{334}\n\nTHE SLUGGARD\n\n 'T is the voice of the Sluggard: I heard him complain,\n \"You have waked me too soon! I must slumber again!\"\n As a door on its hinges, so he on his bed\n Turns his sides, and his shoulders, and his heavy head.\n\n \"A little more sleep and a little more slumber!\"\n Thus he wastes half his days and his hours without number;\n And when he gets up he sits folding his hands,\n Or walks about sauntering, or trifling he stands.\n\n I pass'd by his garden and saw the wild brier,\n The thorn and the thistle grow broader and higher;\n The clothes that hang on him are turning to rags,\n And his money still wastes, till he starves or he begs.\n\n I made him a visit, still hoping to find\n He had took better care for improving his mind:\n He told me his dreams, talked of eating and drinking;\n But he scarce reads his Bible, and never loves thinking.\n\n Said I then to my heart, \"Here's a lesson for me!\n That man's but a picture of what I might be;\n But thanks to my friends for their care in my breeding,\n Who have taught me betimes to love working and reading.\"\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n\n{335}{336}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE DIVINE SHEPHERD\n By Murillo (1618-1682)\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{337}\n\nPRAISE FOR MERCIES, SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL\n\n Whene'er I take my walks abroad,\n How many poor I see!\n What shall I render to the Lord\n For all His gifts to me!\n\n Not more than others I deserve,\n Yet God hath given me more;\n For I have food, while others starve,\n Or beg from door to door.\n\n How many children in the street\n Half naked I behold!\n While I am clothed from head to feet\n And cover'd from the cold.\n\n While some poor wretches scarce can tell\n Where they may lay their head,\n I have a home wherein to dwell,\n And rest upon my bed.\n\n While others early learn to swear,\n And curse, and lie, and steal;\n Lord, I am taught Thy name to fear,\n And do Thy holy will.\n\n Are these Thy favors, day by day,\n To me above the rest?\n Then let me love Thee more than they,\n And try to serve Thee best.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n{338}\n\nTHE ROSE\n\n How fair is the Rose! What a beautiful flower!\n The glory of April and May;\n But the leaves are beginning to fade in an hour,\n And they wither and die in a day.\n\n Yet the Rose has one powerful virtue to boast,\n Above all the flowers of the field!\n When its leaves are all dead and fine colors are lost,\n Still how sweet a perfume it will yield!\n\n So frail is the youth and the beauty of man,\n Though they bloom and look gay like the Rose;\n But all our fond care to preserve them is vain,\n Time kills them as fast as he goes.\n\n Then I'll not be proud of my youth and my beauty,\n Since both of them wither and fade;\n But gain a good name by well doing my duty:\n This will scent like a rose when I'm dead.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n{339}{340}\n\n[Illustration]\n MADONNA AND CHILD\n By Carlo Dolci (1616-1686)\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{341}\n\nPRAISE FOR CREATION AND PROVIDENCE\n\n I sing th' Almighty power of God,\n That made the mountains rise,\n That spread the flowing seas abroad,\n And built the lofty skies.\n\n I sing the wisdom that ordain'd\n The sun to rule the day;\n The moon shines full at His command,\n And all the stars obey.\n\n I sing the goodness of the Lord,\n That fill'd the earth with food;\n He formed the creatures with His word,\n And then pronounced them good.\n\n Lord, how Thy wonders are display'd\n Where'er I turn mine eye!\n If I survey the ground I tread,\n Or gaze upon the sky!\n\n There's not a plant or flower below\n But makes Thy glories known:\n And clouds arise, and tempests blow,\n By order from Thy throne.\n\n Creatures (as numerous as they be)\n Are subject to Thy care:\n There's not a place where we can flee,\n But God is present there.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n\n{342}\n\nA GENERAL SONG OF PRAISE TO GOD\n\n How glorious is our heavenly King,\n Who reigns above the sky!\n How shall a child presume to sing\n His dreadful majesty?\n\n How great His power is none can tell,\n Nor think how large His grace:\n Not men below, nor saints that dwell\n On high before His face.\n\n Not angels, that stand round the Lord,\n Can search His secret will;\n But they perform His heavenly word,\n And sing His praises still.\n\n Then let me join this holy tram,\n And my first offerings bring;\n The eternal God will not disdain\n To hear an infant sing.\n\n My heart resolves, my tongue obeys,\n And angels shall rejoice,\n To hear their mighty Maker's praise\n Sound from a feeble voice.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n\n{343}\n\nINNOCENT PLAY\n\n Abroad in the meadows, to see the young lambs\n Run sporting about by the side of their dams,\n With fleeces so clean and so white;\n Or a nest of young doves in a large open cage,\n When they play all in love, without anger or rage,\n How much we may learn from the sight!\n\n If we had been ducks, we might dabble in mud;\n Or dogs, we might play till it ended in blood:\n So foul and so fierce are their natures;\n But Thomas and William, and such pretty names,\n Should be cleanly and harmless as doves or as lambs,\n Those lovely, sweet innocent creatures.\n\n Not a thing that we do, nor a word that we say,\n Should injure another in jesting or play,\n For he's still in earnest that's hurt:\n How rude are the boys that throw pebbles and mire;\n There's none but a madman will fling about fire,\n And tell you, \"'T is all but in sport!\"\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n\n{344}\n\nAGAINST QUARRELING AND FIGHTING\n\n Let dogs delight to bark and bite,\n For God hath made them so;\n Let bears and lions growl and fight,\n For 't is their nature, too:\n\n But, children, you should never let\n Such angry passions rise;\n Your little hands were never made\n To tear each other's eyes.\n\n Let love through all your actions run,\n And all your words be mild;\n Live like the blessed Virgin's Son,\n That sweet and lovely Child.\n\n His soul was gentle as a lamb;\n And as His stature grew,\n He grew in favor both with man\n And God, His Father, too.\n\n Now, Lord of all, He reigns above,\n And from His heavenly throne\n He sees what children dwell in love,\n And marks them for His own.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n{345}\n\nLOVE BETWEEN BROTHERS AND SISTERS\n\n Whatever brawls disturb the street,\n There should be peace at home;\n Where sisters dwell and brothers meet,\n Quarrels should never come.\n\n Birds in their little nests agree,\n And 't is a shameful sight,\n When children of one family\n Fall out, and chide, and fight.\n\n Hard names at first, and threatening words\n That are but noisy breath,\n May grow to clubs and naked swords,\n To murder and to death.\n\n The devil tempts one mother's son\n To rage against another;\n So wicked Cain was hurried on\n Till he had killed his brother.\n\n The wise will make their anger cool,\n At least before 't is night;\n But in the bosom of a fool\n It burns till morning light.\n\n Pardon, O Lord, our childish rage,\n Our little brawls remove;\n That, as we grow to riper age,\n Our hearts may all be love.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n\n{346}\n\nA SUMMER EVENING\n\n How fine has the day been! How bright was the sun!\n How lovely and joyful the course that he run;\n Though he rose in a mist when his race he begun,\n And there follow'd some droppings of rain:\n But now the fair traveler's come to the West,\n His rays are all gold, and his beauties are best;\n He paints the skies gay as he sinks to his rest,\n And foretells a bright rising again.\n\n Just such is the Christian. His course he begins,\n Like the sun in the mist, when he mourns for his sins,\n And melts into tears; then he breaks out and shines,\n And travels his heavenly way:\n But when he comes nearer to finish his race\n Like a fine setting sun, he looks richer in grace,\n And gives a sure hope, at the end of his days,\n Of rising in brighter array.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n{347}{348}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE PITTI MADONNA\n By Murillo (1618-1682)\n\n \"The Pitti Madonna is one of this sweet company, and perhaps the\n loveliest of them all. Both she and her beautiful boy are full of\n gentle earnestness, and if they are too simple-minded to realize\n what is in store for them, they are none the less ready to do the\n Father's will.\"--_Hurll_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{349}\n\nSUMMER\n\n The heats of Summer come hastily on,\n The fruits are transparent and clear;\n The buds and the blossoms of April are gone,\n And the deep colored cherries appear.\n\n The blue sky above us is bright and serene,\n No cloud on its bosom remains;\n The woods and the fields and the hedges are green,\n And the haycock smells sweet from the plains.\n\n But, hark! from the woodlands what sound do I hear?\n The voices of pleasure so gay;\n The merry young haymakers cheerfully bear\n The heat of the hot summer's day.\n\n While some with bright scythe, singing shrill to the tone,\n The tall grass and buttercups mow,\n Some spread it with rakes, and by others 't is thrown\n Into sweet smelling cocks in a row.\n\n Then since joy and glee with activity join,\n This moment to labor I'll rise;\n While the idle love best in the shade to recline,\n And waste precious time as it flies.\n --_Jane Taylor_,\n\n\n{350}\n\n[Illustration]\n Music for \"The Star\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{351}\n\nTHE STAR\n\n Twinkle, twinkle, little star\n How I wonder what you are!\n Up above the world so high,\n Like a diamond in the sky.\n\n When the blazing sun is gone,\n When he nothing shines upon,\n Then you show your little light,\n Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.\n\n Then the traveler in the dark\n Thanks you for your tiny spark.\n He could not see which way to go,\n If you did not twinkle so.\n\n In the dark blue sky you keep,\n And often through my curtains peep;\n For you never shut your eye\n Till the sun is in the sky.\n\n As your bright and tiny spark\n Lights the traveler in the dark,\n Though I know not what you are,\n Twinkle, twinkle, little star.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n\n{352}\n\nTHE FLOWER AND THE LADY,\nABOUT GETTING UP\n\n Pretty flower, tell me why\n All your leaves do open wide,\n Every morning, when on high\n The noble sun begins to ride.\n\n This is why, my lady fair,\n If you would the reason know,\n For betimes the pleasant air\n Very cheerfully doth blow.\n\n And the birds on every tree\n Sing a merry, merry tune,\n And the busy honey bee\n Comes to suck my sugar soon.\n\n This is, then, the reason why\n I my little leaves undo.\n Little lady, wake and try\n If I have not told you true.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n\n{353}\n\nTHE FIELD DAISY\n\n I'm a pretty little thing,\n Always coming with the spring.\n In the meadows green I'm found,\n Peeping just above the ground;\n And my stalk is covered flat\n With a white and yellow hat.\n\n Little Mary, when you pass\n Lightly o'er the tender grass,\n Skip about, but do not tread\n On my bright but lowly head;\n For I always seem to say,\n \"Surely winter's gone away.\"\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n\n{354}\n\nTHE LITTLE CHILD\n\n I'm a very little child,\n Only just have learned to speak;\n So I should be very mild,\n Very tractable and meek.\n\n If my dear mamma were gone,\n Oh, I think that I should die,\n When she left me all alone,\n Such a little thing as I.\n\n Now what service can I do,\n To repay her for her care?\n For I cannot even sew,\n Nor make anything I wear.\n\n Well, then, I will always try\n To be very good and mild;\n Never now be cross or cry,\n Like a fretful little child.\n\n How unkind it is to fret,\n And my dear mamma to tease,\n When my lesson I should get,\n Sitting still upon her knees!\n\n Oh, how can I serve her so,\n Such a good mamma as this?\n Round her neck my arms I'll throw,\n And her gentle cheek I'll kiss.\n\n Then I'll tell her that I will\n Try not any more to fret her,\n And as I grow older still,\n Try to show I love her better.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n{355}{356}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE \"GRANDUCA MADONNA\"\n By Raphael\n\n \"Around the mighty master came\n The marvels which his pencil wrought,\n Those miracles of power, whose fame\n Is wide as human thought.\n\n \"There drooped thy more than mortal face,\n O Mother, beautiful and mild!\n Enfolding in one dear embrace\n Thy Saviour and thy Child!\"\n --_John Greenleaf Whittier_\n[End illustration]\n\n{357}\n\nGOING TO BED\n\n The moon is up, the sun is gone,\n Now nothing here he shines upon;\n The pretty birds are in their nest,\n The cows are lying down to rest,\n Or wait, beneath the farmer's shed,\n To hear the merry milkmaid's tread.\n\n The pleasant flowers that opened wide,\n And smelt so sweet at morning-tide,\n Fold up their leaves, as if to say,\n \"Good-by, we'll come another day;\n And now, dear little lady, you\n Must sleep, as we shall seem to do.\"\n\n Yes,--here's my pretty bed, and I\n Will kiss mamma, and say \"by, by!\"\n So nice and warm, so smooth and white,\n So comfortable all the night!\n And when my little prayer is said,\n How could I cry to go to bed?\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n\n{358}\n\nTIME TO GET UP\n\n The cock, who soundly sleeps at night,\n Rises with the morning light;\n Very loud and shrill he crows;\n Then the sleeping ploughman knows\n He must rise and hasten, too,\n All his morning work to do.\n\n And the little lark does fly\n To the middle of the sky.\n You may hear his merry tune,\n In the morning very soon;\n For he does not like to rest\n Idly in his downy nest.\n\n While the cock is crowing shrill,\n Leave my little bed I will,\n And I'll rise to hear the lark,\n Now it is no longer dark.\n 'T would be a pity there to stay,\n When 't is bright and pleasant day.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n\n{359}\n\nTHE SNOWDROP\n\n Now the spring is coming on,\n Now the snow and ice are gone,\n Come, my little snowdrop root,\n Will you not begin to shoot?\n\n Ah! I see your pretty head\n Peeping on the flower bed,\n Looking all so green and gay\n On this fine and pleasant day.\n\n For the mild south wind doth blow,\n And hath melted all the snow,\n And the sun shines out so warm,\n You need not fear another storm.\n\n So come up, you pretty thing,\n Just to tell us it is spring,\n Hanging down your modest head\n On my pleasant flower bed.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n{360}\n\n[Illustration]\n Music for \"Getting Up\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{361}\n\nGETTING UP\n\n Now, my baby, ope your eye,\n For the sun is in the sky,\n And he's peeping once again\n Through the frosty windowpane.\n Little baby, do not keep\n Any longer fast asleep.\n\n There now, sit in mother's lap,\n That she may untie your cap;\n For the little strings have got\n Twisted into such a knot.\n Yes, you know you've been at play\n With the bobbin as your lay.\n\n There it comes, now let us see\n Where your petticoats can be;\n Oh, they're in the window seat,\n Folded very smooth and neat;\n When my baby older grows\n She shall double up her clothes.\n\n Now one pretty little kiss,\n For dressing you so nice as this.\n But before we go downstairs,\n Don't forget to say your prayers,\n For 't is God who loves to keep\n Little babies fast asleep.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n\n{362}\n\nA FINE THING\n\n Who am I with noble face,\n Shining in a clear blue place?\n If to look at me you try,\n I shall blind your little eye.\n\n When my noble face I show,\n Over yonder mountain blue,\n All the clouds away do ride,\n And the dusky night beside.\n\n Then the clear wet dews I dry\n With the look of my bright eye;\n And the little birds awake,\n Many a merry tune to make.\n\n Cowslips, then, and harebells blue,\n And lily-cups their leaves undo;\n For they shut themselves up tight,\n All the dark and foggy night.\n\n Then the busy people go,\n Some to plow, and some to sow;\n When I leave, their work is done,\n Guess if I am not the Sun.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n{363}{364}\n\n[Illustration]\n MADONNA AND CHILD\n By Georg Papperitz\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{365}\n\nA PRETTY THING\n\n Who am I that shines so bright\n With my pretty yellow light,\n Peeping through your curtains gray?\n Tell me, little girl, I pray.\n\n When the sun is gone, I rise\n In the very silent skies;\n And a cloud or two doth skim\n Round about my silver rim.\n\n All the little stars do seem\n Hidden by my brighter beam;\n And among them I do ride,\n Like a queen in all her pride.\n\n Then the reaper goes along,\n Singing forth a merry song,\n While I light the shaking leaves\n And the yellow harvest sheaves.\n\n Little girl, consider well,\n Who this simple tale doth tell;\n And I think you'll guess it soon,\n For I only am the Moon.\n --_Ann Taylor_.\n\n\n{366}\n\nTHE SHEEP\n\n Lazy sheep, pray tell me why\n In the pleasant fields you lie,\n Eating grass or daisies white,\n From the morning till the night?\n Everything can something do,\n But what kind of use are you?\n\n Nay, my little master, nay,\n Do not serve me so, I pray.\n Don't you see the wool that grows\n On my back to make your clothes?\n Cold, and very cold you'd be,\n If you had not wool from me.\n\n True, it seems a pleasant thing\n To nip the daisies in the spring;\n But many chilly nights I pass\n On the cold and dewy grass,\n Or pick a scanty dinner where\n All the common's brown and bare.\n\n Then the farmer comes at last,\n When the merry spring is past,\n And cuts my woolly coat away,\n To warm you in the winter's day.\n Little master, this is why\n In the pleasant fields I lie.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n{367}{368}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE WOUNDED LAMB\n By Von Bremen\n\n \"How think ye? if any man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be\n gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and go unto the\n mountains, and seek that which goeth astray? And if so be that he\n find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth over it more than over\n the ninety and nine which have not gone astray. Even so it is not\n the will of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little\n ones should perish.\"--_The Words of Jesus_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{369}\n\nTHE COW\n\n Thank you, pretty cow, that made\n Pleasant milk to soak my bread,\n Every day, and every night,\n Warm, and fresh, and sweet, and white.\n\n Do not chew the hemlock rank,\n Growing on the weedy bank;\n But the yellow cowslips eat,\n They perhaps will make it sweet.\n\n Where the purple violet grows,\n Where the bubbling water flows,\n Where the grass is fresh and fine,\n Pretty cow, go there and dine.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n\n{370}\n\n[Illustration]\n Music for \"Going to Bed\".\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{371}\n\nGOING TO BED\n\n Little baby, lay your head\n On your pretty cradle-bed;\n Shut your eye-peeps, now the day\n And the light are gone away.\n All the clothes are tucked in tight;\n Little baby dear, good night!\n\n Yes, my darling, well I know\n How the bitter wind doth blow;\n And the winter's snow and rain\n Patter on the window pane.\n But they cannot come in here,\n To my little baby dear;\n\n For the window shutteth fast,\n Till the stormy night is past;\n Or the curtains we may spread\n Round about her cradle-bed.\n So, till morning shineth bright,\n Little baby dear, good night!\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n\n{372}\n\nBABY AND MAMMA\n\n What a little thing am I!\n Hardly higher than the table.\n I can eat, and play, and cry,\n But to work I am not able.\n\n Nothing in the world I know,\n But mamma will try and show me.\n Sweet mamma, I love her so,\n She's so very kind unto me.\n\n And she sets me on her knee,\n Very often, for some kisses.\n Oh! how good I'll try to be,\n For such a dear mamma as this is.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n{373}{374}\n\n[Illustration]\n CHILD WITH DOG\n Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792)\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{375}\n\nTHE TEMPEST\n\n See the dark vapors cloud the sky,\n The thunder rumbles round and round;\n The lightning's flash begins to fly,\n Big drops of rain bedew the ground:\n The frightened birds with ruffled wing,\n Fly through the air and cease to sing.\n\n 'T is God who on the tempest rides\n And with a word directs the storm,\n 'T is at His nod the wind subsides,\n Or heaps of heavy vapors form.\n In fire and cloud He walks the sky,\n And lets His stores of tempest fly.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n\n{376}\n\nTHE VIOLET\n\n Down in a green and shady bed\n A modest violet grew;\n Its stalk was bent, it hung its head,\n As if to hide from view.\n\n And yet it was a lovely flower,\n Its colors bright and fair.\n It might have graced a rosy bower,\n Instead of hiding there.\n\n Yet there it was content to bloom,\n In modest tints arrayed;\n And there diffused its sweet perfume,\n Within the silent shade.\n\n Then let me to the valley go,\n This pretty flower to see,\n That I may also learn to grow\n In sweet humility.\n --_Jane Taylor_.\n\n{377}{378}\n\n[Illustration]\n SHEEP\n By Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899)\n\n One of the most famous artists of the world, born at Bordeaux,\n France, March 22, 1822, died 1899. Her best known pictures are the\n \"Horse Fair\" and \"Tillage in Nivernais.\" During the siege of Paris\n her studio was saved by the special order of the crown prince of\n Prussia. She received the cross of the Legion of Honor in 1865\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{379}\n\nMAY DAY SONG\n\n April's gone, the king of showers;\n May is come, the queen of flowers;\n Give me something, gentles dear,\n For a blessing on the year.\n For my garland give, I pray,\n Words and smiles of cheerful May:\n Birds of spring, to you we come,\n Let us pick a little crumb.\n --_John Keble_.\n\n\n{380}\n\nTHE LAMB\n\n Little lamb, who made thee?\n Dost thou know who made thee,\n Gave thee life and bade thee feed\n By the stream and o'er the mead;\n Gave thee clothing of delight,\n Softest clothing, woolly, bright;\n Gave thee such a tender voice,\n Making all the vales rejoice?\n Little lamb, who made thee?\n Dost thou know who made thee?\n\n Little lamb, I'll tell thee;\n Little lamb, I'll tell thee.\n He is called by thy name,\n For He calls Himself a Lamb.\n He is meek and He is mild,\n He became a little child.\n I a child and thou a lamb,\n We are called by His name.\n Little lamb, God bless thee.\n Little lamb, God bless thee.\n --_William Blake_.\n\n{381}{382}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE AGE OF INNOCENCE\n Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792)\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{383}\n\nSOME MURMUR WHEN THEIR SKY IS CLEAR\n\n Some murmur when their sky is clear\n And wholly bright to view,\n If one small speck of dark appear\n In their great heaven of blue.\n\n And some with thankful love are filled,\n If but one streak of light,\n One ray of God's good mercy gild\n The darkness of their night.\n\n In palaces are hearts that ask,\n In discontent and pride,\n Why life is such a dreary task\n And all good things denied.\n\n And hearts in poorest huts admire\n How love has in their aid,\n Love that not ever seems to tire,\n Such rich provision made.\n --_Archbishop Trench_.\n\n\n{384}\n\nLITTLE DROPS OF WATER\n\n Little drops of water,\n Little grains of sand,\n Make the mighty ocean,\n And the pleasant land.\n\n Then the little minutes,\n Humble though they be,\n Make the mighty ages\n Of eternity.\n --_Ebenezer Cobham Brewer_.\n\n{385}\n\nCHRISTMAS HYMNS\n\n{386}\n\n{387} {388}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE SHEPHERDS\n By Bernard Plockhorst (1825- )\n\n \"And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field,\n and keeping watch by night over their flock. And an angel of the\n Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about\n them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Be\n not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which\n shall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in the\n city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this is the\n sign unto you; Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,\n and lying in a manger.'\n\n \"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly\n host praising God, and saying,--\n\n 'Glory to God in the highest,\n And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased.'\"\n --_Luke 2:8-14_\n\n\n{389}\n\nCHRISTMAS LULLABY\n\n Sleep, baby, sleep. The mother sings:\n Heaven's angels kneel and fold their wings.\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n\n With swaths of scented hay Thy bed\n By Mary's hand at eve was spread.\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n\n At midnight came the shepherds, they\n Whom seraphs wakened by the way.\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n\n And three kings from the East afar,\n Ere dawn, came, guided by the star.\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n\n They brought Thee gifts of gold and gems,\n Pure orient pearls, rich diadems.\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n\n But Thou who liest slumbering there,\n Art King of kings, earth, ocean, air.\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n\n Sleep, baby, sleep. The shepherds sing:\n Through heaven, through earth, hosannas ring.\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n --_John Addington Symonds_.\n\n\n{390}\n\nTHE STAR\n\n They followed the star the whole night through;\n As it moved with the midnight, they moved, too;\n And cared not whither it led, nor knew,\n Till Christmas day in the morning.\n\n We have followed the star a whole long year,\n And watched it beckon, now faint, now clear,\n And now it stands still as we draw near\n To Christmas day in the morning.\n\n And just as the wise men did of old,\n In the hush of the winter's dawning, cold,\n We come to the stable, and we behold\n The Child on the Christmas morning.\n\n And just as the wise men deemed it meet\n To offer Him gold and perfumes sweet,\n We would lay our gifts at His holy feet,\n Our gifts on Christmas morning.\n\n O Babe, once laid in the oxen's bed,\n With never a pillow for Thy head,\n Now throned in the highest heaven instead,\n O Lord of the Christmas morning!\n\n Because we have known and have loved Thy star\n And have followed it long and have followed it far\n From the land where the shadows and darkness are\n To find Thee on Christmas morning,--\n\n Accept the gifts we dare to bring,\n Though worthless and poor the offering,\n And help our souls to rise and sing\n On Christmas day in the morning.\n\n{391}{392}\n\n[Illustration]\n MADONNA AND CHILD\n By Sichel\n\n \"All my heart this night rejoices\n As I hear, far and near,\n Sweetest angel voices:\n 'Christ is born!' their choirs are singing,\n Till the air everywhere\n Now with joy is ringing.\"\n --_Paul Gerhardt_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{393}\n\nA CHRISTMAS CAROL\n\n What sweeter music can we bring,\n Than a carol for to sing\n The birth of this our heavenly King?\n Awake the voice! A wake the string!\n Heart, ear, and eye, and everything\n Awake! the while the active finger\n Runs divisions with the singer.\n\n Dark and dull night, fly hence away,\n And give the honor to this day,\n That sees December turned to May.\n If we may ask the reason, say\n The why, and wherefore all things here\n Seem like the springtime of the year?\n\n Why does the chilling winter's morn\n Smile like a field beset with corn?\n Or smell like to a mead new shorn,\n Thus on the sudden? Come and see\n The cause why things thus fragrant be:\n 'Tis He is born, whose quickening birth\n Gives light and luster, public mirth,\n To heaven and the under earth.\n\n\n{394}\n\n\nTHE GUIDING STAR\n\n As with gladness men of old\n Did the guiding star behold,\n As with joy they hailed its light,\n Leading onward, beaming bright;\n So, most gracious Lord, may we\n Evermore be led by Thee.\n\n As with joyful steps they sped\n To that lowly manger bed,\n There to bend the knee before\n Him whom heaven and earth adore;\n So may we with willing feet\n Ever seek the mercy seat.\n\n As they offered gifts most rare\n At that manger rude and bare;\n So may we with holy joy,\n Pure and free from sin's alloy,\n All our costliest treasures bring,\n Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King.\n --_William C. Dix_.\n\n{395}{396}\n\n[Illustration]\nTHE HOLY NIGHT\nBy Correggio (1493-1534)\n\n Antonio Allegri Correggio, named from the Italian town in which he\n was born\n\n \"We sate among the stalls at Bethlehem;\n The dumb kine from their fodder turning there,\n Softened their horned faces\n To almost human gazes\n Toward the newly born.\n The simple shepherds from the starlit brooks\n Brought visionary looks,\n As yet in their astonied hearing, rung\n The strange, sweet angel tongue;\n The Magi from the East in sandals worn\n Knelt reverent, sweeping round\n With long pale beards, their gifts upon the ground,\n The incense, myrrh, and gold,\n These baby hands are impotent to hold;\n So let all earthlies and celestials wait\n Upon thy royal state:\n Sleep, O my kingly One!\"\n --_Elizabeth Barrett Browning_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{397}\n\nA CHRISTMAS CAROL\n\n God rest ye, merry gentlemen; let nothing you dismay,\n For Jesus Christ, our Saviour, was born on Christmas day.\n The dawn rose red o'er Bethlehem, the stars shone through the gray,\n When Jesus Christ, our Saviour, was born on Christmas day.\n\n God rest ye, little children; let nothing you affright,\n For Jesus Christ, your Saviour, was born this happy night;\n Along the hills of Galilee the white flocks sleeping lay,\n When Christ, the child of Nazareth, was born on Christmas day.\n\n God rest ye, all good Christians; upon this blessed morn,\n The Lord of all good Christians was of a woman born:\n Now all your sorrows He doth heal, your sins He takes away;\n For Jesus Christ, our Saviour, was born on Christmas day.\n\n --_Dinah Maria Mulock_.\n\n\n{398}\n\nHAIL THE NIGHT! ALL HAIL THE MORN!\n\n Hail the night! All hail the morn!\n When the Prince of Peace was born;\n When, amid the watchful fold,\n Tidings good the angel told.\n\n Now our solemn chant we raise\n Duly to the Saviour's praise;\n Now with carol hymns we bless\n Christ the Lord, our Righteousness.\n\n While resounds the joyful cry,\n \"Glory be to God on high,\n Peace on earth, good-will to men!\"\n Gladly we respond \"amen!\"\n --_Old German Carol_.\n\n{399}{400}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE NATIVITY\n\n \"Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes,\n Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,\n The bird of dawning singeth all night long;\n And then, they say, no spirit can walk abroad;\n The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike;\n No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm;\n So hallowed and so gracious is the time.\"\n --_Shakespeare_.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{401}\n\nTHE CHRISTMAS TREE\n\n There's a wonderful tree, a wonderful tree,\n The happy children rejoice to see,\n Spreading its branches year by year,\n It comes from the forest to flourish here;\n Oh! this beautiful tree, with its branches wide,\n Is always blooming at Christmas-tide.\n\n 'T is not alone in the summer's sheen\n Its boughs are broad and its leaves are green,\n It blooms for us when the wild winds blow,\n And earth is white with feathery snow:\n And this wonderful tree with its branches wide,\n Bears many a gift for the Christmas-tide.\n\n 'T is all alight with its tapers' glow,\n That flash on the shining eyes below,\n And the strange sweet fruit on each laden bough\n Is all to be plucked by the gatherers now.\n Oh! this wonderful tree, with its branches wide,\n We hail it with joy at the Christmas-tide.\n\n And a voice is telling, its boughs among,\n Of the shepherds' watch and angels' song;\n Of a holy babe in a manger low,\n The beautiful story of long ago,\n When a radiant star threw its beams so wide\n To herald the earliest Christmas-tide.\n\n Then spread thy branches, wonderful tree,\n And bring some dainty gift to me,\n And fill my heart with a burning love\n To Him who came from His home above--\n From His beautiful home with the glorified,\n To give us the joys of the Christmas-tide.\n\n\n{402}\n\nA CHRISTMAS CAROL\n\n It chanced upon the merry, merry Christmas eve\n I went sighing past the church, across the moorland dreary,--\n \"Oh! never sin and want and woe this earth will leave,\n And the bells but mock the wailing round, they sing so cheery.\n How long, O Lord, how long, before Thou come again?\n Still in cellar, and in garret, and on moorland dreary,\n The orphans moan, and widows weep, and poor men toil in vain,\n Till the earth is sick of hope deferred, though Christmas bells\n be cheery.\"\n\n Then arose a joyous clamor from the wild fowl on the mere,\n Beneath the stars, across the snow, like clear bells ringing,\n And a voice within cried, \"Listen! Christmas carols even here!\n Though thou be dumb, yet o'er their work the stars and snows\n are singing.\n Blind! I live, I love, I reign; and all the nations through\n With the thunder of my judgments even now are ringing;\n Do thou fulfill thy work, but as yon wild fowl do,\n Thou wilt heed no less the wailing yet hear through it angels'\n singing.\"\n --_Charles Kingsley_.\n\n{403}{404}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE HOLY FAMILY\n By Carl Mueller\n\n \"Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,\n Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled,\n Within my heart that it may be,\n A quiet chamber kept for Thee.\n\n \"My heart for very joy doth leap,\n My lips no more can silence keep;\n I, too, must sing with joyful tongue\n That sweetest ancient cradle song.\"\n --_Martin Luther_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{405}\n\nSONG OF THE ANGELS\n\n While shepherds watched their flocks by night,\n All seated on the ground,\n The angel of the Lord came down;\n And glory shone around.\n\n \"Fear not,\" said he, for mighty dread\n Had seized their troubled minds;\n \"Glad tidings of great joy I bring\n To you and all mankind.\n\n \"To you, in David's town, this day,\n Is born of David's line,\n The Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;\n And this shall be the sign:\n\n \"The heavenly babe you there shall find\n To human view displayed,\n All meanly wrapped in swathing bands\n And in a manger laid.\"\n\n Thus spoke the seraph, and forthwith\n Appeared a shining throng\n Of angels, praising God, and thus\n Addressed their joyful song:\n\n \"All glory be to God on high,\n And to the earth be peace;\n Good-will henceforth from heaven to men\n Begin, and never cease.\"\n --_Ancient Christmas Song_.\n\n\n{406}\n\nCAROL, SWEETLY CAROL\n\n Carol, sweetly carol,\n A Saviour born to-day;\n Bear the joyful tidings,\n Oh, bear them far away!\n Carol, sweetly carol,\n Till earth's remotest bound\n Shall hear the mighty chorus,\n And echo back the sound.\n\n\nCHORUS.\n\n Carol, sweetly carol,\n Carol sweetly to-day;\n Bear the joyful tidings,\n Oh, bear them far away.\n\n\n Carol, sweetly carol,\n As when the angel throng,\n O'er the vales of Judah,\n Awoke the heavenly song:\n Carol, sweetly carol,\n Good will, and peace, and love,\n Glory in the highest\n To God who reigns above.\n\n Carol, sweetly carol,\n The happy Christmas time:\n Hark! the bells are pealing\n Their merry, merry chime:\n Carol, sweetly carol,\n Ye shining ones above,\n Sing in loudest numbers,\n Oh, sing redeeming love!\n\n\n{407} {408}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE COMING OF THE MAGI\n\n \"'What means this glory round our feet,'\n The Magi mused, 'more bright than morn?'\n And voices chanted, clear and sweet,\n 'To-day the Prince of Peace is born.'\"\n --_James Russell Lowell_\n\n \"Lo! star-led chiefs Assyrian odors bring,\n And bending Magi seek their Infant King.\"\n --_Heber_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{409}\n\nCRADLE HYMN\n\n Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,\n The little Lord Jesus laid down His head.\n The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay--\n The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.\n\n The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,\n But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.\n I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky,\n And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.\n --_Martin Luther_.\n\n{410}\n\n[Illustration]\n Music for \"Cradle Hymn\".\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{411}\n\nCRADLE HYMN\n\n Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber;\n Holy angels guard thy bed;\n Heav'nly blessings without number\n Gently falling on thy head.\n\n Sleep, my babe, thy food and raiment,\n House and home, thy friends provide;\n All without thy care or payment,\n All thy wants are well supplied.\n\n How much better thou'rt attended\n Than the Son of God could be,\n When from heaven he descended,\n And became a child like thee.\n\n Soft and easy is thy cradle;\n Coarse and hard thy Saviour lay,\n When his birthplace was a stable,\n And his softest bed was hay.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n\n{412}\n\nCHORUS\n\n We see Him come, and know Him ours,\n Who, with His sunshine and His showers,\n Turns all the patient ground to flowers.\n\n The Darling of the world is come,\n And fit it is we find a room\n To welcome Him. The nobler part\n Of all the house here, is the heart,\n\n Which we will give Him; and bequeath\n This holly, and this ivy wreath,\n To do Him honor, who's our King,\n And Lord of all this reveling.\n --_Robert Herrick_.\n\n\n{413}{414}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE ADORATION OF THE CHILDREN\n Gherado delle Notte\n\n \"O come, all ye faithful, joyfully triumphant,\n To Bethlehem hasten now with glad accord,\n Lo! in a manger lies the King of angels;\n O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{415}\n\nONCE IN ROYAL DAVID'S CITY\n\n Once in royal David's city,\n Stood a lowly cattle shed,\n Where a mother hid her baby\n In a manger for his bed;\n Mary was that mother mild,\n Jesus Christ her little child.\n\n He came down to earth from heaven,\n Who is God and Lord of all,\n And His shelter was a stable,\n And His cradle was a stall:\n With the poor, and mean, and lowly,\n Lived on earth our Saviour holy.\n\n And thro' all His wondrous childhood,\n He would honor and obey,\n Love and watch the lowly maiden\n In whose gentle arms He lay;\n Christian children all must be\n Mild, obedient, good as He.\n\n For He is our childhood's pattern,\n Day by day like us He grew,\n He was little, weak and helpless,\n Tears and smiles like us He knew:\n And He feeleth for our sadness,\n And He shareth in our gladness.\n\n And our eyes at last shall see Him,\n Through His own redeeming love,\n For that Child so dear and gentle\n Is our Lord in heaven above: {416}\n And He leads His children on\n To the place where He is gone.\n\n Not in that poor lowly stable,\n With the oxen standing by,\n We shall see Him; but in heaven,\n Set at God's right hand on high;\n When like stars His children crowned\n All in white shall wait around.\n --_Mrs. C. F. Alexander_.\n\n{417}{418}\n\n[Illustration]\n MADONNA AND CHILD\n\n \"Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown\n When Thou camest to earth for me;\n But in Bethlehem's home there was found no room\n For Thy holy nativity.\n O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,\n There is room in my heart for Thee.\"\n --_Emily Elizabeth Elliott_.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{419}\n\nCALM ON THE LISTENING EAR OF NIGHT\n\n Calm on the listening ear of night\n Come heaven's melodious strains,\n Where wild Judea stretches far\n Her silver-mantled plains;\n Celestial choirs from courts above\n Shed sacred glories there;\n And angels with their sparkling lyres\n Make music on the air.\n\n The answering hills of Palestine\n Send back the glad reply,\n And greet from all their holy heights\n The Dayspring from on high.\n O'er the blue depths of Galilee\n There comes a holier calm;\n And Sharon waves in solemn praise,\n Her silent groves of palm.\n\n \"Glory to God!\" the lofty strain\n The realm of ether fills;\n How sweeps the song of solemn joy\n O'er Judah's sacred hills.\n \"Glory to God!\" the sounding skies\n Loud with their anthems ring:\n \"Peace on the earth; good will to men,\n From heaven's eternal King.\"\n\n Light on thy hills, Jerusalem!\n The Saviour now is born!\n More bright on Bethlehem's joyous plains\n Breaks the first Christmas morn; {420}\n And brighter on Moriah's brow,\n Crowned with her temple-spires,\n Which first proclaim the newborn light,\n Clothed with its orient fires.\n\n This day shall Christian tongues be mute,\n And Christian hearts be cold?\n O catch the anthem that from heaven\n O'er Judah's mountains rolled!\n When nightly burst from seraph-harps\n The high and solemn lay,--\n \"Glory to God; on earth be peace;\n Salvation comes to-day!\"\n --_Edmund Hamilton Sears_.\n\n{421}\n\nHYMNS AND POEMS FOR THE TWILIGHT HOUR\n\n{422}\n\n{423}\n\nREADY FOR BED\n\n Hark! the clock strikes from the steeple;\n Now good-night to all good people;\n Bed is ready to receive us;\n Yet you say, \"Oh, do not leave us!\"\n Thank you, friends, but we must hurry,\n Else our dear old nurse will worry.\n\n Good-bye, father; good-bye, mother;\n Come now, baby; come now, brother:\n By your sisters three attended,\n All must go, for play is ended.--\n Early go, if wise and wealthy\n We would be, and also healthy.\n\n So good-night to all good people!\n Hark! from yet another steeple,\n One, two, three, four, five, six, seven:\n Now to bed, and bless you, Heaven.\n Good advice comes from the steeple:\n So good-night to all good people!\n --_Ida Fay_.\n\n\n{424}\n\nBABY'S BOAT\n\n Baby's in the boat,\n Rocking to and fro;\n Tautest craft afloat,--\n Baby's watch below.\n\n Snowy sails are set:\n Little lullabies,\n Hush the pretty pet,\n Close the laughing eyes.\n\n Storms can never harm;\n Mother watches near:\n Oh! her loving arm\n Knows the way to steer.\n\n Quiet now, at last,\n Till the morning beams;\n Baby's anchored fast\n In the port of dreams.\n --_George Cooper_.\n\n\n{425}{426}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE ADORATION OF THE ANGELS\n By William Adolph Bouguereau (1825-1905)\n\n \"Angels from the realms of glory,\n Wing your flight o'er all the earth,\n Ye who sang creation's story,\n Now proclaim Messiah's birth;\n Come and worship,\n Worship Christ, the newborn King.\"\n --_James Montgomery_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{427}\n\nLITTLE VOICES\n\n What says the little brook?\n \"I am but a little brook;\n Yet on me\n The stars as brightly gleam\n As on the mighty stream;\n I sparkle on my way\n To the sea.\"\n\n What says the little ray?\n \"I am but a little ray,\n Sent to earth\n By the sun so great and bright,\n Giving food and heat and light;\n Yet I gladden every spot\n The palace and the cot\n Hail my birth.\"\n\n What says the little flower?\n \"I am but a little flower\n At your feet;\n Yet on the path you tread,\n Some joy and grace I shed;\n So I am happy too\n For the little I can do\n When we meet.\"\n\n What says the little lamb?\n \"I am but a little lamb\n Soft and mild;\n Yet in the meadows sweet\n I ramble and I bleat; {428}\n And soon my wool will grow,\n To clothe you with, you know,\n Darling child.\"\n\n What says the little bird?\n \"I am but a little bird\n With my song;\n Come, hear me singing now,\n As I hop from bough to bough;\n For I cheer the old and sad\n With my voice, and I am glad\n All day long,\"\n\n What says the little child?\n \"I am but a little child\n Fond of play;\n Yet in my heart, I know\n The grace of God will grow,\n If I try to do His will,\n And His law of love fulfill,\n And obey.\"\n\n\n{429}\n\nTHE TWILIGHT FALLS, THE NIGHT IS NEAR\n\n The twilight falls, the night is near.\n I fold my work away,\n And kneel to One who bends to hear\n The story of the day.\n\n The old, old story; yet I kneel\n To tell it at Thy call,\n And cares grow lighter as I feel\n That Jesus knows them all.\n\n Thou knowest all: I lean my head;\n My weary eyelids close;\n Content and glad awhile to tread\n This path, since Jesus knows.\n\n And He has loved me: all my heart\n With answering love is stirred,\n And every anguished pain and smart\n Finds healing in the word.\n\n So here I lay me down to rest,\n As nightly shadows fall,\n And lean confiding on His breast\n Who knows and pities all.\n\n\n{430}\n\nSAVIOUR, BREATHE AN EVENING BLESSING\n\n Saviour, breathe an evening blessing\n Ere repose our spirits seal;\n Sin and want we come confessing,\n Thou canst bless, and Thou canst heal.\n\n Though destruction walk around us,\n Though the arrow past us fly,\n Angel-guards from Thee surround us,\n We are safe if Thou art nigh.\n\n Though the night be dark and dreary,\n Darkness cannot hide from Thee;\n Thou art He who, never weary,\n Watchest where Thy people be.\n --_James Edmeston_.\n\n\n{431}{432}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE MADONNA OF THE HARPIES\n By Andrea del Sarto (1487-1583)\n\n One of the most famous painters of the Florentine school. He lived\n and worked in his native city of Florence except for a sojourn at\n Paris, where he was invited by Francis I. This picture is called the\n \"Madonna of the Harpies\" because of the strange figures of harpies\n in the border, not shown in this reproduction\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{433}\n\nSUMMER RAIN\n\n The mountain streams are silent,\n Or whisper faint and low;\n The earth is grateful to the dews\n For moisture which the clouds refuse;\n Blow, west wind, blow!\n And fall, O gentle rain!\n Awake the music of the bowers,\n Unfold the beauty of the flowers;\n The cornfields long to hear thy voice,\n And woods and orchards will rejoice\n To see thee, gentle rain!\n\n It comes! The gushing wealth descends!\n Hark! how it patters on the leaves!\n Hark! how it drops from cottage eaves!\n The pastures and the clouds are friends.\n Drop gently, gentle rain!\n The fainting cornstalk lifts its head,\n The grass grows greener at thy tread,\n The woods are musical again;\n And from the hillside springing,\n Down comes the torrent singing,\n With grateful nature in accord,\n A full-voiced anthem to the Lord,\n To thank Him for the rain.\n\n\n{434}\n\nTHE GLORIOUS HEAVENS\n\n The spacious firmament on high,\n With all the blue ethereal sky,\n And spangled heavens, a shining frame,\n Their great Original proclaim.\n Th' unwearied sun, from day to day,\n Does his Creator's power display,\n And publishes to every land\n The work of an almighty hand.\n\n Soon as the evening shades prevail\n The moon takes up the wondrous tale,\n And nightly to the listening earth\n Repeats the story of her birth;\n Whilst all the stars that round her burn,\n And all the planets in their turn,\n Confirm the tidings as they roll,\n And spread the truth from pole to pole.\n\n What though in solemn silence all\n Move round the dark terrestrial ball?\n What though nor real voice nor sound\n Amidst the radiant orbs be found?\n In reason's ear they all rejoice,\n And utter forth a glorious voice,\n Forever singing as they shine,\n \"The hand that made us is divine.\"\n --_Addison_.\n\n_Adapted from the nineteenth Psalm_.\n\n\n{435}{436}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS AND JOHN\n By Murillo (1618-1682)\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{437}\n\nTWILIGHT\n\n The twilight is sad and cloudy,\n The wind blows wild and free,\n And like the wings of sea-birds\n Flash the white caps of the sea.\n\n But in the fisherman's cottage\n There shines a sudden light;\n And a little face at the window\n Peers out into the night.\n\n Close, close it is pressed to the window,\n As if those childish eyes\n Were looking into the darkness\n To see some form arise.\n\n And a woman's waving shadow\n Is passing to and fro,\n Now rising to the ceiling,\n Now bowing and bending low.\n\n What tale do the roaring ocean,\n And the night wind, bleak and wild,\n As they beat at the crazy casement,\n Tell to that little child?\n\n And why do the roaring ocean,\n And the night wind, wild and bleak,\n As they beat at the heart of the mother,\n Drive the color from her cheek?\n --_Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_.\n\nBy permission of Houghton, Mifflin & Co.\n\n\n{438}\n\nTHE PEBBLE AND THE ACORN\n\n \"I am a Pebble and yield to none!\"\n Were the swelling words of a tiny stone;\n \"Nor change nor season can alter me:\n I am abiding while ages flee.\n The pelting hail and the drizzling rain\n Have tried to soften me long in vain;\n And the tender dew has sought to melt\n Or to touch my heart,--but it was not felt.\n\n \"None can tell of the Pebble's birth;\n For I am as old as the solid earth.\n The children of men arise and pass\n Out of the world like blades of grass;\n And many a foot on me has trod\n That's gone from sight and under the sod!\n I am a Pebble! but who art thou,\n Rattling along from the restless bough?\"\n\n The Acorn was shocked at this rude salute,\n And lay for a moment abashed and mute;\n And she felt for a while perplexed to know\n How to answer a thing so low.\n But to give reproof of nobler sort\n Than the angry look or the keen retort,\n At length she said, in a gentle tone,\n \"Since it has happened that I am thrown\n\n \"From the lighter element, where I grew,\n Down to another so hard and new, {439}\n And beside a personage so august,\n Abashed I will cover my head with dust,\n And quickly retire from the sight of one\n Whom time nor season, nor storm nor sun,\n Nor the gentler dew, nor the grinding wheel,\n Has ever subdued or made to feel.\"\n\n And soon in the earth she sunk away\n From the comfortless spot where the Pebble lay;\n But it was not long ere the soil was broke\n By the peering head of an ancient oak;\n And as it arose, and its branches spread,\n The Pebble looked up, and, wondering, said,--\n \"A modest acorn never to tell\n What was enclosed in her simple shell--\n\n \"That the pride of the forest was thus shut up\n Within the space of her little cup!\n And meekly to sink in the darksome earth\n To prove that nothing could hide her worth.\n And, O, how many will tread on me\n To come and admire that beautiful tree,\n Whose head is towering toward the sky,\n Above such a worthless thing as I!\n\n \"Useless and vain, a cumberer here,\n I have been idling from year to year;\n But never from this shall a vaunting word\n From the humble Pebble again be heard,\n Till something without me, or within,\n Can show the purpose for which I've been!\"\n The Pebble could not its vow forget\n And it lies there wrapped in silence yet.\n --_Gould_.\n\n\n{440}\n\nA PSALM OF LIFE\n\n Tell me not, in mournful numbers,\n Life is but an empty dream!\n For the soul is dead that slumbers,\n And things are not what they seem.\n\n Life is real! Life is earnest!\n And the grave is not its goal;\n \"Dust thou art, to dust returnest,\"\n Was not spoken of the soul.\n\n Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,\n Is our destined end or way;\n But to act, that each to-morrow\n Find us farther than to-day.\n\n Art is long and Time is fleeting,\n And our hearts, though stout and brave,\n Still, like muffled drums, are beating\n Funeral marches to the grave.\n\n In the world's broad field of battle,\n In the bivouac of Life,\n Be not like dumb, driven cattle!\n Be a hero in the strife!\n\n Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!\n Let the dead Past bury its dead!\n Act,--act in the living Present!\n Heart within, and God o'erhead! {441}\n\n Lives of great men all remind us\n We can make our lives sublime,\n And, departing, leave behind us\n Footprints on the sands of time;--\n\n Footprints, that perhaps another,\n Sailing o'er life's solemn main,\n A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,\n Seeing, shall take heart again.\n\n Let us, then, be up and doing,\n With a heart for any fate;\n Still achieving, still pursuing,\n Learn to labor and to wait.\n --_Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_.\n\nBy permission of Houghton. Mifflin & Co.\n\n\n{442}\n\nWHILE THEE I SEEK, PROTECTING POWER\n\n While Thee I seek, protecting Power,\n Be my vain wishes stilled;\n And may this consecrated hour\n With better hopes be filled.\n Thy love the power of thought bestowed,\n To Thee my thoughts would soar,\n Thy mercy o'er my life has flowed,\n That mercy I adore.\n\n In each event of life, how clear\n Thy ruling hand I see;\n Each blessing to my soul more dear,\n Because conferred by Thee.\n In every joy that crowns my days,\n In every pain I bear,\n My heart shall find delight in praise,\n Or seek relief in prayer.\n\n When gladness wings my favored hour,\n Thy love my thoughts shall fill;\n Resigned, when storms of sorrow lower,\n My soul shall meet Thy will.\n My lifted eye, without a tear,\n The lowering storm shall see;\n My steadfast heart shall know no fear,\n That heart will rest on Thee.\n --_Helen Maria Williams_.\n\n{443}{444}\n\n[Illustration]\n MADONNA DELLA TENDA\n By Raphael (1483-1520)\n\n \"Think ye the notes of holy song\n On Milton's tuneful ear have died?\n Think ye that Raphael's angel throng\n Has vanished from his side?\n\n \"Oh, no!--We live our life again;\n Or warmly touched, or coldly dim,\n The pictures of the Past remain,--\n Man's works shall follow him!\"\n --_John Greenleaf Whittier_.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{445}\n\nOFT IN THE STILLY NIGHT\n\n Oft in the stilly night,\n Ere slumber's chain has bound me,\n Fond memory brings the light\n Of other days around me;\n The smiles, the tears,\n Of boyhood's years,\n The words of love then spoken,\n The eyes that shone,\n Now dimmed and gone,\n The cheerful hearts now broken!\n Thus in the stilly night\n Ere slumber's chain has bound me,\n Sad memory brings the light\n Of other days around me.\n\n When I remember all\n The friends, so link'd together,\n I've seen around me fall,\n Like leaves in wintry weather;\n I feel like one\n Who treads alone,\n Some banquet hall deserted,\n Whose lights are fled,\n Whose garlands dead,\n And all but he departed.\n Thus in the stilly night,\n Ere slumber's chain has bound me,\n Sad memory brings the light\n Of other days around me.\n --_Thomas Moore_.\n\n\n{446}\n\nTHE BRIDGE\n\n I stood on the bridge at midnight,\n As the clocks were striking the hour,\n And the moon rose o'er the city,\n Behind the dark church tower.\n\n I saw her bright reflection\n In the waters under me,\n Like a golden goblet falling\n And sinking into the sea.\n\n And far in the hazy distance\n Of that lovely night in June,\n The blaze of the flaming furnace\n Gleamed redder than the moon.\n\n Among the long, black rafters\n The wavering shadows lay,\n And the current that came from the ocean\n Seemed to lift and bear them away;\n\n As, sweeping and eddying through them,\n Rose the belated tide,\n And, streaming into the moonlight,\n The seaweed floated wide.\n\n And like those waters rushing\n Among the wooden piers,\n A flood of thoughts came o'er me\n That filled my eyes with tears.\n\n How often, O how often,\n In the days that had gone by,\n I had stood on that bridge at midnight\n And gazed on that wave and sky! {447}\n\n How often, O how often,\n I had wished that the ebbing tide\n Would bear me away on its bosom\n O'er the ocean wild and wide!\n\n For my heart was hot and restless,\n And my life was full of care,\n And the burden laid upon me\n Seemed greater than I could bear.\n\n But now it has fallen from me,\n It is buried in the sea;\n And only the sorrow of others\n Throws its shadow over me.\n\n Yet whenever I cross the river\n On its bridge with wooden piers,\n Like the odor of brine from the ocean\n Comes the thought of other years.\n\n And I think how many thousands\n Of care encumbered men,\n Each bearing his burden of sorrow,\n Have crossed the bridge since then.\n\n I see the long procession\n Still passing to and fro,\n The young heart hot and restless,\n And the old subdued and slow!\n\n And forever and forever,\n As long as the river flows,\n As long as the heart has passions,\n As long as life has woes;\n\n The moon and its broken reflection\n And its shadows shall appear\n As the symbol of love in heaven,\n And its wavering image here.\n --_Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_.\n\nBy permission of Houghton, Mifflin & Co.\n\n\n{448}\n\nKINDNESS\n\n A little word in kindness spoken,\n A motion or a tear,\n Has often healed the heart that's broken,\n And made a friend sincere.\n\n A word--a look--has crushed to earth\n Full many a budding flower,\n Which, had a smile but owned its birth,\n Would bless life's darkest hour.\n\n Then deem it not an idle thing\n A pleasant word to speak;\n The face you wear, the thoughts you bring,\n A heart may heal or break.\n --_Colesworthy_.\n\n{449}{450}\n\n[Illustration]\n MADONNA\n By Murillo (1618-1682)\n\n \"Bright angels are around thee,\n They that have served thee from thy birth are there;\n Their hands with stars have crowned thee;\n Thou, peerless Queen of Air,\n As sandals to thy feet the silver moon doth wear.\"\n --_Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_.\n[End illustration]\n\n{451}\n\nPERSEVERANCE\n\n A swallow in the spring\n Came to our granary, and 'neath the eaves\n Essayed to make her nest, and there did bring\n Wet earth, and straw, and leaves.\n\n Day after day she toiled\n With patient art; but ere her work was crowned\n Some sad mishap the tiny fabric spoiled\n And dashed it to the ground.\n\n She found the ruin wrought;\n Yet not cast down, forth from her place she flew\n And with her mate fresh earth and grasses brought\n And built her nest anew.\n\n But scarcely had she placed\n The last soft feather on its ample floor,\n When wicked hands, or chance, again laid waste,\n And wrought the ruin o'er.\n\n But still her heart she kept\n And toiled again; and, last night hearing calls,\n I looked, and lo! three little swallows slept\n Within the earth-made walls.\n\n What trust is here, O man!\n Hath Hope been smitten in its early dawn?\n Have clouds o'ercast thy purpose, trust, or plan?\n Have faith, and struggle on!\n\n\n{452}\n\nTHE LIGHT OF STARS\n\n The night is come, but not too soon;\n And sinking silently,\n All silently, the little moon\n Drops down behind the sky.\n\n There is no light in earth or heaven,\n But the cold light of stars;\n And the first watch of night is given\n To the red planet Mars.\n\n Is it the tender star of love?\n The star of love and dreams?\n O no! from that blue tent above\n A hero's armor gleams.\n\n And earnest thoughts within me rise,\n When I behold afar,\n Suspended in the evening skies\n The shield of that red star.\n\n O star of strength! I see thee stand\n And smile upon my pain;\n Thou beckonest with thy mailed hand,\n And I am strong again.\n\n Within my breast there is no light,\n But the cold light of stars;\n I give the first watch of the night\n To the red planet Mars. {453}\n\n The star of the unconquered will.\n He rises in my breast\n Serene, and resolute, and still.\n And calm, and self-possessed.\n\n And thou, too, whosoe'er thou art\n That readest this brief psalm,\n As one by one thy hopes depart,\n Be resolute and calm.\n\n O fear not in a world like this,\n And thou shalt know ere long,\n Know how sublime a thing it is\n To suffer and be strong.\n --_Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_.\n\nBy permission of Houghton, Mifflin & CD.\n\n\n{454}\n\nWE ARE SEVEN\n\n I met a little cottage girl;\n She was eight years old she said;\n Her hair was thick with many a curl\n That clustered round her head.\n\n She had a rustic woodland air,\n And she was wildly clad;\n Her eyes were fair, and very fair,\n --Her beauty made me glad.\n\n \"Sisters and brothers, little maid,\n How many may you be?\"\n \"How many? Seven in all,\" she said,\n And wondering looked at me.\n\n \"And who are they? I pray you tell.\"\n She answered, \"Seven are we;\n And two of us at Conway dwell\n And two are gone to sea.\n\n \"Two of us in the churchyard lie,\n My sister and my brother;\n And in the churchyard cottage, I\n Dwell near them with my mother.\"\n\n \"You say that two at Conway dwell\n And two are gone to sea,\n Yet ye are seven! I pray you tell,\n Sweet maid, how this may be.\" {455}\n\n Then did the little maid reply,\n \"Seven boys and girls are we;\n Two of us in the churchyard lie\n Beneath the churchyard tree.\"\n\n \"You run about, my little maid,\n Your limbs they are alive;\n If two are in the churchyard laid,\n Then ye are only five.\"\n\n \"Their graves are green, they may be seen,\"\n The little maid replied,\n \"Twelve steps or more from my mother's door,\n And they are side by side.\n\n \"My stockings there I often knit,\n My kerchiefs there I hem;\n And there upon the ground I sit\n And sing a song to them.\n\n \"And often after sunset, sir,\n When it is light and fair,\n I take my little porringer\n And eat my supper there.\n\n \"The first that died was sister Jane;\n In bed she moaning lay\n Till God released her from her pain;\n And then she went away.\n\n \"So in the churchyard she was laid;\n And, when the grass was dry,\n Together round her grave we played,\n My brother John and 1.\n\n \"And when the ground was white with snow,\n And I could run and slide,\n My brother John was forced to go,\n And he lies by her side.\" {456}\n\n \"How many are you then,\" said I,\n \"If there are two in heaven?\"\n Quick was the little maid's reply,\n \"O master! We are seven.\"\n\n \"But they are dead: those two are dead;\n Their spirits are in heaven!\"\n 'T was throwing words away; for still\n The little maid would have her will,\n And said, \"Nay, we are seven!\"\n --_William Wordsworth_.\n\n{457}{458}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS IN THE TEMPLE\n By William Holman Hunt (1827-1910)\n\n One of the famous English school of so called pre-Raphaelite\n painters. This picture, \"Jesus in the Temple,\" is one of his most\n celebrated paintings\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{459}\n\nCHILDREN\n\n Come to me, O ye children!\n For I hear you at your play,\n And the questions that perplexed me\n Have vanished quite away.\n\n Ye open the eastern windows,\n That look toward the sun,\n Where thoughts are singing swallows\n And the brooks of morning run.\n\n In your hearts are the birds and the sunshine,\n In your thoughts the brooklet's flow,\n But in mine is the wind of autumn\n And the first fall of the snow.\n\n Ah! what would the world be to us\n If the children were no more?\n We should dread the desert behind us\n Worse than the dark before.\n\n What the leaves are to the forest,\n With light and air for food,\n Ere their sweet and tender juices\n Have been hardened into wood,--\n\n That to the world are children;\n Through them it feels the glow\n Of a brighter and sunnier climate\n Than reaches the trunks below. {460}\n\n Come to me, O ye children!\n And whisper in my ear\n What the birds and the winds are singing\n In your sunny atmosphere.\n\n For what are all our contrivings,\n And the wisdom of our books,\n When compared with your caresses,\n And the gladness of your looks?\n\n Ye are better than all the ballads\n That ever were sung or said;\n For ye are living poems,\n And all the rest are dead.\n --_Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_.\n\nBy permission of Houghton. Mifflin & Co.\n\n\n{461}\n\nONE BY ONE\n\n One by one the sands are flowing,\n One by one the moments fall;\n Some are coming, some are going;\n Do not strive to grasp them all.\n\n One by one thy duties wait thee,\n Let thy whole strength go to each;\n Let no future dreams elate thee,\n Learn thou first what these can teach.\n\n One by one (bright gifts from heaven)\n Joys are sent thee here below;\n Take them readily when given,--\n Ready, too, to let them go.\n\n One by one thy griefs shall meet thee,\n Do not fear an armed band;\n One will fade as others greet thee--\n Shadows passing through the land.\n\n Do not look at life's long sorrow;\n See how small each moment's pain;\n God will help thee for to-morrow;\n So each day begin again.\n\n Every hour, that fleets so slowly,\n Has its task to do or bear;\n Luminous the crown and holy,\n When each gem is set with care. {462}\n\n Do not linger with regretting,\n Or for passing hours despond;\n Nor, the daily toil forgetting,\n Look too eagerly beyond.\n\n Hours are golden links, God's token,\n Reaching heaven; but one by one\n Take them, lest the chain be broken,\n Ere the pilgrimage be done.\n --_Adelaide Ann Procter_.\n\n\n{463}\n\nTO-DAY AND TO-MORROW\n\n If Fortune, with a smiling face,\n Strew roses in our way,\n When shall we stoop to pick them up?--\n To-day, my friend, to-day.\n But should she frown with face of care\n And talk of coming sorrow,\n When shall we grieve, if grieve we must?--\n To-morrow, friend, to-morrow.\n\n If those who've wronged us own their faults\n And kindly pity pray,\n When shall we listen and forgive?--\n To-day, my friend, to-day.\n But if stern Justice urge rebuke,\n And warmth from memory borrow,\n When shall we chide, if chide we dare?--\n To-morrow, friend, to-morrow.\n\n For virtuous acts and harmless joys\n The minutes will not stay;\n We've always time to welcome them\n To-day, my friend, to-day.\n But care, resentment, angry words,\n And unavailing sorrow,\n Come far too soon, if they appear\n To-morrow, friend, to-morrow.\n\n\n{464}\n\n\nSTILL WITH THEE\n\n Still, still with Thee, my God,\n I would desire to be,\n By day, by night, at home, abroad,\n I would be still with Thee.\n\n With Thee when dawn comes in,\n And calls me back to care,\n Each day returning to begin\n With Thee, my God, in prayer.\n\n With Thee amid the crowd\n That throngs the busy mart,\n To hear Thy voice, 'mid clamor loud,\n Speak softly to my heart.\n\n With Thee when day is done,\n And evening calms the mind;\n The setting, as the rising, sun\n With Thee my heart would find.\n\n With Thee when darkness brings\n The signal of repose,\n Calm in the shadow of Thy wings\n Mine eyelids I would close.\n\n With Thee, in Thee, by faith\n Abiding I would be;\n By day, by night, in life, in death,\n I would be still with Thee.\n --_James Drummond Burns_.\n\n{465}{466}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD\n By William Holman Hunt (1827-1910)\n\n The original of this famous picture is owned by Keble College,\n Oxford, and is hung in a small room adjoining the chapel.\n\n \"The legend beneath it is the beautiful verse--'Behold I stand at the\n door and knock. If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will\n come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.' REV. iii.\n 26. On the left-hand side of the picture is seen this door of the\n human soul. It is fast barred; its bars and nails are rusty; it is\n knitted and bound to its stanchions by creeping tendrils of ivy,\n shewing that it has never been opened. A bat hovers about it; its\n threshold is overgrown with brambles, nettles, and fruitless\n corn,--the wild grass, 'whereof the mower filleth not his hand, nor\n he that bindeth the sheaves his bosom.' Christ approaches it in the\n night-time,--Christ, in his everlasting offices, of Prophet, Priest,\n and King. He wears the white robe, representing the power of the\n Spirit upon him; the jeweled robe and breastplate, representing the\n sacerdotal investiture; the rayed crown of gold, inwoven with the\n crown of thorns; not dead thorns, but now bearing soft leaves, for\n the healing of the nations.\n\n \"Now, when Christ enters any human heart, he bears with him a\n twofold light: first, the light of conscience, which displays past\n sin, and afterwards the light of peace, the hope of salvation. The\n lantern, carried in Christ's left hand, is this light of conscience.\n Its fire is red and fierce; it falls only on the closed door, on the\n weeds which encumber it, and on an apple shaken from one of the\n trees of the orchard, thus marking that the entire awakening of\n the conscience is not merely to committed, but to hereditary guilt.\n\n \"The light is suspended by a chain wrapt about the wrist of the\n figure, shewing that the light which reveals sin appears to the\n sinner also to chain the hand of Christ. The light which proceeds\n from the head of the figure, on the contrary, is that of the hope of\n salvation; it springs from the crown of thorns, and, though itself\n sad, subdued, and full of softness, is yet so powerful that it\n entirely melts into the glow of it the forms of the leaves and\n boughs, which it crosses, shewing that every earthly object must be\n hidden by this light, where its sphere extends.\"--_Ruskin, \"Arrows of\n the Chace._\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{467}\n\nLEAD, KINDLY LIGHT\n\n Lead, kindly Light, amid th' encircling gloom,\n Lead Thou me on;\n The night is dark and I am far from home,\n Lead Thou me on;\n Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see\n The distant scene; one step enough for me.\n\n I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou\n Should'st lead me on;\n I loved to choose and see my path, but now\n Lead Thou me on!\n I loved the garish day, and spite of fears\n Pride ruled my will; remember not past years.\n\n So long Thy power has blest me, sure it still\n Will lead me on\n O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till\n The night is gone,\n And with the morn those angel faces smile\n Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!\n --_John Henry Newman_.\n\n\n{469}\n\nNOW THE DAY IS OVER\n\n Now the day is over,\n Night is drawing nigh,\n Shadows of the evening\n Steal along the sky.\n\n Now the darkness gathers,\n Stars begin to peep;\n Birds and beasts and flowers\n Soon will be asleep.\n\n Jesus, give the weary\n Calm and sweet repose:\n With Thy tenderest blessing\n May our eyelids close.\n\n Grant to little children\n Visions bright of Thee;\n Guard the sailors tossing\n On the deep blue sea.\n\n Comfort every sufferer\n Watching late in pain;\n Those who plan some evil\n From their sin restrain.\n\n Through the long night watches\n May Thine angels spread\n Their white wings above me,\n Watching round my bed.\n\n When the morning wakens,\n Then may I arise,\n Pure, and fresh, and sinless\n In Thy holy eyes.\n --_S. Baring-Gould_.\n\n{469}{470}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE LITTLE MOTHER\n By Ferruzzi\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{471}\n\nA FAREWELL\n\n My fairest child, I have no song to give you,\n No lark could pipe to skies so dull and gray,\n Yet ere we part, one lesson I can leave you,\n For every day.\n\n Be good, sweet child, and let who will be clever;\n Do noble things, not dream them all day long,\n And make life, death, and that vast forever,\n One grand, sweet song.\n --_Charles Kingsley_.\n\n\n{472}\n\nGOOD NIGHT AND GOOD MORNING\n\n A fair little girl sat under a tree\n Sewing as long as her eyes could see;\n Then smoothed her work and folded it right,\n And said, \"Dear work, good night, good night!\"\n\n Such a number of rooks came over her head\n Crying \"Caw, caw!\" on their way to bed;\n She said, as she watched their curious flight,\n \"Little black things, good night, good night!\"\n\n The horses neighed and the oxen lowed;\n The sheep's \"Bleat, bleat!\" came over the road,\n All seeming to say, with a quiet delight,\n \"Good little girl, good night, good night!\"\n\n She did not say to the sun \"Good night!\"\n Though she saw him there like a ball of light;\n For she knew that he had God's own time to keep\n All over the world, and never could sleep.\n\n The tall pink foxglove bowed his head,\n The violets curtsied and went to bed;\n And good little Lucy tied up her hair,\n And said, on her knees, her favorite prayer.\n\n And while on her pillow she softly lay,\n She knew nothing more till again it was day,\n And all things said to the beautiful sun,\n \"Good morning, good morning! our work is begun!\"\n --_Lord Houghton_.\n\n{473}{474}\n\n[Illustration]\n CHRISTMAS BELLS\n By Edwin Howland Blashfield (1848- )\n\n \"It is the calm and solemn night!\n A thousand bells ring out, and throw\n Their joyous peals abroad, and smite\n The darkness, charmed and holy now!\n The night that erst no name had worn,\n To it a happy name is given;\n For in that stable lay new born,\n The peaceful Prince of Earth and Heaven,\n In the solemn midnight\n Centuries ago!\"\n --_Alfred Domett_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{475}\n\nNEW YEAR'S EVE\n\n Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,\n The flying cloud, the frosty light;\n The year is dying in the night;\n Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.\n\n Ring out the old, ring in the new;\n Ring, happy bells, across the snow;\n The year is going, let him go;\n Ring out the false, ring in the true.\n\n Ring out the grief that saps the mind,\n For those that here we see no more;\n Ring out the feud of rich and poor,\n Ring in redress to all mankind.\n\n Ring out a slowly dying cause,\n And ancient forms of party strife;\n Ring in the nobler modes of life,\n With sweeter manners, purer laws.\n\n Ring out false pride in place and blood,\n The civic slander and the spite;\n Ring in the love of truth and right,\n Ring in the common love of good.\n\n Ring out old shapes of foul disease,\n Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;\n Ring out the thousand wars of old,\n Ring in the thousand years of peace.\n\n Ring in the valiant man and free,\n The larger heart, the kindlier hand;\n Ring out the darkness of the land,\n Ring in the Christ that is to be.\n --_Alfred Tennyson_.\n\n\n{476}\n\nALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL\n\n All things bright and beautiful,\n All creatures great and small,\n All things wise and wonderful,\n The Lord God made them all.\n\n Each little flower that opens,\n Each little bird that sings,\n He made their glowing colors,\n He made their tiny wings.\n\n The purple-headed mountains,\n The river running by,\n The morning and the sunset\n That lighteth up the sky.\n\n The tall trees in the greenwood,\n The pleasant summer sun,\n The ripe fruits in the garden,\n He made them everyone.\n\n He gave us eyes to see them,\n And lips that we might tell,\n How great is God Almighty,\n Who hath made all things well.\n --_John Keble_.\n\n\n{477}\n\nTHE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS\n\n This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,\n Sails the unshadowed main,--\n The venturous bark that flings\n On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings\n In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,\n And coral reefs lie bare,\n Where the cold sea maids rise to sun their streaming hair.\n\n Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;\n Wrecked is the ship of pearl!\n And every chambered cell,\n Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,\n Before thee lies revealed,--\n Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!\n\n Year after year beheld the silent toil\n That spread his lustrous coil;\n Still, as the spiral grew,\n He left the past year's dwelling for the new,\n Stole with soft step its shining archway through,\n Built up its idle door,\n Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.\n\n Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,\n Child of the wandering sea,\n Cast from her lap forlorn!\n From thy dead lips a clearer note is born\n Than ever Triton blew from wreathed horn.\n While on mine ear it rings,\n Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:--\n\n{478}\n\n Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,\n As the swift seasons roll!\n Leave thy low-vaulted past!\n Let each new temple, nobler than the last,\n Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,\n Till thou at length art free,\n Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!\n\n --_Oliver Wendell Holmes_.\n\nUsed by the kind permission of Houghton, Mifflin and Company.\n\n\n{479}{480}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE CHILDREN OF THE SHELL\n By Murillo (1618-1682)\n\n This is one of the famous pictures of the great artist Murillo. The\n little child John is giving the little Jesus a drink from a shell.\n \"The child nature is charmingly portrayed, so innocent and\n gentle--seeming to suggest a lovable nature in the artist himself.\n His pictures always arouse the reverential feeling--which puts the\n stamp of artistic greatness upon them.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{481}\n\nTHE DAY IS DONE\n\n The day is done, and the darkness\n Falls from the wings of Night,\n As a feather is wafted downward\n From an eagle in his flight.\n\n I see the lights of the village\n Gleam through the rain and the mist,\n And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me\n That my soul cannot resist:\n\n A feeling of sadness and longing,\n That is not akin to pain,\n And resembles sorrow only\n As the mist resembles the rain.\n\n Come, read to me some poem,\n Some simple and heartfelt lay,\n That shall soothe this restless feeling,\n And banish the thoughts of day.\n\n Not from the grand old masters,\n Not from the bards sublime,\n Whose distant footsteps echo\n Through the corridors of Time.\n\n For, like strains of martial music,\n Their mighty thoughts suggest\n Life's endless toil and endeavor;\n And to-night I long for rest.\n\n Read from some humbler poet,\n Whose songs gushed from his heart,\n As showers from the clouds of summer,\n Or tears from the eyelids start; {482}\n\n Who, through long days of labor,\n And nights devoid of ease,\n Still heard in his soul the music\n Of wonderful melodies.\n\n Such songs have power to quiet\n The restless pulse of care,\n And come like the benediction\n That follows after prayer.\n\n Then read from the treasured volume\n The poem of thy choice,\n And lend to the rhyme of the poet\n The beauty of thy voice.\n\n And the night shall be filled with music,\n And the cares that infest the day,\n Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,\n And as silently steal away.\n\n --_Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_.\n\nUsed by the kind permission of Houghton, Mifflin and Company.\n\n\n{483}\n\nA CHILD'S THOUGHT OF GOD\n\n They say that God lives very high.\n But if you look above the pines\n You cannot see God. And why?\n\n And if you dig down in the mines\n You never see Him in the gold\n Though from Him all that's glory shines.\n\n God is so good, He wears a fold\n Of heaven and earth across His face--\n Like secrets kept, for love, untold.\n\n But still I feel that His embrace\n Slides down by thrills, through all things made,\n Through sight and sound of every place:\n\n As if my tender mother laid\n On my shut lids her kisses' pressure,\n Half waking me at night; and said,\n \"Who kissed through the dark, dear guesser?\"\n\n --_Elizabeth Barrett Browning_.\n\n\n{484}\n\nLULLABY SONG\n\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n Thy father watches his sheep;\n Thy mother is shaking the dreamland tree,\n And down comes a little dream on thee.\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n The large stars are the sheep;\n The little stars are the lambs, I guess;\n And the gentle moon is the shepherdess.\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n Our Saviour loves His sheep:\n He is the Lamb of God on high,\n Who for our sakes came down to die.\n Sleep, baby, sleep!\n --_From the German_.\n\n{485}{486}\n\n[Illustration]\n HEAD OF ANGEL\n\n \"See that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto\n you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my\n Father which is in heaven.\"--_The Words of Jesus_\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{487}\n\nTHE PILGRIMS OF THE NIGHT\n\n Hark, hark, my soul, angelic songs are swelling\n O'er earth's green fields and ocean's wave-beat shore.\n How sweet the truth those blessed strains are telling\n Of that new life, when sin shall be no more.\n Angels of Jesus,\n Angels of light,\n Singing to welcome\n The pilgrims of the night.\n\n Onward we go, for still we hear them singing,\n \"Come, weary souls, for Jesus bids you come.\"\n And through the dark, its echoes sweetly ringing,\n The music of the gospel leads us home.\n Angels of Jesus,\n Angels of light,\n Singing to welcome\n The pilgrims of the night.\n\n Far, far away, like bells at evening pealing,\n The voice of Jesus sounds o'er land and sea;\n And laden souls by thousands meekly stealing,\n Kind Shepherd, turn their weary steps to Thee.\n Angels of Jesus,\n Angels of light,\n Singing to welcome\n The pilgrims of the night. {488}\n\n Rest comes at last; though life be long and dreary,\n The day must dawn, and darksome night be past;\n All journeys end in welcomes to the weary,\n And heaven, the heart's true home, will come at last.\n Angels of Jesus,\n Angels of light,\n Singing to welcome\n The pilgrims of the night.\n\n Angels, sing on, your faithful watches keeping,\n Sing us sweet fragments of the songs above,\n While we toil on, and soothe ourselves with weeping,\n Till life's long night shall break in endless love.\n Angels of Jesus,\n Angels of light,\n Singing to welcome\n The pilgrims of the night.\n --_Frederick William Faber_.\n\n{489}\n\nMEMORY VERSES\n\n{490}\n\n{491}\n\nMEMORY VERSES\n\n_One for Each Week of the Year_.\n\n\n I said, \"Thou art my God.\"\n My times are in thy hand. --_Psalms 31:14-15_.\n\n\n Let the words of my mouth,\n and the meditations of my\n heart, be acceptable in thy sight,\n O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. --_Psalms 19:14_.\n\n\n Let your speech be always with grace. --_Colossians 4:6_.\n\n\n O Lord, thou hast searched me,\n and known me. --_Psalms 139:1_.\n\n\n Bless the Lord, O my soul;\n and all that is within me,\n bless his holy name. --_Psalms 103:1_.\n\n\n Blessed are the peacemakers:\n for they shall be called\n the children of God. --_Matthew 5:9_.\n\n\n Ye are of God, little children. --_I John 4:4_.\n\n\n Mark the perfect man,\n and behold the upright, for the\n end of that man is peace. --_Psalms 37:37_.\n\n{492}\n\n Let not your heart be troubled:\n ye believe in God,\n believe also in me.\n In my Father's house are many mansions. --_John 14:1_.\n\n\n Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,\n whose mind is stayed on thee:\n because he trusteth in thee. --_Isaiah 26:3_.\n\n\n Ask, and it shall be given you. --_Matthew 7:7_.\n\n\n Blessed are the pure in heart:\n for they shall see God. --_Matthew 5:8_.\n\n\n Be not overcome of evil,\n but overcome evil with good. --_Romans 12:21_.\n\n\n Let us therefore follow after\n the things which make for peace. --_Romans 14:19_.\n\n\n Keep yourselves in the love of God. --_Jude 21_.\n\n\n The Lord is merciful and gracious,\n slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. --_Psalms 103:8_.\n\n\n Be not weary in well-doing. --_II Thessalonians 3:13_.\n\n\n Bear ye one another's burdens,\n and so fulfill the law of Christ. --_Galatians 6:2_.\n\n\n Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,\n and a light unto my path. --_Psalms 119:105_.\n\n{493}\n\n He that loveth not, knoweth not God;\n for God is love. --_I John 4:8_.\n\n\n Blessed is the nation\n whose God is the Lord. --_Psalms 33:12_.\n\n\n The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. --_Psalms 118:6_.\n\n\n Abstain from every form of evil. --_I Thessalonians 5:22_.\n\n\n If ye love me keep my commandments. --_John 14:15_.\n\n\n Thou shalt love the Lord thy God\n with all thine heart,\n and with all thy soul,\n and with all thy might. --_Deuteronomy 6:5_.\n\n\n The heavens declare the glory of God;\n and the firmament showeth his handiwork. --_Psalms 19:1_.\n\n\n Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,\n call ye upon him while he is near. --_Isaiah 55:6_.\n\n\n Hear instruction, and be wise,\n and refuse it not. --_Proverbs 8:33_.\n\n\n Suffer the little children\n to come unto me; forbid them not:\n for of such is the kingdom of God. --_Mark 10:14_.\n\n\n Prove all things.\n Hold fast that which is good. --_I Thessalonians 5:21_.\n\n\n Blessed are the merciful:\n for they shall obtain mercy. --_Matthew 5:7_.\n\n{494}\n\n For there is not a word in my\n tongue, but, lo, O Lord,\n thou knowest it altogether. --_Psalms 139:4_.\n\n\n Like as a father pitieth his children,\n so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. --_Psalms 103:13_.\n\n\n Come unto me, all ye that\n labor and are heavy laden,\n and I will give you rest. --_Matthew 11:28_.\n\n\n This is my commandment,\n that ye love one another,\n as I have loved you. --_John 15:12_.\n\n\n Be strong in the Lord,\n and in the strength of his might. --_Ephesians 6:10_.\n\n\n Rejoice in the Lord always. --_Philippians 4:4_.\n\n\n Honour thy father and thy mother;\n that thy days may be long upon the land\n which the Lord thy God giveth thee. --_Exodus 20:12_.\n\n\n Bless them which persecute you;\n bless, and curse not. --_Romans 12:14_.\n\n\n Thou shalt not steal. --_Exodus 20:15_.\n\n\n Give to him that asketh thee. --_Matthew 5:42_.\n\n\n Thou shalt not bear false witness\n against thy neighbor. --_Exodus 20:16_.\n\n{495}\n\n Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. --_Matthew 22:39_.\n\n\n I will say of the Lord,\n He is my refuge, and my fortress:\n my God; in him will I trust. --_Psalms 91:2_.\n\n\n In the day of my trouble\n I will call upon thee:\n for thou wilt answer me. --_Psalms 86:7_.\n\n\n The eyes of the Lord\n are upon the righteous,\n and his ears are open unto their cry. --_Psalms 34:15_.\n\n\n Show me thy ways,\n O Lord, teach me thy paths. --_Psalms 25:4_.\n\n\n Be ye therefore followers of God,\n as dear children. --_Ephesians 5:1_.\n\n\n I am the good shepherd,\n and know my sheep, and am known of mine. --_John 10:14_\n\n\n Ye are the light of the world.\n A city that is set on a hill\n cannot be hid. --_Matthew 5:14_\n\n\n God is our refuge and strength,\n a very present help in trouble. --_Psalms 46:1_\n\n My peace I give unto you:\n not as the world giveth,\n give I unto you. --_John 14:27_.\n\n{496}\n\nGod tells us in the Bible.\n\n Thou shalt love the Lord thy God. --_Matthew 22:37_.\n\n Love one another. --_I John 3:23_.\n\n Be ye kind one to another. --_Ephesians 4:23_.\n\n Pray to thy Father. --_Matthew 6:6_.\n\n Lie not. --_Colossians 3:9_.\n\n Speak the truth. --_Zechariah 8:16_.\n\n Thou shalt not steal. --_Exodus 20:15_.\n\n Thou shalt not kill. --_Exodus 20:13_.\n\n Children, obey your parents. --_Ephesians 6:1_.\n\n Give to the poor. --_Matthew 19:21_.\n\n Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. --_Exodus 20:8_.\n\n Search the Scriptures (study the Bible). --_John 5:39_.\n\n Do no wrong. --_Jeremiah 22:3_.\n\n Do that which is right. --_Exodus 15:26_.\n\n Sin not. --_John 5:14_.\n\n\n[_By courtesy of the Clarke School, Northampton. Mass._]\n\n\n{497}{498}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS KNOCKING AT THE DOOR\n By Heinrich Hofmann (1824- )\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{499}\n\nPROVERBS\n\n{500}\n\n{501}\n\nPROVERBS\n\nThese wise and true sayings are taken from the book in the Bible\ncalled \"Proverbs.\" Some of them are said to have been written by\nSolomon, the wise king of Israel.\n\n\n My son, if sinners entice thee,\n Consent thou not.\n\n A wise son maketh a glad father:\n But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.\n\n He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand:\n But the hand of the diligent maketh rich.\n\n The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver:\n The heart of the wicked is little worth.\n\n The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich:\n And he addeth no sorrow therewith.\n\n A false balance is an abomination to the Lord:\n But a just weight is His delight.\n\n A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast:\n But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.\n\n A wise son heareth his father's instruction:\n But a scorner heareth not rebuke.\n\n{502}\n\n Walk with wise men, and thou shalt be wise:\n But the companion of fools shall smart for it.\n\n Righteousness exalteth a nation:\n But sin is a reproach to any people.\n\n A soft answer turneth away wrath:\n But a grievous word stirreth up anger.\n\n The eyes of the Lord are in every place:\n Keeping watch upon the evil and the good.\n\n A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:\n But by sorrow of heart is the spirit broken.\n\n Better is a little with the fear of the Lord:\n Than great treasure and trouble therewith.\n Better is a dinner of herbs where love is:\n Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.\n\n A wise son maketh a glad father:\n But a foolish man despiseth his mother.\n\n A wrathful man stirreth up contention:\n But he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.\n\n Pride goeth before destruction:\n And a haughty spirit before a fall.\n\n The hoary head is a crown of glory,\n If it be found in the way of righteousness.\n\n He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty;\n And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.\n\n{503}\n\n A merry heart is a good medicine:\n But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.\n\n Wine is a mocker,\n Strong drink is a brawler;\n And whoso erreth thereby is not wise.\n\n Even a child maketh himself known by his doings,\n Whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.\n\n Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor,\n He also shall cry, but shall not be heard.\n\n He that followeth after righteousness and mercy\n Findeth life, righteousness, and honour.\n\n A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,\n And loving favour rather than silver and gold.\n\n The rich and the poor meet together:\n The Lord is the maker of them all.\n\n Train up a child in the way he should go,\n And when he is old he will not depart from it.\n\n He that loveth pureness of heart,\n For the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.\n\n Remove not the ancient landmark,\n Which thy fathers have set.\n\n Seest thou a man diligent in his business?\n He shall stand before kings;\n He shall not stand before mean men.\n\n{504}\n\n A word fitly spoken\n Is like apples of gold\n In baskets of silver.\n\n Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit?\n There is more hope for a fool than for him.\n\n If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat;\n And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:\n For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head,\n And the Lord shall reward thee.\n\n Seest thou a man hasty in his words?\n There is more hope for a fool than for him.\n\n Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth;\n A stranger, and not thine own lips.\n\n{505}\n\nPROVERBS\n\nThe following proverbs are from various sources outside the Bible.\n\n\n An idle youth becomes in age a beggar.\n Idle people take the most pains.\n Let honesty and industry be thy constant companions.\n --_Franklin_.\n\n\n Haste makes waste and waste makes want.\n The more haste the less speed.\n Ill habits gather by unseen degrees,\n As brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas.\n --_Dryden_.\n\n\n Small habits well pursued betimes\n May reach the dignity of crimes.\n --_Hannah More_.\n\n\n God is always at leisure to do good to those that ask it.\n God helps those who help themselves.\n\n\n What we gave we have,\n what we spent we had,\n what we left we lost.\n --_Epitaph of Edward, Earl of Devon_.\n\n\n You may know him by the company he keeps.\n Better alone than in bad company.\n\n\n A guilty conscience needs no accuser.\n\n\n Content is more than a kingdom.\n\n\n Deeds not words.\n\n\n A goodly outside apple rotten at the heart,\n O what a goodly outside falsehood hath.\n --_Shakespeare_.\n\n{506}\n\n Cleanliness is next to godliness.\n --_Wesley_.\n\n\n They conquer who believe they can.\n --_Virgil_.\n\n\n Never make a mountain out of a mole hill.\n Employ thy time well, and since thou art\n not sure of a minute throw not away an hour.\n Virtue is its own reward.\n\n --_Prior_.\n\n Early to bed and early to rise,\n Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.\n --_Franklin_.\n\n\n Count that day lost whose low descending sun\n Views from thy hand no worthy action done.\n\n Never leave that till to-morrow\n which you can do to-day.\n --_Franklin_.\n\n\n Kind hearts are the gardens,\n Kind thoughts are the roots,\n Kind words are the blossoms,\n Kind deeds are the fruits.\n --_New Education Reader_.\n\n\n Do you know how many children,\n Go to little beds at night,\n And, without a care or trouble,\n Wake up with the morning light?\n God in heaven each name can tell;\n Knows you, too, and knows you well.\n --_New Education Reader_.\n\n Be kind and be gentle,\n To those who are old,\n For kindness is dearer\n And better than gold.\n --_New Education Reader_.\n\n{507}\n\n Please is a very little word,\n And thank-you is not long.\n\n\n Jesus loves me, this I know,\n For the Bible tells me so.\n Little ones to Him belong,\n I am weak, but He is strong.\n\n\n\n Love God with all your soul and strength,\n With all your heart and mind,\n And love your neighbor as yourself,\n Be faithful, just, and kind.\n Deal with another as you'd have\n Another deal with you:\n What you're unwilling to receive,\n Be sure you never do.\n --_New England Primer_.\n\n\n Politeness is to do or say\n The kindest thing in the kindest way.\n --_New Education Reader_.\n\n\n Do all the good you can\n In all the ways you can,\n For all the people you can\n Just as long as you can.\n --_Lippincott's Beginner's Reading Book_.\n\n\n Be to others kind and true,\n As you'd have others be to you.\n --_New Education Reader_.\n\n\n[End of \"VOLUME ONE: THE GOLDEN BOOK\"]\n\n------------------------------------------------\n\n[Start of \"VOLUME TWO: HERO TALES\"]\n\n\n{1}\n\n{2}\n\n{3}\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY\n\n{6}\n[Illustration]\n Joseph, the Prime Minister, Greeting his family.\n\n \"And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went\n up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he\n presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck,\n and wept on his neck a good while.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{7}\nTHE BIBLE STORY\n\nVOLUME TWO\n\nHERO TALES\n\n\nARRANGED AND EDITED BY\n\nREV. NEWTON MARSHALL HALL, D.D.\n\nMINISTER OF THE NORTH CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS\n\nAND\n\nREV. IRVING FRANCIS WOOD, PH.D.\n\nPROFESSOR OF\nBIBLICAL LITERATURE AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION\nAT SMITH COLLEGE\n\n_Authors of \"The Early Days of Israel\" \"Advanced Bible Studies\" Etc_.\n\n\nTHE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY\n\nSPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS\n\nCHICAGO\nCLEVELAND\n\n{8}\n\nCOPYRIGHT, 1906,\nCOPYRIGHT, 1917,\n\nBY THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY,\n\nSPRINGFIELD, MASS.\n\n{9}\n\nPREFACE\n\nThis volume contains those Old Testament stories of heroic lives, which\nnever lose their charm. No better nor more fascinating stories were ever\nwritten than those of Abraham, and Joseph, and Gideon, and Moses. In the\nordinary volume, however, they are scattered over many chapters and even\nbooks, and the reader has great difficulty in piecing them together.\nHere they are told as continuous narratives, with illustrations of the\nfamous places, which enhance their charm. We believe that the old heroic\nfigures will come, in this way, before the children, and older people as\nwell, with a vividness and reality never before realized.\n\n{10}\n\n{11}\n\nCONTENTS\n\n PAGE\n\nTHE PATRIARCHS.\n\n 1 Abraham 21\n\n 2 Isaac 49\n\n 3 Jacob 60\n\n 4 Joseph 91\n\nTHE GREAT CAPTAINS.\n\n 1 Moses 137\n\n 2 Joshua 277\n\nTHE JUDGES.\n\n 1 Ehud 315\n\n 2 Gideon 319\n\n 3 Abimelech 332\n\n 4 Samuel 338\n\nTHE GREAT KINGS.\n\n 1 Saul 349\n\n 2 David 382\n\n 3 Solomon 452\n\nNOTES 485\n\nMEMORY VERSES 503\n\n{12}\n\n{13}{14}\n\n[Illustration]\n ON THE WEST OF JERUSALEM, LOOKING TOWARD BETHLEHEM\n\n From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton,\n Mass., and used by special permission.\n[Illustration]\n\n\n{15}\n\nPALESTINE\n\n Blest land of Judea! thrice hallowed of song,\n Where the holiest of memories pilgrim-like throng;\n In the shade of thy palms, by the shores of thy sea,\n On the hills of thy beauty, my heart is with thee.\n\n With the eye of a spirit I look on that shore,\n Where pilgrim and prophet have lingered before;\n With the glide of a spirit I traverse the sod\n Made bright by the steps of the angels of God.\n\n Blue sea of the hills!--in my spirit I hear\n Thy waters, Gennesaret, chime on my ear;\n Where the Lowly and Just with the people sat down.\n And thy spray on the dust of His sandals was thrown.\n\n Beyond are Bethulia's mountains of green,\n And the desolate hills of the wild Gadarene;\n And I pause on the goat-crags of Tabor to see\n The gleam of thy waters, O dark Galilee!\n\n Hark, a sound in the valley! where, swollen and strong\n Thy river, O Kishon, is sweeping along;\n Where the Canaanite strove with Jehovah in vain,\n And thy torrent grew dark with the blood of the slain.\n\n There down from his mountains stern Zebulon came,\n And Naphtali's stag, with his eyeballs of flame,\n And the chariots of Jabin rolled harmlessly on,\n For the arm of the Lord was Abinoam's son!\n\n{16}\n\n There sleep the still rocks and the caverns which rang\n To the song which the beautiful prophetess sang,\n When the princes of Issachar stood by her side,\n And the shout of a host in its triumph replied.\n\n Lo, Bethlehem's hill-site before me is seen,\n With the mountains around, and the valleys between;\n There rested the shepherds of Judah, and there\n The song of the angels rose sweet on the air.\n\n And Bethany's palm-trees in beauty still throw\n Their shadows at noon on the ruins below;\n But where are the sisters who hastened to greet\n The lowly Redeemer, and sit at His feet?\n\n I tread where the Twelve in their wayfaring trod,\n I stand where they stood with the Chosen of God,--\n Where His blessing was heard and His lessons were taught,\n Where the blind were restored and the healing was wrought.\n\n Oh, here with His flock the sad Wanderer came,--\n These hills He toiled over in grief are the same,--\n The founts where He drank by the wayside still flow,\n And the same airs are blowing which breathed on His brow!\n\n And throned on her hills sits Jerusalem yet,\n But with dust on her forehead, and chains on her feet;\n For the crown of her pride to the mocker hath gone,\n And the holy Shechinah is dark where it shone.\n\n But wherefore this dream of the earthly abode\n Of Humanity clothed in the brightness of God?\n Were my spirit but turned from the outward and dim,\n It could gaze, even now, on the presence of Him!\n\n Not in clouds and in terrors, but gentle as when,\n In love and in meekness, He moved among men;\n And the voice which breathed peace to the waves of the sea\n In the hush of my spirit would whisper to me!\n\n{17}\n\n And what if my feet may not tread where He stood,\n Nor my ears hear the dashing of Galilee's flood,\n Nor my eyes see the cross which He bowed Him to bear,\n Nor my knees press Gethsemane's garden of prayer?\n\n Yet, Loved of the Father, Thy Spirit is near,\n To the meek, and the lowly, and penitent here;\n And the voice of Thy love is the same even now\n As at Bethany's tomb on Olivet's brow.\n\n Oh, the outward hath gone!--but, in glory and power,\n The Spirit surviveth the things of an hour;\n Unchanged, undecaying, its Pentecost flame\n On the heart's secret altar is burning the same!\n\n --_John Greenleaf Whittier_.\n\n[By permission of Houghton. Mifflin & Co.]\n\n{18}\n\n{19}\n\nThe Patriarchs\n\nThe earliest years of Jewish history are called the Patriarchal Age, and\nthe men who were the leaders of the people were called Patriarchs. It\nwas a very simple age. The people were nomadic, wandering from place to\nplace to find pasturage for their great flocks and herds. They lived in\ntents. The patriarchs were the sheiks of the tribes, like sheik Ilderim\nin the story of \"Ben-Hur.\" It must be remembered that they lived in a\nrude and uncivilized time. They had none of the high moral teaching\nwhich we have. They often did things which were evil, but they also\nsought earnestly after God, and often in the silence of the desert,\nunder the stars of night, found him, and worshiped him as truly as we\ndo. Their story is the common human tale of struggle and defeat and\nvictory, which is repeated under different circumstances in every age.\n\n{20}\n\n{21}\n\nABRAHAM\n\n_The Story of the First Great Hero of Israel's History. How He Tented\nwith His Flocks on the Upland Pastures of Palestine, and Became the\nFather of a Great Nation._\n\n\nTHE MIGRATION.\n\n_He Leaves His Father's Home and Journeys to a New Country_.\n\nThere was a man named Abram, who lived in the city of Ur of the\nChaldees.\n\nNow the Lord said unto Abram, \"Get thee out of thy country, and from thy\nkindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show\nthee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and\nmake thy name great; and be thou a blessing: and I will bless them that\nbless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall\nall the families of the earth he blessed.\"\n\nSo Abram went, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him:\nand Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.\nAnd Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their\nsubstance that they had gathered, and all their families and servants;\nand they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of\nCanaan they came.\n\nAnd Abram passed through the land unto the place of {22} Shechem, unto\nthe oak of Moreh. And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, \"Unto thy\nfamily will I give this land\": and there builded he an altar unto the\nLord, who appeared unto him.\n\nAnd he removed from thence unto the mountain on the east of Beth-el, and\npitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Ai on the east; and\nthere he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the\nLord. And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.\n\n\nABRAM AND LOT.\n\n_The Division of the Land_.\n\nAnd Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And Lot also,\nwho went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And the land was\nnot able to hold them, that they might dwell together: for their\nsubstance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there\nwas a strife between the herd men of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of\nLot's cattle.\n\nAnd Abram said unto Lot, \"Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between\nme and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we are\nbrethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray\nthee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the\nright; or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the left.\"\n\nAnd Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the Plain of Jordan, that it\nwas well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and\nGomorrah, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt.\n\n{23}{24}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE TRADITIONAL OAK OF ABRAHAM, NEAR HEBRON\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Julia W. Snow\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n \"And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem, unto\n the Oak of Moreh.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{25}\n\nSo Lot chose for himself all the Plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed\neast: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram\ndwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the\nPlain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were\nwicked and sinners against the Lord exceedingly. And the Lord said\nunto Abram, after Lot was separated from him, \"Lift up now thine eyes,\nand look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and\neastward and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will\nI give it, and to thy family for ever. And I will make thy family as\nthe dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the\nearth, then shall thy family also be numbered. Arise, walk through the\nland in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will\nI give it.\"\n\nAnd Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre,\nwhich are in Hebron, and built there an altar un to the Lord.\n\nTHE FIGHT OF THE FIVE KINGS AGAINST THE FOUR.\n\n_The Capture of Lot, and His Rescue by Abram_.\n\nAnd there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and\nthe king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the\nsame is Zoar); and they set the battle in array against them in the\nvale of Siddim; against Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of\nGoiim, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar; four\nkings against the five.\n\nNow the vale of Siddim was full of pitch pits; and the {26} kings of\nSodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and they that remained\nfled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and\nGomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took\nLot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and\ndeparted. And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the\nHebrew.\n\nAnd when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led forth\nhis trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and\npursued as far as Dan. And he divided himself against them by night,\nhe and his servants, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah,\nwhich is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the\ngoods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the\nwomen also, and the people.\n\nAnd the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the\nslaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him. And\nMelchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine: and he was\npriest of God Most High. And he blessed him, and said, \"Blessed be\nAbram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be\nGod Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.\" And he\ngave him a tenth of all.\n\nAnd the king of Sodom said unto Abram, \"Give me the persons and take\nthe goods to thyself.\" And Abram said to the king of Sodom, \"I have\nlifted up my hand unto the Lord, God Most High, possessor of heaven\nand earth, that I will not take a thread or a shoelatchet nor aught\nthat is thine, lest thou shouldest say, 'I have made Abram rich': {27}\nsave only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the\nmen which went with me; let them take their portion.\"\n\nGOD'S PROMISES.\n\n_The Making of the Covenant_.\n\nAfter these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision,\nsaying, \"Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great\nreward.\"\n\nAnd Abram said, \"O Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I am\nchildless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is my servant,\nEliezer of Damascus?\"\n\nAnd Abram said, \"Behold, to me thou hast given no child: and, lo, one\nborn in my house is mine heir.\" And, behold, the word of the Lord came\nunto him, saying, \"This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall\nbe thine own son shall be thine heir.\"\n\nAnd he brought him forth abroad, and said, \"Look now toward heaven,\nand number the stars, if thou be able to number them\": and he said\nunto him, \"So shall thy family be.\"\n\nAnd he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for\nrighteousness. And he said unto him, \"I am the Lord who brought thee\nout of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.\" And\nhe said, \"O Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"Take me an heifer of three years old, and a\nshe-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a\nturtle dove, and a young pigeon.\"\n\nAnd he took him all these, and divided them in the {28} midst, and\nlaid each half over against the other: but the birds divided he not.\nAnd the birds of prey came down upon the carcases, and Abram drove\nthem away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon\nAbram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said\nunto Abram, \"Know of a surety that thy family shall be a stranger in a\nland that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict\nthem four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve,\nwill I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.\nBut thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a\ngood old age. And in the fourth generation they shall come hither\nagain: for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark,\nbehold a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between\nthese pieces. In that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,\n\"Unto thy family have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto\nthe great river Euphrates.\"\n\n\nTHE BIRTH OF ISHMAEL.\n\n_Abram Receives a New Name. Visit of the Messengers_.\n\n(Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had no children, and, as the custom\nsometimes was in those days, she gave him her handmaid Hagar, to be\nhis wife. And Hagar had a child, and Abram called the name of the\nchild Ishmael.)\n\nAnd when Abram was ninety and nine years old, the Lord appeared to\nAbram, and said unto him, \"I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be\nthou perfect. And I {29} will make my covenant between me and thee,\nand will multiply thee exceedingly.\"\n\nAnd Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, \"As for\nme, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of\na multitude of nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called\nAbram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of\nnations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and\nI will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I\nwill establish my covenant between me and thee and thy family after\nthee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a\nGod unto thee and to thy family after thee. And I will give unto thee,\nand to thy family after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the\nland of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their\nGod.\"\n\nAnd God said unto Abraham, \"And as for thee, thou shalt keep my\ncovenant, thou, and thy family after thee throughout their\ngenerations.\"\n\nAnd God said unto Abraham, \"As for Sarai, thy wife, thou shalt not\ncall her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless\nher, and moreover I will give thee a son of her: yea, I will bless\nher, and she shall be a mother of nations; she shall bear thee a son;\nand thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant\nwith him for an everlasting covenant for his family after him.\"\n\nAnd the Lord appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the\ntent door in the heat of the day; and he lifted up his eyes and\nlooked, and, lo, three men stood over against {30} him: and when he\nsaw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to\nthe earth and said, \"My lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight,\npass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: let now a little water\nbe fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:\nand I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your heart; after\nthat ye shall pass on: forasmuch as ye are come to your servant.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"So do, as thou hast said.\"\n\nAnd Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, \"Make ready\nquickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.\"\n\nAnd Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and\ngave it to the servant; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter,\nand milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them;\nand he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.\n\nAnd the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham\nwent with them to bring them on the way. And the Lord said, \"Shall I\nhide from Abraham that which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely\nbecome a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth\nshall be blessed in him? For I have known him, to the end that he may\ncommand his children and his household after him, that they may keep\nthe way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; to the end that the\nLord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said, \"Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great,\nand because their sin is very grievous; {31} I will go down now, and\nsee whether they have done altogether according to the report of it,\nwhich is come unto me; and if not, I will know.\"\n\nAnd the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham\nstood yet before the Lord. And Abraham drew near, and said, \"Wilt thou\nconsume the righteous within the city: wilt thou consume and not spare\nthe place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from\nthee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked,\nthat so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee:\nshall not the Judge of all the earth do right?\"\n\nAnd the Lord said, \"If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the\ncity, then I will spare all the place for their sake.\"\n\nAnd Abraham answered and said, \"Behold now, I have taken upon me to\nspeak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes: peradventure there\nshall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt thou destroy all the city\nfor lack of five?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.\"\n\nAnd he spake unto him yet again, and said, \"Peradventure there shall\nbe forty found there.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I will not do it for the forty's sake.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak:\nperadventure there shall be thirty found there.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I will not do it, if I find thirty there.\" And he said,\n\"Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: peradventure\nthere shall be twenty found there.\"\n\n{32}\n\nAnd he said, \"I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake.\" And he\nsaid, \"Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but this once:\nperadventure ten shall be found there.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I will not destroy it for the ten's sake.\" And the Lord\nwent his way, as soon as he had done communing with Abraham: and\nAbraham returned unto his place.\n\n\nDESTRUCTION OF THE CITIES OF THE PLAIN.\n\n_The Fate of Sodom and Gomorrah_.\n\nAnd the two angels came to Sodom at evening; and Lot sat in the gate\nof Sodom: and Lot saw them and rose up to meet them; and he bowed\nhimself with his face to the earth; and he said, \"Behold now, my\nlords, turn aside, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry\nall night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on\nyour way.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.\"\n\nAnd he urged them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered\ninto his house; and he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread,\nand they ate.\n\nAnd the men said unto Lot, \"Hast thou here any besides? son in law,\nand thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city;\nbring them out of the place: for we will destroy this place, because\nthe cry of them has grown great before the Lord; and the Lord hath\nsent us to destroy it.\"\n\n{33}{34}\n[Illustration]\n THE DEAD SEA\n\n The five \"Cities of the Plain\" are supposed to have been situated to\n the north of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is 47 miles long, with an\n extreme breadth of about 10 miles. It lies 1290 feet below the sea\n level and is itself 1300 feet deep in the deepest part. (See note on\n page 257)\n[End illustration]\n\n{35}\n\nAnd Lot went out, and spoke to his sons in law, which married his\ndaughters, and said, \"Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will\ndestroy the city.\" But he seemed to his sons in law as one who mocked.\n\nAnd when the morning came, then the angels hastened Lot, saying,\n\"Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters who are here; lest thou\nbe consumed in the iniquity of the city.\"\n\nBut he lingered; and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the\nhand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord\nbeing merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him\nwithout the city.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he\nsaid, \"Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in\nall the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.\"\n\nAnd Lot said to them, \"Oh, not so, my lord: behold now, thy servant\nhath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy,\nwhich thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape\nto the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die: behold now, this\ncity is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape\nthither (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing\nalso, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken.\nHaste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come\nthither.\" Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar, that is,\n\"Little.\"\n\nThe sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord\nrained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah {36} brimstone and fire from the\nLord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain\nand all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the\nground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a\npillar of salt.\n\nAnd Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had\nstood before the Lord: and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and\ntoward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of\nthe land went up as the smoke of a furnace.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, that\nGod remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the\noverthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.\n\n\nBIRTH OF ISAAC.\n\n_Hagar and Ishmael Are Cast Out. Treaty with Abimelech_.\n\nAnd a child was born to Sarah, according as the Lord had promised, and\nAbraham called the name of his son, Isaac. And the child grew, and was\nweaned: and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was\nweaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, which she had\nborne unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, \"Cast\nout this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall\nnot be heir with my son, even with Isaac.\"\n\n\n{37}{38}\n\n[Illustration]\n HAGAR AND ISHMAEL\n By Cazin\n[End illustration]\n\n{39}\n\nAnd the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his\nson. And God said unto Abraham, \"Let it not be grievous in thy sight\nbecause of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah\nsaith unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy family\nbe called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a\nnation, because he is thy son.\"\n\nAnd Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle\nof water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the\nchild, and sent her away: and she departed and wandered in the\nwilderness of Beer-sheba. And the water in the bottle was spent, and\nshe cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her\ndown over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she\nsaid, \"Let me not look upon the death of the child.\"\n\nAnd she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept. And\nGod heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar\nout of heaven, and said unto her, \"What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not;\nfor God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up\nthe lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great\nnation.\"\n\nAnd God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went,\nand filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. And God was\nwith the lad, and he grew; and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became\nan archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother\ntook him a wife out of the land of Egypt.\n\nAnd it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol, the\ncaptain of his host, spoke to Abraham, saying, \"God is with thee in\nall that thou doest: now therefore swear {40} unto me here by God that\nthou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's\nson: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou\nshalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.\"\n\nAnd Abraham said, \"I will swear.\"\n\nAnd Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which\nAbimelech's servants had violently taken away. And Abimelech said, \"I\nknow not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither\nyet heard I of it, but to-day.\"\n\nAnd Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and\nthey two made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock\nby themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, \"What mean these seven\newe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"These seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that\nit may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.\"\n\nWherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware\nboth of them. So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: and Abimelech\nrose up, and Phicol, the captain of his host, and they returned into\nthe land of the Philistines. And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in\nBeer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting\nGod. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.\n\n\n{41}\n\nTHE TESTING OF ABRAHAM.\n\n_God Provides the Sacrifice_.\n\nAnd it came to pass after these things, that God proved Abraham, and\nsaid to him, \"Abraham!\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Here am I.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even\nIsaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a\nburnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.\"\n\nAnd Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took\ntwo of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the\nwood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of\nwhich God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes,\nand saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, \"Abide\nye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will\nworship, and come again to you.\"\n\nAnd Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon\nIsaac, his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife; and\nthey went both of them together. And Isaac spoke unto Abraham, his\nfather, and said, \"My father\": and he said, \"Here am I, my son.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Behold, the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for\na burnt offering?\"\n\nAnd Abraham said, \"God will himself provide the lamb for a burnt\noffering, my son\": so they went both of them together.\n\nAnd they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham\nbuilt the altar there, and laid the wood in {42} order, and bound\nIsaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham\nstretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the\nangel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, \"Abraham,\nAbraham.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Here am I.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou\nanything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou\nhast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me.\"\n\nAnd Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, behind him a\nram caught in the thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the\nram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.\nAnd Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh (that is,\nJehovah will provide): as it is said to this day, \"In the mount of the\nLord it shall be provided.\" And the angel of the Lord called unto\nAbraham a second time out of heaven, and said, \"By myself have I\nsworn, saith the Lord, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not\nwithheld thy son, thine only son: that I will certainly bless thee,\nand I will certainly multiply thy family as the stars of the heaven,\nand as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy family shall\npossess the gate of his enemies; and in thy family shall all the\nnations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.\"\n\nSo Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went\ntogether to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.\n\n{43}{44}\n[Illustration]\n HEBRON\n\n Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.\n\n This is one of the most interesting spots in all the world; for here\n is the cave of Machpelah, the one ancient burial place which has\n been handed down from remote antiquity as the genuine site. The\n spot, as the burial place of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah,\n Jacob and Leah, has been venerated always by the adherents of the\n three great religions--Jews, Moslems, and Christians. The space\n containing the caves is inclosed by a great quadrangle of masonry\n 197 feet long and 111 feet wide called the Haram. Within this\n inclosure, directly over the caves, is built a mosque. For six\n hundred years no European except, in disguise was known to have\n set foot in the sacred precincts. In 1862 the Prince of Wales\n was given permission, with much reluctance, to visit the\n inclosure. Since then a few visits have been made, but the cave\n itself has never been explored. A few visitors have been\n permitted to look down a shaft in the rock beneath the mosque,\n but there is no positive information as to what exists below the\n surface.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{45}\n\nDEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH.\n\n_Abraham Buys a Place to Lay His Dead_.\n\nAnd the life of Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years: these\nwere the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba\n(the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn\nfor Sarah, and to weep for her. And Abraham rose up from before his\ndead, and spoke unto the children of Heth, saying, \"I am a stranger\nand a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying place with\nyou, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.\"\n\nAnd the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, \"Hear us,\nmy lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our\nsepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his\nsepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.\"\n\nAnd Abraham rose up and bowed himself to the people of the land, even\nto the children of Heth. And he communed with them, saying, \"If it be\nyour mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and\nintreat for me to Ephron, the son of Zohar, that he may give me the\ncave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field;\nfor the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a\npossession of a burying place.\"\n\nNow Ephron was sitting in the midst of the children of Heth: and\nEphron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of\nHeth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, \"Nay,\nmy lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein,\nI give it {46} thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I\nit thee: bury thy dead.\"\n\nAnd Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land. And he\nspoke unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying,\n\"But if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me: I will give the price of the\nfield; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.\"\n\nAnd Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, \"My lord, hearken unto\nme: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that\nbetwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.\"\n\nAnd Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the\nsilver, which he had named in the audience of the children of Heth,\nfour hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. So\nthe field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre,\nthe field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were\nin the field, that were in all the border thereof round about, were\nmade sure unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the\nchildren of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of the city.\n\nAnd after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field\nof Machpelah before Mamre (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan.\nAnd the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto\nAbraham for a possession of a burying place by the children of Heth.\n\n\n{47}{48}\n\n[Illustration]\n REBEKAH AND ELIEZER\n From the Sculpture by Therwaldsen.\n\n \"And she said, 'Drink, my Lord.' And she hasted and let down her\n pitcher upon her hand and gave him drink.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{49}\n\nISAAC\n\n_The Story of a Man Who Was Quiet and Gentle in His\nNature, Who Lived in Peace with God and Man_.\n\nISAAC AND REBEKAH.\n\n_How Abraham Sought a Fair Maiden of Nahor to be His Son's\nWife_.\n\nAnd Abraham was old, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.\n\nAnd Abraham said to his servant, who ruled over all that he had, \"Put,\nI pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: and I will make thee swear by\nthe Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou shalt\nnot take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among\nwhom I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred,\nand take a wife for my son Isaac.\"\n\nAnd the servant said unto him, \"Peradventure the woman will not be\nwilling to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again\nunto the land from whence thou camest?\"\n\nAnd Abraham said to him, \"Beware thou that thou bring not my son\nthither again. The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my\nfather's house, and from the land of my nativity, and that spoke unto\nme, and that swore unto me, saying, 'Unto thy family will I give this\nland'; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt {50} take a\nwife for my son from thence. And if the woman be not willing to follow\nthee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath; only thou shalt not\nbring my son thither again.\"\n\nAnd the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master,\nand swore to him concerning this matter. And the servant took ten\ncamels, of the camels of his master, and departed; having all goodly\nthings of his master's in his hand: and he arose, and went to\nMesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. And he made the camels kneel down\noutside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time\nthat women go out to draw water.\n\nAnd he said, \"O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, send me, I pray\nthee, good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.\nBehold, I stand by the fountain of water; and the daughters of the men\nof the city come out to draw water: and let it come to pass, that the\nmaiden to whom I shall say, 'Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I\nmay drink'; and she shall say, 'Drink, and I will give thy camels\ndrink also': let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy\nservant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness\nunto my master.'\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold,\nRebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife\nof Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And\nthe maiden was very fair to look upon, and she went down to the\nfountain, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to\nmeet her, and said, \"Give me to drink, I pray thee, a little water out\nof thy pitcher.\"\n\n{51}\n\nAnd she said, \"Drink, my lord\": and she hasted, and let down her\npitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.\n\nAnd when she had done giving him drink, she said, \"I will draw for thy\ncamels also, until they have done drinking.\"\n\nAnd she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again\nunto the well to draw, and drew for all his camels. And the man looked\nsteadfastly on her; holding his peace, to know whether the Lord had\nmade his journey prosperous or not.\n\nAnd it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man\ntook a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her\nhands of ten shekels weight of gold; and said, \"Whose daughter art\nthou? tell me, I pray thee. Is there room in thy father's house for us\nto lodge in?\"\n\nAnd she said unto him, \"I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of\nMilcah, which she bare unto Nahor.\" She said moreover unto him, \"We\nhave both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.\"\n\nAnd the man bowed his head, and worshiped the Lord. And he said,\n\"Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who hath not\nforsaken his mercy and his truth toward my master: as for me, the Lord\nhath led me in the way to the house of my master's brethren.\"\n\nAnd the maiden ran, and told her mother's house according to these\nwords. And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban\nran out unto the man, unto the fountain. And it came to pass, when he\nsaw the {52} ring, and the bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when\nhe heard the words of Rebekah, his sister, saying, \"Thus spoke the man\nunto me\"; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the\ncamels at the fountain.\n\nAnd he said, \"Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; wherefore standest\nthou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.\"\n\nAnd the man came into the house, and he ungirded the camels; and he\ngave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet\nand the men's feet that were with him.\n\nAnd there was set food before him to eat: but he said, \"I will not\neat, until I have told mine errand.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Speak on.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I am Abraham's servant. And the Lord hath blessed my\nmaster greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks\nand herds, and silver and gold, and menservants and maidservants, and\ncamels and asses. And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master\nwhen she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath. And my\nmaster made me swear, saying, 'Thou shalt not take a wife for my son\nof the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell: but thou\nshalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife\nfor my son.' And I said unto my master, 'Peradventure the woman will\nnot follow me.' And he said unto me, 'The Lord, before whom I walk,\nwill send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt\ntake a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house: then\nshalt thou be clear from my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and\nif they give her not to thee, thou shalt be clear from my oath.'\n\n{53}{54}\n\n[Illustration]\n REBEKAH\n By Goodall.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{55}\n\n\"And I came this day unto the fountain, and said, 'O Lord, the God of\nmy master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go: behold, I\nstand by the fountain of water; and let it come to pass, that the\nmaiden which cometh forth to draw, to whom I shall say, \"Give me, I\npray thee, a little water out of thy pitcher to drink\"; and she shall\nsay to me, \"Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels\": let\nthe same be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed for my master's\nson.' And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah\ncame forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto\nthe fountain, and drew: and I said unto her, 'Let me drink, I pray\nthee.' And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder,\nand said, 'Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also': so I drank,\nand she made the camels drink also. And I asked her, and said, 'Whose\ndaughter art thou?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's\nson, whom Milcah bore unto him': and I put the ring upon her nose, and\nthe bracelets upon her hands. And I bowed my head and worshiped the\nLord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, which had\nled me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his\nson. And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me:\nand if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the\nleft.\"\n\nThen Laban and Bethuel answered and said, \"The {56} thing proceedeth\nfrom the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah\nis before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's\nwife, as the Lord hath spoken.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words,\nhe bowed himself down to the earth unto the Lord. And the servant\nbrought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and\ngave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother\nprecious things.\n\nAnd they ate and drank, he and the men that were with him, and tarried\nall night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, \"Send me away\nunto my master.\"\n\nAnd her brother and her mother said, \"Let the maiden abide with us a\nfew days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered\nmy way; send me away that I may go to my master.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"We will call the maiden, and inquire of her.\"\n\nAnd they called Rebekah, and said unto her, \"Wilt thou go with this\nman?\"\n\nAnd she said, \"I will go.\" And they sent away Rebekah their sister,\nand her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.\n\nAnd they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, \"Our sister, be thou the\nmother of thousands of ten thousands, and let thy family possess the\ngate of those who hate them.\"\n\n{57}{58}\n\n[Illustration]\n A CAMEL RIDER\n\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Clara L. Bodman\n and used by her kind permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{59}\n\nAnd Rebekah arose, and her maidservants, and they rode upon the\ncamels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah and went\nhis way.\n\nAnd Isaac came from the way of Beer-lahai-roi; for he dwelt in the\nland of the South. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the\neventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, there were\ncamels coming.\n\nAnd Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she alighted\nfrom the camel. And she said unto the servant, \"What man is this who\nwalketh in the field to meet us?\"\n\nAnd the servant said, \"It is my master\": and she took her veil and\ncovered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had\ndone. And Isaac brought her to his mother Sarah's tent, and took\nRebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was\ncomforted after his mother's death.\n\n\nTHE DEATH OF ABRAHAM.\n\nAnd these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived,\nan hundred threescore and fifteen years. And Abraham died in a good\nold age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his\npeople. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of\nMachpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which\nis before Mamre; the field which Abraham purchased of the children of\nHeth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah, his wife. And it came to\npass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son.\n\n{60}\n\nJACOB\n\n_The Story of the Man Who Struggled Much Between\nRight and Wrong and Who Suffered Many Things_.\n\nTHE STRIFE BETWEEN THE BROTHERS.\n\n_Esau Sells His Birthright. Jacob Deceives His Father and\nReceives the Blessing Intended for Esau_.\n\n(Isaac, the son of Abraham, and Rebekah, his wife, had twin sons,\nnamed Jacob and Esau. Esau was a bold, rough, reckless boy, fond of\nhunting and adventure. Jacob was more quiet, but also more cunning.\nThe recklessness of Esau and the cunning of Jacob many times cost them\ndear in later life.)\n\nAnd the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field;\nand Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.\n\nNow Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his venison: and Rebekah loved\nJacob. And Jacob boiled pottage: and Esau came in from the field, and\nhe was faint: and Esau said to Jacob, \"Feed me, I pray thee, with that\nsame red pottage; for I am faint.\"\n\nAnd Jacob said, \"Sell me this day thy birthright.\"\n\nAnd Esau said, \"Behold, I am at the point of death: and what profit\nshall the birthright be to me?\"\n\nAnd Jacob said, \"Swear to me this day\"; and he swore unto him: and he\nsold his birthright to Jacob.\n\nAnd Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and {61} he ate and\ndrank, and rose up, and went his way: so Esau despised his birthright.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim,\nso that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said to\nhim, \"My son\": and he said to him, \"Here am I.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death.\nNow therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow,\nand go out to the field, and take me venison; and make me savoury\nmeat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul\nmay bless thee before I die.\"\n\nAnd Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to\nthe field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. And Rebekah spoke to\nJacob her son, saying, \"Behold, I heard thy father speak to Esau thy\nbrother, saying, 'Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I\nmay eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.' Now\ntherefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command\nthee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of\nthe goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as\nhe loveth: and thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, so\nthat he may bless thee before his death.\"\n\nAnd Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, \"Behold, Esau my brother is a\nhairy man, and I am a smooth man. My father peradventure will feel me,\nand I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon\nme, and not a blessing.\"\n\n{62}\n\nAnd his mother said unto him, \"Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey\nmy voice, and go fetch me them.\"\n\nAnd he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his\nmother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took\nthe goodly garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the\nhouse, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: and she put the skins\nof the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his\nneck: and she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had\nprepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. And he came unto his father,\nand said, \"My father\": and he said, \"Here am I; who art thou, my son?\"\n\nAnd Jacob said unto his father, \"I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done\naccording as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my\nvenison, that thy soul may bless me.\"\n\nAnd Isaac said unto his son, \"How is it that thou hast found it so\nquickly, my son?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Because the Lord thy God sent me good speed.\"\n\nAnd Isaac said unto Jacob, \"Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel\nthee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.\"\n\nAnd Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said,\n\"The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.\"\n\nAnd he knew him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother\nEsau's hands: so he blessed him.\n\nAnd he said, \"Art thou my very son Esau?\"\n\n{63}{64}\n\n[Illustration]\n JACOB'S DREAM\n By Murillo\n[End illustration]\n\n{65}\n\nAnd he said, \"I am.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my\nson's venison, that my soul may bless thee.\"\n\nAnd he brought it near to him, and he ate: and he\nbrought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac\nsaid unto him, \"Come near now, and kiss me, my son.\"\nAnd he came near, and kissed him.\n\nAnd he smelled the smell of his garment, and blessed\nhim, and said,--\n\n \"See, the smell of my son\n Is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:\n And God give thee of the dew of heaven,\n And of the fatness of the earth,\n And plenty of corn and wine:\n Let peoples serve thee,\n And nations bow down to thee:\n Be lord over thy brethren,\n And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee:\n Cursed be everyone that curseth thee,\n And blessed be everyone that blesseth thee.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing\nJacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac\nhis father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And he\nalso made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father; and he said\nunto his father, \"Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison,\nthat thy soul may bless me.\"\n\nAnd Isaac his father said unto him, \"Who art thou?\"\n\n{66}\n\nAnd he said, \"I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau.\" And Isaac trembled\nvery exceedingly, and said, \"Who then is he that hath taken venison\nand brought it to me, and I have eaten of all before thou earnest, and\nhave blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.\"\n\nWhen Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding\ngreat and bitter cry, and said unto his father, \"Bless me, even me\nalso, O my father.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Thy brother came with guile, and hath taken away thy\nblessing.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me\nthese two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath\ntaken away my blessing.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?\"\n\nAnd Isaac answered and said unto Esau, \"Behold, I have made him thy\nlord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with\ncorn and wine have I sustained him: and what then shall I do for thee,\nmy son?\"\n\nAnd Esau said unto his father, \"Hast thou but one blessing, my father?\nbless me, even me also, O my father.\"\n\nAnd Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. And Isaac his father answered\nand said unto him:--\n\n \"Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be thy dwelling,\n And of the dew of heaven from above;\n And by thy sword shalt thou live, and thou shalt serve thy brother;\n{67}\n And it shall come to pass when thou shalt break loose,\n That thou shalt shake his yoke from off thy neck.\"\n\nAnd Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father\nblessed him: and Esau said in his heart, \"The days of mourning for my\nfather are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.\"\n\nAnd the words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah; and she sent\nand called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, \"Behold, thy\nbrother Esau comforts himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore,\nmy son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to\nHaran; and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn\naway; until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget\nthat which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee\nfrom thence: why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?\"\n\n\nJACOB GOES FORTH FROM HOME.\n\n_He Dreams a Dream of of Ladder Reaching to Heaven_.\n\nAnd Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said\nunto him, \"Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.\nArise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father;\nand take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy\nmother's brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful,\nand multiply thee, that thou mayest be a company of peoples; and give\nthee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy family with thee;\nthat thou mayest {68} inherit the land of thy sojournings, which God\ngave unto Abraham.\"\n\nAnd Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Paddan-aram to Laban, son of\nBethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.\nNow Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to\nPaddan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed\nhim he gave him a charge, saying, \"Thou shalt not take a wife of the\ndaughters of Canaan\"; and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother,\nand was gone to Paddan-aram.\n\nAnd Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he came\nupon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was\nset; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his\nhead, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold\na ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and\nbehold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold,\nthe Lord stood above it, and said, \"I am the Lord, the God of Abraham\nthy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee\nwill I give it, and to thy family; and thy family shall be as the dust\nof the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the\neast, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy\nfamily shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I\nam with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will\nbring thee again into this land; for {69} I will not leave thee, until\nI have done that which I have spoken to thee of.\"\n\nAnd Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, \"Surely the Lord is in\nthis place; and I knew it not.\"\n\nAnd he was afraid, and said, \"How dreadful is this place! this is none\nother but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.\"\n\nAnd Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had\nput under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon\nthe top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the\nname of the city was Luz at the first.\n\nAnd Jacob vowed a vow, saying, \"If God will be with me, and will keep\nme in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment\nto put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then\nshall the Lord be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a\npillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I\nwill surely give the tenth unto thee.\"\n\n\nJACOB AND RACHEL.\n\n_How Jacob Served Seven Years for the Woman He Loved_.\n\nThen Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children\nof the east. And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo,\nthree flocks of sheep lying there by it; for out of that well they\nwatered the flocks: and the stone upon the well's mouth was great. And\nthither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from\nthe well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and {70} put the stone again\nupon the well's mouth in its place. And Jacob said unto them, \"My\nbrethren, whence are ye?\" And they said, \"Of Haran are we.\" And he\nsaid unto them, \"Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"We know him.\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Is it well with him?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"It is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh\nwith the sheep.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the\ncattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and\nfeed them.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together,\nand they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the\nsheep.\"\n\nWhile he yet spoke with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep; for\nshe kept them. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter\nof Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's\nbrother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's\nmouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. And Jacob\nkissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. And Jacob told\nRachel that he was her father's nephew, and that he was Rebekah's son:\nand she ran and told her father. And it came to pass, when Laban heard\nthe tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and\nembraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he\ntold Laban all these things.\n\nAnd Laban said to him, \"Surely thou art my bone and my flesh.\"\n\n{71}\n\nAnd he abode with him the space of a month.. And Laban said unto\nJacob, \"Because thou art my nephew, shouldest thou therefore serve me\nfor nought? tell me what shall thy wages be?\"\n\nAnd Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the\nname of the younger was Rachel. And Leah's eyes were tender; but\nRachel was beautiful and well favored. And Jacob loved Rachel; and he\nsaid, \"I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.\"\n\nAnd Laban said, \"It is better that I give her to thee, than that I\nshould give her to another man: abide with me.\"\n\nAnd Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but\na few days, for the love he had to her.\n\n\nJACOB SETS OUT FOR HIS NATIVE LAND.\n\n_He Is Pursued by Laban, but a Covenant of Peace Is Made Between Them_.\n\n(Jacob also took Leah to be his wife. After many years of service, in\nwhich time many sons and daughters were born to him, Jacob, who\nincreased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maidservants and\nmenservants, and camels and asses, wished to depart from the household\nof his father-in-law to his native land. So he went away secretly,\nwith his wives and all his possessions. )\n\nNow Laban was angry, and pursued Jacob, and Laban came up with Jacob.\nNow Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and Laban with his\nbrethren pitched in the mountain of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob,\n\"What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and\ncarried away my daughters as captives of the {72} sword? Wherefore\ndidst thou flee secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell\nme, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs, with\ntabret and with harp; and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my\ndaughters? now hast thou done foolishly. It is in the power of my hand\nto do you hurt: but the God of your father spoke unto me yesternight,\nsaying, 'Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good\nor bad.'\"\n\nAnd Jacob was wroth with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban,\n\"What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast hotly pursued\nafter me? This twenty years have I been with thee. The sheep of the\nflock which were torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bore the\nloss of them; of my hand didst thou require them, whether stolen by\nday or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed\nme, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from mine eyes. These\ntwenty years have I been in thy house; I served thee fourteen years\nfor thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock: and thou hast\nchanged my wages ten times. Except the God of my father, the God of\nAbraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now hadst\nthou sent me away empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labor\nof my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.\"\n\n{73}{74}\n\n[Illustration]\n HEBRON\n\n Hebron, famous in Old Testament story, is to-day one of the four\n sacred cities of the Moslems. It is in a little valley surrounded by\n hills, which are still covered with vineyards.\n[End illustration]\n\n{75}\n\nAnd Laban answered and said unto Jacob, \"The daughters are my\ndaughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my\nflocks and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day\nunto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have borne?\nAnd now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a\nwitness between me and thee.\"\n\nAnd Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. And Jacob said\nunto his brethren, \"Gather stones\"; and they took stones, and made an\nheap: and they ate there by the heap. And Laban called it\n\"Jegar-sahadutha\": but Jacob called it Galeed.\n\nAnd Laban said, \"This heap is witness between me and thee this day.\"\nTherefore was the name of it called Galeed: and \"Mizpah\" (that is,\nwatchtower), for he said,\n\n \"The Lord watch between me and thee,\n When we are absent one from another.\"\n\n\"If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives\nbeside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness between me\nand thee.\"\n\nAnd Laban said to Jacob, \"Behold this heap, and behold the pillar,\nwhich I have set between me and thee. This heap be witness, and the\npillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and\nthat thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for\nharm.\n\n\"The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father,\njudge between us.\"\n\nAnd Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. And Jacob offered a\nsacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread: and\nthey did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mountain. And early in\nthe morning {76} Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters,\nand blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.\n\nAnd Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And Jacob said\nwhen he saw them, \"This is God's host\": and he called the name of that\nplace Mahanaim (that is, Two Hosts).\n\n\nJACOB FEARS THE WRATH OF ESAU.\n\n_He Wrestles with the Angel. The Brothers Meet and are Reconciled_.\n\nAnd Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land\nof Seir, the field of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, \"Thus shall\nye say unto my lord Esau; 'Thus saith thy servant Jacob, I have\nsojourned with Laban, and stayed until now: and I have oxen, and asses\nand flocks, and menservants and maidservants: and I have sent to tell\nmy lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.'\"\n\nAnd the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, \"We came to thy brother\nEsau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with\nhim.\"\n\nThen Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed: and he divided the\npeople that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the\ncamels, into two companies; and he said, \"If Esau come to the one\ncompany, and smite it, then the company which is left shall escape.\"\n\n\n\n{77}{78}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE VALLEY OF THE JABBOK\n\n From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n Over this stream Jacob sent his family and his flock while he\n remained to wrestle with the angel through the night.\n[End illustration]\n\n{79}\n\nAnd Jacob said, \"O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father\nIsaac, O Lord, who saidst unto me, 'Return unto thy country, and to\nthy kindred, and I will do thee good': I am not worthy of the least of\nall the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy\nservant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am\nbecome two companies. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my\nbrother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he come and smite\nme, the mother with the children. And thou saidst, 'I will surely do\nthee good, and make thy family as the sand of the sea, which cannot be\nnumbered for multitude.'\"\n\nAnd he lodged there that night; and took of that which he had with him\na present for Esau his brother; two hundred she-goats and twenty\nhe-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milch camels and\ntheir colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals.\nAnd he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by\nitself; and said unto his servants, \"Pass over before me, and put a\nspace between drove and drove.\"\n\nAnd he commanded the foremost, saying, \"When Esau my brother meeteth\nthee, and asketh thee, saying, 'Whose art thou? and whither goest\nthou? and whose are these before thee?' then thou shalt say, 'They are\nthy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and,\nbehold, he also is behind us.'\"\n\nAnd he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed\nthe droves, saying, \"On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye\nfind him; and ye shall say, 'Moreover, behold, thy servant Jacob is\nbehind us.'\"\n\nFor he said, \"I will appease him with the present that {80} goeth\nbefore me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will\naccept me.\"\n\nSo the present passed over before him: and he himself\nlodged that night in the company.\n\nAnd he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two\nhandmaids, and his eleven children, and passed over the ford of\nJabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over\nthat which he had. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man\nwith him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he\nprevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the\nhollow of Jacob's thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him. And he\nsaid, \"Let me go, for the day breaketh.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"What is thy name?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Jacob.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for\nthou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.\"\n\nAnd Jacob asked him and said, \"Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?\"\n\nAnd he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place\nPenuel: for, said he, \"I have seen God face, to face, and my life is\npreserved.\"\n\n{81}{82}\n\n[Illustration]\n NABLOUS, THE ANCIENT SHECHEM, IN THE VALLEY BETWEEN\n MOUNTS EBAL AND GERIZIM\n\n Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.\n\n The first camping place of Abraham. Jacob built an altar here, and\n dug a well, and here Joseph was buried. Joshua set up a great stone\n \"as a witness\" here at the end of his life. It was here at \"Jacob's\n well,\" about a mile and a half from the town, that Jesus met the\n woman of Samaria.\n[End illustration]\n\n{83}\n\nAnd the sun rose upon him as he passed over Penuel, and he limped upon\nhis thigh.\n\nAnd Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and\nwith him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and\nunto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids and\ntheir children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel\nand Joseph hindermost. And he himself passed over before them, and\nbowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his\nbrother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his\nneck, and kissed him: and they wept. And he lifted up his eyes, and\nsaw the women and the children; and said, \"Who are these with thee?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"The children which God hath graciously given thy\nservant.\"\n\nThen the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed\nthemselves. And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed\nthemselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed\nthemselves. And he said, \"What meanest thou by all this company which\nI met?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"To find grace in the sight of my lord.\" And Esau said,\n\"I have enough; my brother, let that which thou hast be thine.\"\n\nAnd Jacob said, \"Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy\nsight, then receive my present at my hand: forasmuch as I have seen\nthy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.\nTake, I {84} pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God\nhath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.\"\n\nAnd he urged him, and he took it.\n\nAnd he said, \"Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go\nbefore thee.\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"My lord knoweth that the children are tender,\nand that the flocks and herds with me have their young: and if they\noverdrive them one day, all the flocks will die. Let my lord, I pray\nthee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on gently,\naccording to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according\nto the pace of the children, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.\"\n\nAnd Esau said, \"Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are\nwith me.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my\nlord.\"\n\nSo Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. And Jacob journeyed to\nSuccoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle:\ntherefore the name of the place is called Succoth.\n\nAnd Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land\nof Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram; and encamped before the\ncity. And he bought the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent,\nat the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred\npieces of money. And he erected there an altar, and called it \"God,\nthe God of Israel.\"\n\n{85}{86}\n\n[Illustration]\n BETHEL\n\n Photograph taken by Mrs. Frank L. Goodspeed, of Springfield, Mass.,\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n One of Abraham's camping grounds and the place of Jacob's dream.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{87}\n\nJACOB ERECTS AN ALTAR AT BETH-EL.\n\n_He Is Given a New Name. The Death of Rachel_.\n\nAnd God said to Jacob, \"Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and\nmake there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee when thou\nfleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.\"\n\nThen Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him,\n\"Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves,\nand change your garments: and let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and\nI will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my\ndistress, and was with me in the way which I went.\"\n\nAnd they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hand,\nand the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the\noak which was by Shechem. And they journeyed: and a great terror was\nupon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue\nafter the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz (the same is Beth-el),\nhe and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar,\nand called the place, \"The God of Beth-el\": because there God was\nrevealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother. And\nDeborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried below Beth-el under\nthe oak: and the name of it was called \"The Oak of Weeping.\"\n\nAnd God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and\nblessed him. And God said unto him, \"Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall\nnot be called any {88} more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name:\" and\nhe called his name Israel.\n\nAnd God said unto him, \"I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a\nnation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come\nfrom thee; and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee I\nwill give it, and to thy family after thee will I give the land.\"\n\nAnd God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him. And\nJacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar\nof stone: and he poured out a drink offering thereon, and poured oil\nthereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with\nhim, \"Beth-el.\"\n\nAnd Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is\nBethlehem). And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave: the same is the\nPillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.\n\n(In this place Jacob lived for many years; but the sorrow that came to\nhim, and the wonderful things that befell him in his old age, and how\nhe journeyed to Egypt, and died there, are told in the next story, the\nstory of Joseph, his son.)\n\n{89}{90}\n\n[Illustration]\n MOSES\n\n From the frieze of the Prophets, by Sargent, in the Boston Public\n Library.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{91}\n\nJOSEPH\n\n_The Story of the Shepherd Boy Who Was Sold into Bondage, and How He\nBecame Ruler in a Great Nation_.\n\nA COWARDLY DEED.\n\n_Joseph Arouses the Enmity of His Older Brethren, and They Sell Him into\nSlavery_.\n\n\n(Joseph and Benjamin were the sons of Rachel, Jacob's best loved wife.\nTheir mother died while Joseph was still a little boy and Benjamin was a\nbaby. Their father loved the two motherless boys very much.)\n\n\nJoseph, when he was seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with\nhis brethren; and he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah, and with the\nsons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought an evil report\nof them unto their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his\nchildren, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a\ncoat of many colors. And his brethren saw that their father loved him\nmore than all his brethren; and they hated him, and could not speak\npeaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his\nbrethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them,\n\"Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: for, behold, we\nwere binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and stood\nupright; and, {92} behold, your sheaves came round about, and bowed\ndown to my sheaf.\"\n\nAnd his brethren said to him, \"Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or\nshalt thou indeed have dominion over us?\"\n\nAnd they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. And\nhe dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said,\n\"Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream; and, behold, the sun and the moon\nand eleven stars bowed down to me.\"\n\nAnd he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father\nrebuked him, and said unto him, \"What is this dream that thou hast\ndreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow\ndown ourselves to thee to the earth?\"\n\nAnd his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying in mind.\nAnd his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And\nIsrael said unto Joseph, \"Do not thy brethren feed the flock in\nShechem? come, and I will send thee unto them.\"\n\nAnd he said to him, \"Here am I.\"\n\nAnd he said to him, \"Go now, see whether it is well with thy brethren,\nand well with the flock; and bring me word again.\"\n\nSo he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And\na certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field:\nand the man asked him, saying, \"What seekest thou?\" And he said, \"I\nseek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding the\nflock.\"\n\n{93}{94}\n\n[Illustration]\n A CARAVAN LOADING FOR A JOURNEY\n\n From a photograph in the possession of Dr. W. J. Moulton\n and used by his kind permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n{95}\n\nAnd the man said, \"They are departed hence: for I heard them say, 'Let\nus go to Dothan.'\"\n\nAnd Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. And they\nsaw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired\nagainst him to slay him. And they said one to another, \"Behold, this\ndreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him\ninto one of the pits, and we will say, 'An evil beast hath devoured\nhim': and we shall see what will become of his dreams.\"\n\nAnd Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand; and said,\n\"Let us not take his life.\"\n\nAnd Reuben said unto them, \"Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that\nis in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him\": that he might deliver\nhim out of their hand, to restore him to his father.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they\nstript Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him;\nand they took him and cast him into the pit: and the pit was empty,\nthere was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread: and they\nlifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites\ncame from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and\nmyrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his\nbrethren, \"What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his\nblood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our\nhand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh,\" And his brethren\nhearkened unto him.\n\n{96}\n\nAnd they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to\nthe Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph\ninto Egypt. And Reuben returned un to the pit; and, behold, Joseph was\nnot in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto his\nbrethren, and said, \"The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?\"\n\nAnd they took Joseph's coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat\nin the blood; and they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought\nit to their father; and said, \"This have we found: know now whether it\nbe thy son's coat or not.\"\n\nAnd he knew it, and said, \"It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath\ndevoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.\"\n\nAnd Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and\nmourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters\nrose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said,\n\"For I will go down to the grave to my son mourning.\" And his father\nwept for him.\n\n\nJOSEPH IN EGYPT.\n\n_Fortunate at First, He is Cast into Prison, but Even There He Finds\nFavor_.\n\nAnd Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of\nPharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand\nof the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down thither. And the Lord was\nwith Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his\nmaster the Egyptian.\n\n{97}{98}\n\n[Illustration]\n A VIEW OF THE PYRAMIDS AND THE SPHINX\n\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Clara L. Bodman and used by her\n kind permission.\n\n Egypt is a land of wonder and romance, the seat of one of the oldest\n civilizations on the face of the globe. Its ancient temples and\n statues, though in ruins, are among the most beautiful and wonderful\n in the world. Many of the tombs have been plundered, yet one has\n only just been opened which contained untouched the priceless\n memorial of that early time. This is the land over which the Hebrew\n shepherd lad Joseph ruled and out of which the Hebrew people finally\n marched to freedom.\n[End illustration]\n\n{99}\n\nAnd his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made\nall that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his\nsight, and he ministered unto him: and he made him overseer over his\nhouse, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass\nfrom the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all\nthat he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's\nsake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had, in the\nhouse and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand;\nand he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which he did\neat.\n\n(But Joseph's mistress was a wicked woman, and, because Joseph would\nnot do wrong, told what was not true about him to his master, so that\nJoseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where\nthe king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.)\n\nBut the Lord was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave\nhim favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of\nthe prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in\nthe prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The\nkeeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand,\nbecause the Lord was with him; and that which he did, the Lord made it\nto prosper.\n\n\nJOSEPH INTERPRETS THE DREAMS OF PHARAOH'S OFFICERS.\n\n_The Fate of the Chief Butler and of the Baker of the King_.\n\nAnd it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of\nEgypt and his baker offended their lord the {100} king of Egypt. And\nPharaoh was wroth against his two officers, against the chief of the\nbutlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them into the\nprison, the place where Joseph was bound. And the captain of the guard\ncharged Joseph with them, and he ministered unto them: and they\ncontinued a season in prison.\n\nAnd they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream, in one\nnight, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound\nin the prison. And Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw\nthem, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that\nwere with him in prison, saying, \"Wherefore look ye so sad to-day?\"\n\nAnd they said unto him, \"We have dreamed a dream, and there is none\nthat can interpret it.\"\n\nAnd Joseph said unto them, \"Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell\nit me, I pray you.\"\n\nAnd the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, \"In my\ndream, behold, a vine was before me; and in the vine were three\nbranches: and it was as though it budded, and its blossoms shot forth;\nand the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: and Pharaoh's cup\nwas in my hand; and I took the grape: and pressed them into Pharaoh's\ncup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.\"\n\n{101}{102}\n\n[Illustration]\n A GROVE OF DATE PALMS IN EGYPT\n\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Clara L. Bodman\n and used by her kind permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n{103}\n\nAnd Joseph said unto him, \"This is the interpretation of it: the three\nbranches are three days; within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up\nthine head, and restore thee unto thine office: and thou shalt give\nPharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast\nhis butler. But have me in thy remembrance when it shall be well with\nthee, and show kindness, I pray thee, to me, and make mention of me\nunto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: for indeed I was stolen\naway out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing\nthat they should put me into the dungeon.\"\n\nWhen the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said\nunto Joseph, \"I also was in my dream, and, behold, three baskets of\nwhite bread were on my head: and in the uppermost basket there was all\nmanner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds ate them out of the\nbasket upon my head.\"\n\nAnd Joseph answered and said, \"This is the interpretation thereof: the\nthree baskets are three days; within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift\nup thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the\nbirds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that\nhe made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of\nthe chief butler and the head of the chief baker among his servants.\nAnd he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he\ngave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: but he hanged the chief baker: as\nJoseph had interpreted to them. Yet did not the chief butler remember\nJoseph, but forgot him.\n\n\n{104}\n\nTHE SEVEN FAT KINE AND THE SEVEN LEAN KINE\n\n\n_Which Joseph Told the King Meant Seven Fat Years of Plenty and Seven\nLean Years of Want. The Hebrew Boy is Made Chief Ruler of Egypt. The\nFamine Comes_.\n\n\nAnd it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh\ndreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came\nup out of the river seven kine, well favored and fatfleshed; and they\nfed in the reed-grass. And, behold, seven other kine came up after\nthem out of the river, ill favored and leanfleshed; and stood by the\nother kine upon the brink of the river. And the ill favored and\nleanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favored and fat kine. So\nPharaoh awoke.\n\nAnd he slept and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of\ncorn came up upon one stalk, full and good. And, behold, seven ears,\nthin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. And the\nthin ears swallowed up the seven full and good ears. And Pharaoh\nawoke, and, behold, it was a dream. And it came to pass in the morning\nthat his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the\nmagicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told\nthem his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto\nPharaoh.\n\nThen spoke the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, \"I do remember my\nfaults this day: Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in\nprison in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief\nbaker: and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each\nman according to the interpretation of his dream. And {105} there was\nwith us there a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the\nguard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each\nman according to his dream he did interpret. And it came to pass as he\ninterpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him\nhe hanged.\"\n\nThen Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out\nof the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and\ncame in to Pharaoh.\n\nAnd Pharaoh said to Joseph, \"I have dreamed a dream, and there is none\nthat can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that when thou\nhearest a dream thou canst interpret it.\"\n\nAnd Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, \"It is not in me: God shall give\nPharaoh an answer of peace.\"\n\nAnd Pharaoh spoke unto Joseph, \"In my dream, behold, I stood upon the\nbrink of the river: and, behold, there came up out of the river seven\nkine, fatfleshed and well favored; and they fed in the reed-grass:\nand, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill\nfavored and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt\nfor badness: and the lean and ill favored kine ate up the first seven\nfat kine: and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that\nthey had eaten them; but they were still ill favored as at the\nbeginning. So I awoke.\n\n\"And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up upon one\nstalk, full and good: and, behold, seven ears, {106} withered, thin,\nand blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: and the thin\nears swallowed up the seven good ears: and I told it unto the\nmagicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.\"\n\nAnd Joseph said unto Pharaoh, \"The dream of Pharaoh is one: what God\nis about to do he hath declared unto Pharaoh. The seven good kine are\nseven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is\none. And the seven lean and ill favored kine that came up after them\nare seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east\nwind; they shall be seven years of famine. That is the thing which I\nspoke unto Pharaoh: what God is about to do he hath showed unto\nPharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all\nthe land of Egypt: and there shall arise after them seven years of\nfamine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt;\nand the famine shall consume the land; and the plenty shall not be\nknown in the land by reason of that famine which followeth; for it\nshall be very grievous. And the reason that the dream was doubled to\nPharaoh is because the thing is established by God, and God will\nshortly bring it to pass. Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man\ndiscreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do\nthis, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the\nfifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let\nthem gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up\ncorn under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them\nkeep it. And the food shall be for {107} a store to the land against\nthe seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that\nthe land perish not through the famine.\"\n\nAnd the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all\nhis servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, \"Can we find such a\none as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is?\"\n\nAnd Pharaoh said unto Joseph, \"Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all\nthis, there is none so discreet and wise as thou: thou shalt be over\nmy house, and according to thy word shall all my people be ruled: only\nin the throne will I be greater than thou.\" And Pharaoh said unto\nJoseph, \"See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.\"\n\nAnd Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it upon\nJoseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a\ngold chain about his neck; and he made him to ride in the second\nchariot which he had; and they cried before him, \"Bow the knee\": and\nhe set him over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, \"I\nam Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot\nin all the land of Egypt.\"\n\nAnd Pharaoh gave Joseph Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera the priest\nof On to be his wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.\n\nAnd Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of\nEgypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went\nthroughout all the land of {108} Egypt. And in the seven plenteous\nyears the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the\nfood of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up\nthe food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about\nevery city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph laid up corn as the\nsand of the sea, very much, until he left measuring; for it was\nwithout measure. And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of\nfamine came, which his wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest\nof On bore to him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn\nManasseh: \"For,\" said he, \"God hath made me forget all my toil, and\nall my father's house.\" And the name of the second called he Ephraim:\n\"For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.\"\n\nAnd the seven years of plenty, that was in the land of Egypt, came to\nan end. And the seven years of famine began to come, according as\nJoseph had said: and there was famine in all lands; but in all the\nland of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was\nfamished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto\nall the Egyptians, \"Go to Joseph; what he saith to you, do.\"\n\nAnd the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened\nall the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was\nsore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph\nto buy corn; because the famine was sore in all the earth.\n\n{109}{110}\n\n[Illustration]\n A VIEW OF THE PYRAMIDS, WITH A VILLAGE IN THE FOREGROUND\n\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Clara L. Bodman\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n The pyramids, which are seen in the distance in this picture, were\n considered one of the \"Seven Wonders of the World.\" There are\n seventy of them in Egypt and they were built as tombs of the\n Pharaohs. The \"Great Pyramid\" is four hundred and eighty feet and\n nine inches high; it is supposed to have taken one hundred thousand\n men fifty years to build it, and the date is given as from 3229 to\n 2123 B.C.\n[End illustration]\n\n{111}\n\nTHE SONS OF JACOB COME TO EGYPT TO BUY CORN.\n\n_They Do Not Recognize, in the Ruler of the Land, the Brother Whom They\nSold. He Commands Them to Bring Their Youngest Brother to Egypt_.\n\n\nNow Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, and Jacob said to his\nsons, \"Why do ye look one upon another?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get\nyou down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and\nnot die.\"\n\nAnd Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn from Egypt. But\nBenjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he\nsaid, \"Lest peradventure mischief befall him.\"\n\nAnd the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came: for the\nfamine was in the land of Canaan. And Joseph was the governor over the\nland; he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's\nbrethren came, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to\nthe earth. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made\nhimself strange to them, and spoke roughly with them; and he said unto\nthem, \"Whence come ye?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"From the land of Canaan to buy food.\" And Joseph knew\nhis brethren, but they knew not him.\n\nAnd Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said\nunto them, \"Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are\ncome.\"\n\nAnd they said unto him, \"Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy\nservants come. We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy\nservants are no spies.\"\n\n{112}\n\nAnd he said to them, \"Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are\ncome.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"We thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one\nman in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with\nour father, and one is not.\"\n\nAnd Joseph said unto them, \"That is it that I spoke unto you, saying,\n'Ye are spies': hereby ye shall be proved: 'by the life of Pharaoh ye\nshall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.\nSend one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be\nbound, that your words may be proved, whether there be truth in you:\nor else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.\" And he put them\nall together into prison three days.\n\nAnd Joseph said unto them the third day, \"This do, and live; for I\nfear God: if ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in your\nprison house; but go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: and\nbring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified,\nand ye shall not die.\"\n\nAnd they did so. And they said one to another, \"We are verily guilty\nconcerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when\nhe besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come\nupon us.\"\n\nAnd Reuben answered them, saying, \"Spoke I not unto you, saying, 'Do\nnot sin against the child'; and ye would not hear? therefore also,\nbehold, his blood is required.\"\n\nAnd they knew not that Joseph understood them; for there was an\ninterpreter between them.\n\nAnd he turned himself about from them, and wept; {113} and he returned\nto them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound\nhim before their eyes. Then Joseph commanded to fill their vessels\nwith corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give\nthem provisions for the way: and thus was it done unto them. And they\nloaded their asses with their corn, and departed thence. And as one of\nthem opened his sack to feed his ass in the lodging place, he espied\nhis money; and, behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. And he said\nunto his brethren, \"My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my\nsack\": and their heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to\nanother, saying, \"What is this that God hath done unto us?\"\n\nAnd they came to Jacob their father to the land of Canaan, and told\nhim all that had befallen them; saying, \"The man, the lord of the\nland, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country. And\nwe said to him, 'We are true men; we are no spies: we are twelve\nbrethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day\nwith our father in the land of Canaan.'\n\n\"And the man, the lord of the land, said unto us, 'Hereby shall I know\nthat ye are true men; leave one of your brethren with me, and take\ncorn for the famine of your houses, and go your way: and bring your\nyoungest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but\nthat ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall\ntraffic in the land.'\"\n\nAnd it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every\nman's bundle of money was in his sack: and {114} when they and their\nfather saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. And Jacob their\nfather said unto them, \"Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is\nnot, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these\nthings are against me.\"\n\nAnd Reuben spoke unto his father, saying, \"Slay my two sons, if I\nbring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him\nto thee again.\" And he said, \"My son shall not go down with you; for\nhis brother is dead, and he only is left: if mischief befall him by\nthe way in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with\nsorrow to the grave.\"\n\n\nJOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS.\n\n_Jacob at First Refuses, but at Length Consents, to Let Benjamin Go.\nJoseph Places the Money in the Sacks. He Threatens the Brothers with\nPunishment. He tells His Brothers Who He Is, Forgives Them, and Takes\nThem Into His Favor_.\n\n\nAnd the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they\nhad eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their\nfather said unto them, \"Go again, buy us a little food.\"\n\nAnd Judah spoke unto him, saying, \"The man did solemnly protest unto\nus, saying, 'Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with\nyou.' If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy\nthee food: but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the\nman said unto us, 'Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be\nwith you.'\"\n\n{115}\n\nAnd Israel said, \"Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the\nman whether ye had yet a brother?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"The man asked strictly concerning ourselves, and\nconcerning our kindred, saying, 'Is your father yet alive? have ye\nanother brother?' and we told him according to the nature of these\nwords: could we in any wise know that he would say, 'Bring your\nbrother down'?\"\n\nAnd Judah said unto Israel his father, \"Send the lad with me, and we\nwill arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou,\nand also our little ones. I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt\nthou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before\nthee, then let me bear the blame for ever: for except we had lingered,\nsurely we had now returned a second time.\"\n\nAnd their father Israel said unto them, \"If it be so now, do this;\ntake of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down\nthe man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and\nmyrrh, nuts, and almonds: and take double money in your hand; and the\nmoney that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry again in your\nhand; peradventure it was an oversight: take also your brother, and\narise, go again unto the man: and God Almighty give you mercy before\nthe man, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin.\nAnd if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.\"\n\nAnd the men took that present, and they took double money in their\nhand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood\nbefore Joseph. And when {116} Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said\nto the steward of his house, \"Bring the men into the house, and slay,\nand make ready; for the men shall dine with me at noon.\"\n\nAnd the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into\nJoseph's house. And the men were afraid, because they were brought\ninto Joseph's house; and they said, \"Because of the money that was\nreturned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may\nseek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen,\nand our asses.\"\n\nAnd they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they spoke\nunto him at the door of the house, and said, \"Oh my lord, we came\nindeed down at the first time to buy food: and it came to pass, when\nwe came to the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and, behold,\nevery man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full\nweight: and we have brought it again in our hand. And other money have\nwe brought down in our hand to buy food: we know not who put our money\nin our sacks.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your\nfather, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money.\"\n\nAnd he brought Simeon out to them. And the man brought the men into\nJoseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and\nhe gave their asses provender. And they made ready the present for\nJoseph's coming at noon: for they heard that they should eat there.\n\nAnd when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in\ntheir hand into the house, and bowed {117} down themselves to him to\nthe earth. And he asked them of their welfare, and said, \"Is your\nfather well, the old man of whom ye spoke? Is he yet alive?\" and they\nsaid, \"Thy servant our father is well, he is yet alive.\" And they\nbowed the head, and made obeisance.\n\nAnd he lifted up his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's\nson, and said, \"Is this your youngest brother, of whom ye spoke unto\nme?\" And he said, \"God be gracious unto thee, my son.\"\n\nAnd Joseph made haste; for his heart yearned over his brother: and he\nsought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.\nAnd he washed his face and came out; and he refrained himself, and\nsaid, \"Set on food.\"\n\nAnd they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and\nfor the Egyptians, who ate with him, by themselves: because the\nEgyptians could not eat with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination\nto the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to\nhis birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men\nmarveled one with another. And he took of the food and sent portions\nto them from before him: but Benjamin's portion was five times as much\nas any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.\n\nAnd he commanded the steward of his house, saying, \"Fill the men's\nsacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money\nin his sack's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's\nmouth of the youngest, and his corn money.\"\n\n{118}\n\nAnd he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as\nthe morning was light the men were sent away, they and their asses.\nAnd when they were gone out of the city, and were not yet far off,\nJoseph said to his steward, \"Up, follow after the men; and when thou\ndost overtake them, say to them, 'Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for\ngood? Is not this the cup from which my lord drinketh, and whereby he\nindeed divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.'\"\n\nAnd he overtook them, and he spoke unto them these words. And they\nsaid unto him, \"Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? God\nforbid that thy servants should do such a thing. Behold, the money,\nwhich we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of\nthe land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house\nsilver or gold? With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him\ndie, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Now also let it be according unto your words: he with\nwhom it is found shall be my bondman; and ye shall be blameless.\"\n\nThen they hasted, and took down every man his sack to the ground, and\nopened every man his sack. And he searched, and began at the eldest,\nand left off at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's\nsack. Then they rent their clothes, and loaded every man his ass, and\nreturned to the city. And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's\nhouse; and he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.\nAnd Joseph said {119} unto them, \"What deed is this that ye have done?\nknow ye not that such a man as I can indeed divine?\"\n\nAnd Judah said, \"What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak?\nor how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of\nthy servants: behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he also\nin whose hand the cup is found.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"God forbid that I should do so: the man in whose hand\nthe cup is found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, get you up\nin peace unto your father.\"\n\nThen Judah came near unto him, and said, \"Oh my lord, let thy servant,\nI pray thee, speak a word to my lord, and let not thine anger burn\nagainst thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. My lord asked his\nservants, saying, 'Have ye a father, or a brother?' And we said unto\nmy lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a\nlittle one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his\nmother, and his father loveth him.' And thou saidst unto thy servants,\n'Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.' And we\nsaid to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should\nleave his father, his father would die.' And thou saidst unto thy\nservants, 'Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall\nsee my face no more.' And it came to pass when we came up to thy\nservant my father, we told him the words of my lord. And our father\nsaid, 'Go again, buy us a little food.' And we said, 'We cannot go\ndown: if our youngest brother be with us, then will {120} we go down:\nfor we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with\nus.' And thy servant my father said to us, 'Ye know that my wife bore\nme two sons: and the one went out from me, and I said, \"Surely he is\ntorn in pieces\"; and I have not seen him since: and if ye take this\none also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray\nhairs in sorrow to the grave.' Now therefore when I come to thy\nservant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is\nbound up in the lad's life; it shall come to pass, when he seeth that\nthe lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring\ndown the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the\ngrave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father,\nsaying, 'If I bring him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to\nmy father for ever.' Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee,\nabide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up\nwith his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be\nnot with me? lest I see the evil that shall come on my father.\"\n\nThen Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by\nhim; and he cried, \"Cause every man to go out from me.\"\n\nAnd there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known to\nhis brethren. And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians heard, and the\nhouse of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, \"I am\nJoseph; doth my father yet live?\"\n\nAnd his brethren could not answer him; for they were {121} troubled at\nhis presence. And Joseph said to his brethren, \"Come near to me, I\npray you.\"\n\nAnd they came near. And he said, \"I am Joseph your brother, whom ye\nsold into Egypt. And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves,\nthat ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve\nlife. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and there\nare yet five years, in the which there shall be neither plowing nor\nharvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the\nearth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance. So now it was not\nyou that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to\nPharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of\nEgypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, 'Thus saith\nthy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me,\ntarry not: and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt\nbe near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children,\nand thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: and there will\nI nourish thee; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou come\nto poverty, thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast. And,\nbehold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is\nmy mouth that speaketh unto you.' And ye shall tell my father of all\nmy glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste\nand bring down my father hither.\"\n\nAnd he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept; and Benjamin\nwept upon his neck. And he kissed all his {122} brethren, and wept\nwith them: and after that his brethren talked with him.\n\nAnd the report thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, \"Joseph's\nbrethren are come\": and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. And\nPharaoh said unto Joseph, \"Say unto thy brethren, 'This do ye; load\nyour beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; and take your\nfather and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the\ngood of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.' Now\nthou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of\nEgypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father,\nand come. Also regard not your possessions; for the good of all the\nland of Egypt is yours.\"\n\nAnd the sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according\nto the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the way.\nTo all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he\ngave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. And\nto his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good\nthings of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread and\nvictual for his father by the way.\n\nSo he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said to them,\n\"See that ye fall not out by the way.\"\n\nAnd they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan to\nJacob their father. And they told him, saying, \"Joseph is yet alive,\nand he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.\" And his heart fainted,\nfor he {123} believed them not. And they told him all the words of\nJoseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which\nJoseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father\nrevived: and Israel said, \"It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I\nwill go and see him before I die.\"\n\n\nJACOB IN EGYPT.\n\n_The Famine Wastes the Land. Death of Jacob. Death of Joseph_.\n\n\nAnd Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to\nBeer-sheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And\nGod spoke unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, \"Jacob,\nJacob.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Here am I.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down\ninto Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: I will go\ndown with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again:\nand Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.\"\n\nAnd Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carried\nJacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the\nwagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their cattle\nand their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came\ninto Egypt, Jacob, and all his family with him: his sons, and his\nsons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all\nhis family brought he with him into Egypt.\n\nAnd he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to show the way before him\nunto Goshen; and they came into the {124} land of Goshen. And Joseph\nmade ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to\nGoshen; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck, and\nwept on his neck a good while. And Israel said unto Joseph, \"Now let\nme die, since I have seen thy face, and know that thou art yet alive.\"\n\nAnd Joseph said to his brethren, and to his father's house, \"I will go\nup, and tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him, 'My brethren, and my\nfather's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;\nand the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of cattle; and\nthey have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they\nhave.' And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and\nshall say, 'What is your occupation?' that ye shall say, 'Thy servants\nhave been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we,\nand our fathers': that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every\nshepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.\"\n\nThen Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, \"My father and my\nbrethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have,\nare come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land\nof Goshen.\"\n\nAnd from among his brethren he took five men, and presented them to\nPharaoh. And Pharaoh said to his brethren, \"What is your occupation?\"\n\nAnd they said to Pharaoh, \"Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and\nour fathers.\"\n\nAnd they said to Pharaoh, \"To sojourn in the land are we come; for\nthere is no pasture for thy servants' {125} flocks; for the famine is\nsore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy\nservants dwell in the land of Goshen.\"\n\nAnd Pharaoh spoke unto Joseph, saying, \"Thy father and thy brethren\nare come to thee: the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the\nland make thy father and thy brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen\nlet them dwell: and if thou knowest any able men among them, then make\nthem rulers over my cattle.\"\n\nAnd Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh:\nand Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, \"How many are\nthe days of the years of thy life?\"\n\nAnd Jacob said unto Pharaoh, \"The days of the years of my pilgrimage\nare an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have been the days of\nthe years of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the\nyears of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.\"\n\nAnd Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.\nAnd Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a\npossession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land\nof Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph nourished his father,\nand his brethren, and all his father's household, with food, according\nto their families.\n\nAnd there was no food in all the land; for the famine was very sore,\nso that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of\nthe famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the\nland of {126} Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which\nthey bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. And\nwhen the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of\nCanaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, \"Give us bread:\nfor why should we die in thy presence? for our money faileth.\"\n\nAnd Joseph said, \"Give your cattle; and I will give you for your\ncattle if money fail.\"\n\nAnd they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them food\nin exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and\nfor the asses: and he fed them with food in exchange for all their\ncattle for that year. And when that year was ended, they came to him\nthe second year, and said to him, \"We will not hide from my lord, how\nthat our money is all spent; and the herds of cattle are my lord's;\nthere is nought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our\nlands: wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our\nland? buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be\nservants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not\ndie, and that the land be not desolate.\"\n\nSo Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians\nsold every man his field, because the famine was sore upon them: and\nthe land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he removed them to\nthe cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end\nthereof.\n\n{127}{128}\n\n[Illustration]\n A VIEW IN LUXOR\n\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Clara L. Bodman\n and used by her kind permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n{129}\n\nOnly the land of the priests bought he not: for the priests had a\nportion from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave\nthem; wherefore they sold not their land. Then Joseph said unto the\npeople, \"Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh:\nlo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come\nto pass at the ingatherings, that ye shall give a fifth to Pharaoh,\nand four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your\nfood, and for them of your households, and for food for your little\nones.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the\nsight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.\"\n\nAnd Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt unto this\nday, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests\nalone became not Pharaoh's. And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in\nthe land of Goshen; and they got them possessions therein, and were\nfruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.\n\nAnd Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the days of\nJacob, the years of his life, were an hundred forty and seven years.\nAnd the time drew near that Israel must die: and he called his son\nJoseph, and said unto him, \"If now I have found grace in thy sight,\nput, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly\nwith me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: bury me with my fathers\nin the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave\nthat is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land\nof Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite\nfor a possession of a buryingplace: there they {130} buried Abraham\nand Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and\nthere I buried Leah: the field and the cave that is therein, which was\npurchased from the children of Heth.\"\n\nAnd when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he laid himself down\nupon his bed and died. And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and\nwept upon him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the\nphysicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.\nAnd forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days\nof embalming: and the Egyptians wept for him threescore and ten days.\n\nAnd when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke unto the\nhouse of Pharaoh, saying, \"If now I have found grace in your eyes,\nspeak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 'My father made me\nswear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in\nthe land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go\nup, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.'\"\n\nAnd Pharaoh said, \"Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made\nthee swear.\" And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went\nup all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the\nelders of the land of Egypt, and all the house of Joseph, and his\nbrethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their\nflocks and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there\nwent up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great\n{131} company. And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is\nbeyond Jordan, and there they lamented with a very great and sore\nlamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days. And\nwhen the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in\nthe floor of Atad, they said, \"This is a grievous mourning to the\nEgyptians\": wherefore the name of it was called \"The Mourning of\nEgypt,\" which is beyond Jordan. And his sons did unto him according as\nhe commanded them: for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan,\nand buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham\nbought with the field, for a possession of a buryingplace, of Ephron\nthe Hittite, before Mamre.\n\nAnd Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that\nwent up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.\nAnd when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said,\n\"It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will fully requite us all the\nevil which we did unto him.\" And they sent a message unto Joseph,\nsaying, \"Thy father did command before he died, saying, 'So shall ye\nsay unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the transgression of thy\nbrethren, and their sin, in that they did unto thee evil': and now, we\npray thee, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of thy\nfather.\"\n\nAnd Joseph wept when they spoke unto him. And his brethren also went\nand fell down before his face; and they said, \"Behold, we are thy\nservants.\" And Joseph {132} said unto them, \"Fear not: for am I in the\nplace of God? And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant\nit for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people\nalive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little\nones.\" And he comforted them, and spoke kindly unto them.\n\nAnd Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph\nlived an hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of\nthe third generation. And Joseph said unto his brethren, \"I die: but\nGod will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land unto the\nland which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.\"\n\nAnd Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, \"God will\nsurely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.\"\n\nSo Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed\nhim, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.\n\n{133}\n\nThe Great Captains\n\nThe word \"captain\" following the use in the Bible and all literature\ndown to the present day, is not the particular term, designating the\ncommander of a small company of soldiers, but a general term, standing\nfor leadership in the largest sense. Moses, according to this meaning\nof the word, was one of the greatest of the worlds captains, for he\ntook a cowardly, unorganized mob of slaves and led them through the\nmost appalling difficulties and dangers, to freedom, and to a position\nwhere national existence was possible. While there was little actual\nfighting in the journey from Egypt to Palestine, yet there was\nnecessity, every step of the way, for the highest qualities of\nleadership.\n\nJoshua was a great captain in the more strictly military sense of the\nword. He found the force organized and disciplined by the leadership\nof Moses, and he used it as a skillful swordsman uses a keen and\ntempered blade. In his campaigns he displayed the abilities of the\ngreat military genius.\n\n{134}\n\n\nTHE FINDING OF MOSES\n\n Slow glides the Nile: amid the margin flags,\n Closed in a bulrush ark, the babe is left,--\n Left by a mother's hand. His sister waits\n Far off; and pale, 'tween hope and fear, beholds\n The royal maid, surrounded by her train,\n Approach the river bank,--approach the spot\n Where sleeps the innocent: she sees them stoop\n With meeting plumes; the rushy lid is oped,\n And wakes the infant, smiling in his tears,\n As when along a little mountain lake\n The summer south-wind breathes, with gentle sigh,\n And parts the reeds, unveiling, as they bend,\n A water-lily floating on the wave.\n\n{135}{136}\n\n[Illustration]\n VIEW FROM RAMAH, THE TRADITIONAL HOME OF SAMUEL\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood\n and used by special permission.\n\n \"We know not with certainty the situation of Ramah. Of Samuel as of\n Moses it may be said, 'No man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this\n day.' But the lofty peak above Gibeon, which has long borne his\n name, has this feature (in common, to a certain extent, with any\n high place which can have been the scene of his life and death),\n that it overlooks the whole of that broad table-land, on which the\n fortunes of the Jewish monarchy were afterwards unrolled. Its\n towering eminence, from which the pilgrims first obtained their view\n of Jerusalem, is no unfit likeness of the solitary grandeur of the\n prophet Samuel, who lived and died in the very midst of the future\n glory of his country\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{137}\n\nMOSES\n\n_The Story of the Man Who Led a Race of Slaves Out of Bondage, and\nBecame the Emancipator of a Great Nation_.\n\n\nTHE ISRAELITES ARE ENSLAVED IN EGYPT.\n\n_The Slave Who Was Brought Up in a King's Palace. Moses Kills\nOne of the Egyptian Taskmasters and Flees from the Country_.\n\n\nNow there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. And he\nsaid to his people, \"Behold, the people of the children of Israel are\nmore and mightier than we: come, let us deal wisely with them; lest\nthey multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any\nwar, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us,\nand get them up out of the land.\"\n\nTherefore they set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their\nburdens. And they built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses.\nBut the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the\nmore they spread abroad. And they were grieved because of the children\nof Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with\nrigor: and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar\nand in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their\nservice, wherein they made them serve with rigor.\n\n{138}\n\nAnd Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, \"Every son that is born to\nthe Hebrews ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall\nsave alive.\"\n\nAnd there went a man of the house of Levi, and took for his wife a\ndaughter of Levi. And the woman had a son: and when she saw that he\nwas a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not\nlonger hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it\nwith pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by\nthe river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would\nbe done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the\nriver; and her maidens walked along by the river side; and she saw the\nark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it. And she opened\nit and saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had\ncompassion on him, and said, \"This is one of the Hebrews' children.\"\n\nThen said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, \"Shall I go and call thee\na nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?\"\n\nAnd Pharaoh's daughter said to her, \"Go.\"\n\nAnd the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's\ndaughter said to her, \"Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and\nI will give thee thy wages.\"\n\nAnd the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and\nshe brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she\ncalled his name Moses, and said, \"Because I drew him out of the\nwater.\"\n\n\n{139}{140}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE SPHINX\n\n From a photograph in the possession of Mr. S. E. Bridgman\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n The Great Sphinx at Gizeh is a colossal figure carved out of the\n solid rock. It perhaps represents the reigning monarch as a\n conqueror. The age of the Great Sphinx is thought to be about the\n same as that of the pyramids\n[End illustration]\n\n{141}\n\nAnd it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he\nwent out to his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he saw an\nEgyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this\nway and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the\nEgyptian, and hid him in the sand. And he went out the second day,\nand, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to\nhim that did the wrong, \"Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? thinkest\nthou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian?\"\n\nAnd Moses feared, and said, \"Surely the thing is known.\"\n\nNow when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses\nfled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he\nsat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and\nthey came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their\nfather's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses\nstood up and helped them, and watered their flock. And when they came\nto Reuel their father, he said, \"How is it that ye are come so soon\nto-day?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the\nshepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock.\"\nAnd he said to his daughters, \"And where is he? why is it that ye have\nleft the man? call him, that he may eat bread.\"\n\nAnd Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses\nZipporah his daughter. And she had a {142} son, and he called his name\nGershom: for he said, \"I have been a sojourner in a strange land.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass in the course of those many days, that the king of\nEgypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the\nbondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of\nthe bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered them.\n\n\nTHE VOICE OF GOD FROM THE BURNING BUSH.\n\n_The Lord Commissions Moses to Lead His People Out of Bondage_.\n\n\nNow Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the\npriest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness,\nand came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord\nappeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he\nlooked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not\nconsumed. And Moses said, \"I will turn aside now, and see this great\nsight, why the bush is not burnt.\"\n\nAnd when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him\nout of the midst of the bush, and said, \"Moses, Moses.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Here am I.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy\nfeet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.\" Moreover he\nsaid, \"I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of\nIsaac, and the God of Jacob.\"\n\n{143}\n\nAnd Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the\nLord said, \"I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are\nin Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for\nI know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the\nhand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good\nland and a large, to a land flowing with milk and honey. And now,\nbehold, the cry of the children of Israel is come to me: moreover I\nhave seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come\nnow therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest\nbring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.\"\n\nAnd Moses said to God, \"Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and\nthat I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be the\ntoken unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth\nthe people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.\"\n\nAnd Moses said unto God, \"Behold, when I come unto the children of\nIsrael, and shall say unto them, 'The God of your fathers hath sent me\nunto you'; and they shall say to me, 'What is his name?' what shall I\nsay unto them?\" And God said unto Moses, \"I am that I am\": and he\nsaid, \"Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, 'I am hath\nsent me unto you.'\"\n\n[Footnote: These phrases are a reference to the name Jehovah, which\nwas thought to mean \"He is.\"]\n\n{144}\n\nAnd God said moreover to Moses, \"Thus shalt thou say to the children\nof Israel, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the\nGod of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me to you': this is my\nname for ever, and this is my memorial to all generations. Go, and\ngather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, 'The Lord,\nthe God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob,\nhath appeared to me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that\nwhich is done to you in Egypt: and I have said, I will bring you up\nout of the affliction of Egypt, to a land flowing with milk and\nhoney.' And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou\nand the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and ye shall say to\nhim, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us: and now let\nus go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we\nmay sacrifice to the Lord our God.' And I know that the king of Egypt\nwill not give you leave to go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will\nput forth my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do\nin the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. And I will\ngive this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall\ncome to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: but every woman\nshall ask of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house,\njewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put\nthem upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the\nEgyptians.\"\n\nAnd Moses answered and said, \"But, behold, they will {145} not believe\nme, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, 'The Lord hath not\nappeared to thee.'\"\n\nAnd the Lord said unto him, \"What is that in thine hand?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"A rod.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Cast it on the ground.\"\n\nAnd he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled\nfrom before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, \"Put forth thine hand,\nand take it by the tail.\" And he put forth his hand, and laid hold of\nit, and it became a rod in his hand.\n\nAnd the Lord said furthermore to him, \"Put now thine hand into thy\nbosom.\"\n\nAnd he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold,\nhis hand was leprous, as white as snow. And he said, \"Put thine hand\ninto thy bosom again.\" And he put his hand into his bosom again; and\nwhen he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his\nother flesh.\n\nThe Lord said, \"It shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee,\nneither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe\nthe voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will\nnot believe even these two signs, neither hearken to thy voice, that\nthou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry\nland: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become\nblood upon the dry land.\"\n\nAnd Moses said unto the Lord, \"Oh Lord, I am not eloquent, neither\nheretofore, nor since thou hast spoken {146} unto thy servant: for I\nam slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.\"\n\nAnd, the Lord said unto him, \"Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh\na man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? is it not I, the Lord? Now\ntherefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou\nshalt speak.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Oh Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou\nwilt send.\"\n\nAnd the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, \"Is\nthere not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well.\nAnd also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth\nthee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak to him, and\nput the words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his\nmouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy\nspokesman unto the people: and it shall come to pass, that he shall be\nto thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him as God. And thou shalt take\nin thine hand this rod, wherewith thou shalt do the signs.\"\n\nAnd Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-inn law, and said\nunto him, \"Let me go, I pray thee, and return to my brethren which are\nin Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive.\"\n\nAnd Jethro said to Moses, \"Go in peace.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses in Midian, \"Go, return into Egypt: for all\nthe men are dead which sought thy life.\"\n\n\n{147}{148}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE BANKS OF THE NILE NEAR CAIRO\n From a photograph owned by Mr. S. E. Bridgman\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n The Nile was the life and glory of Egypt. It afforded a magnificent\n waterway for commerce, and the annual overflow gave the greatest\n fertility to the soil.\n[End illustration]\n\n{149}\n\nAnd Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he\nreturned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his\nhand. And the Lord said to Moses, \"When thou goest back into Egypt,\nsee that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in\nthine hand: but I will harden his heart, and he will not let the\npeople go. And thou shalt say to Pharaoh, 'Thus saith the Lord, Israel\nis my son, my firstborn: and I have said to thee, Let my son go, that\nhe may serve me; and thou hast refused to let him go: behold I will\nslay thy son, thy firstborn.'\"\n\nAnd the Lord said to Aaron, \"Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.\" And\nhe went, and met him in the mountain of God, and kissed him. And Moses\ntold Aaron all the words of the Lord wherewith he had sent him, and all\nthe signs wherewith he had charged him. And Moses and Aaron went and\ngathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: and Aaron\nspoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses, and did the\nsigns in the sight of the people. And the people believed.\n\n\n\"LET MY PEOPLE GO.\"\n\n_Moses and Aaron Demand the Release of the Israelites_.\n\n_Pharaoh Refuses_.\n\n\nAnd afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, \"Thus saith\nthe Lord, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a\nfeast unto me in the wilderness.'\"\n\nAnd Pharaoh said, \"Who is the Lord, that I should hearken to his voice\nto let Israel go? I know not the Lord, and moreover I will not let\nIsrael go.\"\n\n{150}\n\nAnd they said, \"The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we\npray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to\nthe Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the\nsword.\"\n\nAnd the king of Egypt said to them, \"Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron,\nloose the people from their works? get you to your burdens.\" And\nPharaoh said, \"Behold, the people of the land are now many, and ye\nmake them rest from their burdens.\"\n\nAnd the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and\ntheir officers, saying, \"Ye shall no more give the people straw to\nmake brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for\nthemselves. And the number of the bricks, which they did make\nheretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught\nthereof: for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, 'Let us go and\nsacrifice to our God.' Let heavier work be laid upon the men, that\nthey may labor therein; and let them not regard lying words.\"\n\nAnd the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and\nthey spoke to the people, saying, \"Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give\nyou straw. Go yourselves, get you straw where ye can find it: for\nnaught of your work shall be diminished.\"\n\nSo the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt\nto gather stubble for straw. And the taskmasters were urgent, saying,\n\"Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.\"\n\nAnd the officers of the children of Israel, which {151} Pharaoh's\ntaskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, \"Wherefore\nhave ye not fulfilled your task both yesterday and to-day, in making\nbrick as heretofore?\"\n\nThen the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh,\nsaying, \"Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no\nstraw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, 'Make brick': and,\nbehold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own\npeople.\"\n\nBut he said, \"Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, 'Let us go\nand sacrifice to the Lord.' Go therefore now, and work; for there\nshall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the number of\nbricks.\"\n\nAnd the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in deep\ntrouble when it was said, \"Ye shall not diminish aught from your\nbricks, your daily tasks.\"\n\nAnd they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth\nfrom Pharaoh: and they said to them, \"The Lord look upon you, and\njudge; because ye have made us to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh,\nand in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay\nus.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Moses, \"Now shalt thou see what I will do to\nPharaoh: for by a strong hand shall he let them go, and by a strong\nhand shall he drive them out of his land.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass on the day when the Lord spoke unto Moses in the\nland of Egypt, that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, \"I am the Lord:\nspeak thou to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to thee.\"\n\n{152}\n\nAnd Moses said before the Lord, \"Behold, I am slow of speech and of a\nslow tongue, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?\"\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Moses, \"See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh:\nand Aaron thy brother shall be thy spokesman. Thou shalt speak all\nthat I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh,\nthat he let the children of Israel go out of his land. And I will\nharden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the\nland of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay\nmy hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children\nof Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the\nEgyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth mine\nhand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among\nthem.\"\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron did so; as the Lord commanded them, so did they.\n\nAnd the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, \"When Pharaoh shall\nspeak to you, saying, 'Show a wonder for you:' then thou shalt say\nunto Aaron, 'Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it\nbecome a serpent.'\"\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so, as the Lord\nhad commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before\nhis servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called for\nthe wise men and the magicians: and they also did in like manner with\ntheir enchantments.\n\n{153}{154}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE RIVER NILE\n\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Clara L. Bodman\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n \"And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.\"\n\n This picture shows the broad Nile with one of the boats now in use\n called a \"dahabiyeh.\" There has been built recently on the upper\n Nile an immense dam which will be used to regulate the flow of water\n and bring great agricultural prosperity to Egypt\n[End illustration]\n\n{155}\n\nFor they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but\nAaron's rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened,\nand he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken.\n\n\nTHE PLAGUES OF EGYPT.\n\n1. THE PLAGUE OF BLOOD.\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Moses, \"Pharaoh's heart is stubborn, he\nrefuseth to let the people go. Get thee to Pharaoh in the morning; lo,\nhe goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink\nto meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take\nin thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, 'The Lord, the God of the\nHebrews, hath sent me to thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may\nserve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou hast not\nhearkened. Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the\nLord: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the\nwaters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And\nthe fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall stink;\nand the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river.'\"\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses, \"Say unto Aaron, 'Take thy rod, and\nstretch out thine hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers,\nover their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of\nwater, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout\nall the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of\nstone.'\"\n\n{156}\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up\nthe rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of\nPharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that\nwere in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that were in the\nriver died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink\nwater from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of\nEgypt.\n\nAnd the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments:\nand Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as\nthe Lord had spoken. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house,\nneither did he lay even this to heart. And all the Egyptians digged\nround about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of\nthe water of the river. And seven days were fulfilled, after the Lord\nhad smitten the river.\n\n\n2. THE PLAGUE OF FROGS.\n\nAnd the Lord spoke to Moses, \"Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him,\n'Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. And if\nthou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with\nfrogs: and the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and\ncome into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and\ninto the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine\novens, and into thy kneading-troughs: and the frogs shall come up\nboth upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.'\"\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses, \"Say to Aaron, 'Stretch {157} forth thine\nhand with thy rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the\npools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.'\"\n\nAnd Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the\nfrogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did in\nlike manner with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the\nland of Egypt.\n\nThen Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, \"Intreat the Lord,\nthat he take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will\nlet the people go, that they may sacrifice unto the Lord.\"\n\nAnd Moses said to Pharaoh, \"For what time shall I intreat for thee,\nand for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed\nfrom thee and thy houses, and remain in the river only?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"For to-morrow.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that\nthere is none like unto the Lord our God. And the frogs shall depart\nfrom thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy\npeople; they shall remain in the river only.\"\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the\nLord concerning the frogs which he had brought upon Pharaoh. And the\nLord did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the\nhouses, out of the courts, and out of the fields. And they gathered\nthem together in heaps: and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that\nthere was relief, he {158} hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto\nthem; as the Lord had spoken.\n\n\n3. THE PLAGUE OF LICE.\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Moses, \"Say unto Aaron, 'Stretch out thy rod,\nand smite the dust of the earth, that it may become lice throughout\nall the land of Egypt.'\"\n\nAnd they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and\nsmote the dust of the earth, and there were lice upon man, and upon\nbeast; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land\nof Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring\nforth lice, but they could not: and there were lice upon man, and upon\nbeast.\n\nThen the magicians said to Pharaoh, \"This is the finger of God\": and\nPharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not to them; as the\nLord had spoken.\n\n\n4. THE PLAGUE OF FLIES.\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses, \"Rise up early in the morning, and stand\nbefore Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say to him,\n'Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Else,\nif thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies\nupon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy\nhouses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of\nflies, and also the ground whereon they are. And I will set apart in\nthat day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms\nof flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the\n{159} Lord in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division\nbetween my people and thy people: by to-morrow shall this sign be.'\"\n\nAnd the Lord did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the\nhouse of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses: and in all the land\nof Egypt the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies. And\nPharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, \"Go ye, sacrifice to\nyour God in the land.\"\n\nAnd Moses said, \"It is not right so to do; for we shall sacrifice the\nholy things of the Egyptians to the Lord our God: lo, shall we\nsacrifice the holy things of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will\nthey not stone us? We will go three days' journey into the wilderness,\nand sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he shall command us.\"\n\nAnd Pharaoh said, \"I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the\nLord your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away:\nintreat for me.\"\n\nAnd Moses said, \"Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the\nLord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his\nservants, and from his people, to-morrow: only let not Pharaoh deal\ndeceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the\nLord.\"\n\nAnd Moses went out from Pharaoh and intreated the Lord. And the Lord\ndid according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies\nfrom Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained\nnot one. And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not\nlet the people go.\n\n\n{160}\n\n5. THE PLAGUE OF CATTLE DISEASE.\n\nThen the Lord said unto Moses, \"Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him, 'Thus\nsaith the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go that they may\nserve me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,\nbehold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which are in the\nfield, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the\nherds, and upon the flocks: there shall be a very grievous distemper.\nAnd the Lord shall distinguish between the cattle of Israel and the\ncattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that belongeth to\nthe children of Israel.'\"\n\nAnd the Lord appointed a set time, saying, \"To-morrow the Lord shall\ndo this thing in the land.\"\n\nAnd the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt\ndied: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. And\nPharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the cattle\nof the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he\ndid not let the people go.\n\n\n6. THE PLAGUE OF BOILS.\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, \"Take to you handfuls of\nashes, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of\nPharaoh. And it shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt,\nand shall be a boil breaking forth upon man and upon beast, throughout\nall the land of Egypt.\"\n\nAnd they took ashes, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it\nup toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth upon man and\nupon beast.\n\n{161}\n\nAnd the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for\nthe boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. And the\nLord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not to them: as the\nLord had spoken to Moses.\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses, \"Rise up early in the morning, and stand\nbefore Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus saith the Lord, the God of the\nHebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will this\ntime send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and\nupon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in\nall the earth. For now I had put forth my hand, and smitten thee and\nthy people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off from the\nearth: but for this very cause have I made thee to stand, in order to\nshow thee my power, that my name may be declared throughout all the\nearth. Exaltest thou thyself still against my people, that thou wilt\nnot let them go? Behold, to-morrow about this time I will cause a very\ngrievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it was\nfounded even until now. Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattle and\nall that thou hast in the field; for every man and beast which shall\nbe found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall\ncome down upon them, and they shall die.'\"\n\nHe that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made\nhis servants and his cattle flee into the houses: and he that regarded\nnot the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field.\n\n\n{162}\n\nTHE SEVENTH PLAGUE OF EGYPT\n\nI.\n\n 'T was morn,--the rising splendor rolled\n On marble towers and roofs of gold;\n Hall, court, and gallery, below,\n Were crowded with a living flow;\n Egyptian, Arab, Nubian, there,--\n The bearers of the bow and spear,\n The hoary priest, the Chaldee sage,\n The slave, the gemmed and glittering page,--\n Helm, turban, and tiara, shone\n A dazzling ring round Pharaoh's throne.\n\nII.\n\n There came a man:--the human tide\n Shrank backward from his stately stride:\n His cheek with storm and time was tanned;\n A shepherd's staff was in his hand;\n A shudder of instinctive fear\n Told the dark king what step was near;\n On through the host the stranger came,\n It parted round his form like flame.\n\nIII.\n\n He stooped not at the footstool stone,\n He clasped not sandal, kissed not throne;\n Erect he stood amid the ring,\n His only words, \"Be just, a king!\"\n On Pharaoh's cheek the blood flushed high,\n A fire was in his sullen eye; {163}\n Yet on the chief of Israel\n No arrow of his thousands fell;\n All mute and moveless as the grave\n Stood chilled the satrap and the slave.\n\nIV.\n\n \"Thou'rt come,\" at length the monarch spoke;\n (Haughty and high the words outbroke;)\n \"Is Israel weary of its lair,\n The forehead peeled, the shoulder bare?\n Take back the answer to your band:\n Go, reap the wind! go, plow the sand!\n Go, vilest of the living vile,\n To build the never-ending pile,\n Till, darkest of the nameless dead,\n The vulture on their flesh is fed!\n What better asks the howling slave\n Than the base life our bounty gave?\"\n\nV.\n\n Shouted in pride the turbaned peers,\n Upclashed to heaven the golden spears..\n \"King! thou and thine are doomed!--Behold!'\n The prophet spoke,--the thunder rolled!\n Along the pathway of the sun\n Sailed vapory mountains, wild and dun.\n \"Yet there is time,\" the prophet said:\n He raised his staff,--the storm was stayed:\n \"King! be the word of freedom given:\n What art thou, man, to war with Heaven?\"\n\nVI.\n\n There came no word.--The thunder broke!--\n Like a huge city's final smoke,\n Thick, lurid, stifling, mixed with flame,\n Through court and hall the vapors came.\n Loose as the stubble in the field, {164}\n Wide flew the men of spear and shield;\n Scattered like foam along the wave,\n Flew the proud pageant, prince and slave;\n Or in the chains of terror bound,\n Lay, corpse-like, on the smouldering ground.\n \"Speak, king!--the wrath is but begun!--\n Still dumb?--then, Heaven, thy will be done!\"\n\nVII.\n\n Echoed from earth a hollow roar\n Like ocean on the midnight shore!\n A sheet of lightning o'er them wheeled,\n The solid ground beneath them reeled;\n In dust sank roof and battlement;\n Like webs the giant walls were rent;\n Red, broad, before his startled gaze\n The monarch saw his Egypt blaze.\n Still swelled the plague,--the flame grew pale,\n Burst from the clouds the charge of hail:\n With arrowy keenness, iron weight,\n Down poured the ministers of fate;\n Till man and cattle, crushed, congealed,\n Covered with death the boundless field.\n\nVIII.\n\n Still swelled the plague,--uprose the blast,\n The avenger, fit to be the last:\n On ocean, river, forest, vale,\n Thundered at once the mighty gale.\n Before the whirlwind flew the tree,\n Beneath the whirlwind roared the sea;\n A thousand ships were on the wave--\n Where are they?--ask that foaming grave!\n Down go the hope, the pride of years,\n Down go the myriad mariners;\n The riches of earth's richest zone,\n Gone! like a flash of lightning, gone!\n\n{165}\n\nIX.\n\n And, lo! that first fierce triumph o'er,\n Swells ocean on the shrinking shore;\n Still onward, onward, dark and wide,\n Engulfs the land the furious tide..\n Then bowed thy spirit, stubborn king,\n Thou serpent, reft of fang and sting;\n Humbled before the prophet's knee,\n He groaned, \"Be injured Israel free!\"\n\nX.\n\n To heaven the sage upraised his hand;\n Back rolled the deluge from the land;\n Back to its caverns sank the gale;\n Fled from the moon the vapors pale;\n Broad burned again the joyous sun:\n The hour of wrath and death was done.\n --_Croly_.\n\n{166}\n\n7. THE PLAGUE OF HAIL.\n\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses, \"Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven,\nthat there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon\nbeast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of\nEgypt.\"\n\nAnd Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the Lord sent\nthunder and hail, and lightning; and the Lord sent hail upon the land\nof Egypt. So there was hail, and lightning mingled with the hail, very\ngrievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it\nbecame a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt\nall that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote\nevery herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. Only in\nthe land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no\nhail. And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to\nthem, \"I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my\npeople are wicked. Intreat the Lord; for there hath been enough of\nthese mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall\nstay no longer.\"\n\nAnd Moses said unto him, \"As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will\nspread abroad my hands to the Lord; the thunders shall cease, neither\nshall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is\nthe Lord's. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not\nyet fear the Lord God.\"\n\nAnd Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and {167} spread abroad\nhis hands unto the Lord: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the\nrain was not poured upon the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain\nand the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and\nhardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was\nhardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go; as the Lord\nhad spoken by Moses.\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Moses, \"Go in to Pharaoh: for I have hardened\nhis heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my\nsigns in the midst of them: and that thou mayest tell to thy son, and\nto thy son's son, what things I have wrought upon Egypt, and my signs\nwhich I have done among them; that ye may know that I am the Lord.\"\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and said to him, \"Thus saith\nthe Lord, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long wilt thou refuse to humble\nthyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me. Else, if\nthou refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow will I bring\nlocusts into thy border: and they shall cover the face of the earth,\nthat one shall not be able to see the earth: and they shall eat what\nremaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which\ngroweth for you out of the field: and thy houses shall be filled, and\nthe houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians;\nas neither thy fathers nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the\nday that they were upon the earth to this day.'\" And he turned, and\nwent out from Pharaoh.\n\nAnd Pharaoh's servants said unto him, \"How long {168} shall this man\nbe a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their\nGod: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?\"\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh: and he said unto\nthem, \"Go, serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go?\"\nAnd Moses said, \"We will go with our young and with our old, with our\nsons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will\nwe go; for we must hold a feast unto the Lord.\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"No, I will not let you go with your little\nones. Not so. But go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord; for that\nis what ye desire.\"\n\nAnd they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.\n\n\n8. THE PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS.\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses, \"Stretch out thine hand over the land of\nEgypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt,\nand eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.\"\n\nAnd Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord\nbrought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all the night; and\nwhen it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts\nwent up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of\nEgypt; very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts\nas they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of\nthe whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb\nof the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and\nthere remained not any green thing, either tree or herb of the field,\nthrough all the land of Egypt.\n\n{169}{170}\n\n[Illustration]\n CLIFFS NEAR LUXOR. TEMPLE OF DAR EL BAHARI\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Clara L. Bodman\n and used by her kind permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n{171}\n\nThen Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, \"I have\nsinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Now therefore\nforgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the Lord your\nGod, that he may take away from me this death only.\"\n\nAnd he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the Lord. And the Lord\nturned an exceeding strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and\ndrove them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the\nborder of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not\nlet the children of Israel go.\n\n\n9. THE PLAGUE OF DARKNESS.\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses, \"Stretch out thine hand toward heaven,\nthat there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which\nmay be felt.\"\n\nAnd Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a\nthick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; they saw not one\nanother, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the\nchildren of Israel had light in their dwellings.\n\nAnd Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, \"Go ye, serve the Lord; only\nlet your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go\nwith you.\"\n\nAnd Moses said, \"Thou must also give into our hand sacrifices and\nburnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Our\ncattle also shall go with us; there {172} shall not an hoof be left\nbehind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we\nknow not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither.\"\n\nBut the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.\n\nAnd Pharaoh said to him, \"Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see\nmy face no more; for in the day thou seest my face thou shalt die.\"\n\nAnd Moses said, \"Thou hast spoken well; I will see thy face again no\nmore.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses, \"Yet one plague more will I bring upon\nPharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he\nshall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.\nSpeak now to the people, and let them ask every man of his neighbor,\nand every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of\ngold.\"\n\nAnd the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.\nMoreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the\nsight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.\n\nAnd Moses said, \"Thus saith the Lord, 'About midnight will I go out\ninto the midst of Egypt: and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt\nshall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne,\neven to the firstborn of the maidservant who grinds at the mill; and\nall the firstborn of cattle. And there shall be a great cry throughout\nall the land of Egypt, such as there hath been none like it, nor shall\nbe like it any more. But against {173} any of the children of Israel\nshall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may\nknow how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and\nIsrael.' And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow\ndown themselves unto me, saying, 'Get thee out, and all the people\nthat follow thee: and after that I will go out.'\" And he went out from\nPharaoh in hot anger.\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Moses, \"Pharaoh will not hearken unto you: that\nmy wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.\"\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the Lord\nhardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go\nout of his land.\n\n(After the ninth plague, the plague of darkness, came a tenth plague,\nthe very worst of all, the description of which is given in another\nplace.)\n\n\nTHE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER.\n\n_The Israelites Make Ready for the March_.\n\nAnd the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,\n\"This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the\nfirst month of the year to you. Speak ye to all the congregation of\nIsrael, saying, 'In the tenth day of this month they shall take to\nthem every man a lamb, according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for\nan household: and if the household be too little for a lamb, then\nshall he and his neighbor next unto his house take one according to\nthe number of the souls. {174} Your lamb shall be without blemish, a\nmale of the first year: ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the\ngoats: and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same\nmonth: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill\nit at even. And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two\nside posts and on the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat\nit. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted with fire, and\nunleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it\nraw, nor boiled with water, but roast with fire; its head with its\nlegs and with the inwards thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it\nremain until the morning; but that which remaineth of it until the\nmorning ye shall burn with fire.\n\n\"'And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your\nfeet, and your staff in your hand: and ye shall eat it in haste: it is\nthe Lord's passover. For I will go through the land of Egypt in that\nnight, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man\nand beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments:\nI am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the\nhouses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you,\nand there shall no plague be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the\nland of Egypt.'\"\n\n{175}{176}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE VALLEY OF THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS, AT THEBES\n\n Here the steep ramparts were divided by a tortuous cleft, which\n wound back with many cross fissures deep into the desert. The ravine\n was simply a chasm with perpendicular sides of naked rock. This was\n the valley of the Tombs of the Kings.\n --\"The Yoke\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{177}\n\nThen Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them,\n\"Draw out, and take you lambs according to your families, and kill the\npassover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood\nthat is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts\nwith the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of\nthe door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass\nthrough to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the\nlintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door,\nand will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite\nyou. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to\nthy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the\nland which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that\nye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your\nchildren shall say unto you, 'What mean ye by this service?' that ye\nshall say, 'It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed\nover the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the\nEgyptians, and delivered our houses.'\"\n\nAnd the people bowed the head and worshiped. And the children of\nIsrael went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so\ndid they.\n\n\n10. THE PLAGUE OF THE DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN.\n\nAnd it came to pass at midnight, that the Lord smote all the firstborn\nin the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his\nthrone to the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and\nall the firstborn of cattle.\n\nAnd Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all\nthe Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a\nhouse where there was {178} not one dead. And he called for Moses and\nAaron by night, and said, \"Rise up, get you forth from among my\npeople, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as\nye have said. Take both your flocks and your herds, as ye have said,\nand be gone; and bless me also.\"\n\nAnd the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, to send them out of the\nland in haste; for they said, \"We be all dead men.\"\n\nAnd the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading\ntroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. And the\nchildren of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked\nof the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:\nand the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so\nthat they let them have what they asked. And they took the spoil of\nthe Egyptians.\n\n\nOUT OF BONDAGE.\n\n_On the Road to Freedom_.\n\nAnd the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about\nsix hundred thousand men on foot, beside children. And a mixed\nmultitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very\nmuch cattle. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they\nbrought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were\nthrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared\nfor themselves any food. Now the sojourning of the children of Israel,\nwhich they sojourned {179} in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty\nyears. And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty\nyears, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of\nthe Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much\nobserved unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led\nthem not by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was\nnear; for God said, \"Lest peradventure the people repent when they see\nwar, and they return to Egypt.\"\n\nBut God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red\nSea: and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of\nEgypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had\nstrictly charged the children of Israel, saying, \"God will surely\nvisit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.\"\n\nAnd they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in\nthe edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a\npillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of\nfire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by night: the\npillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night.\n\n\n{180}\n\n\"THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER HATH HE THROWN INTO THE SEA.\"\n\n_Pursuit of the Egyptians. The Host of Pharaoh Is Drowned in\nthe Red Sea_.\n\nAnd the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, \"Speak unto the children of\nIsrael, that they turn back and encamp by the sea. And Pharaoh will\nsay of the children of Israel, 'They are entangled in the land, the\nwilderness hath shut them in.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and\nhe shall follow after them; and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh, and\nupon all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.\"\nAnd they did so.\n\nAnd it was told the king of Egypt that the people were fled: and the\nheart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed towards the people,\nand they said, \"What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go\nfrom serving us?\"\n\nAnd he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: and he\ntook six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and\ncaptains over all of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh\nking of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: for the\nchildren of Israel went out with an high hand.\n\nAnd the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of\nPharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping\nby the sea. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted\nup their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they\nwere sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.\n\n{181}{182}\n[Illustration]\n THE VALLEY OF THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS AT THEBES\n (A view nearer the entrance)\n\n From a photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library and used by permission.\n\n \"There is nothing in the whole valley of the Nile which is more\n grandly characteristic of old Egypt than the Tombs of the Kings at\n Thebes. The entire course of the ravine presents a spectacle of\n desolate grandeur which is to the highest degree impressive\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{183}\n\nAnd they said unto Moses, \"Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast\nthou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt\nthus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word\nthat we spoke unto thee in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone, that we may\nserve the Egyptians?' For it were better for us to serve the\nEgyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.\"\n\nAnd Moses said unto the people, \"Fear ye not, stand still, and see the\nsalvation of the Lord, which he will work for you to-day: for the\nEgyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more\nfor ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Moses, \"Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak to\nthe children of Israel, that they go forward. And lift thou up thy\nrod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the\nchildren of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.\nAnd I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they\nshall go in after them: and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon\nall his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the\nEgyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honor\nupon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.\"\n\nAnd the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed\nand went behind them; and the pillar of cloud removed from before\nthem, and stood behind them: and it came between the camp of Egypt and\nthe camp of Israel; and there was the cloud and the {184} darkness,\nyet gave it light by night: and the one came not near the other all\nthe night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord\ncaused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and\nmade the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children\nof Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the\nwaters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.\n\nAnd the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of\nthe sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it\ncame to pass in the morning watch, that the Lord looked forth upon the\nhost of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and\ndiscomfited the host of the Egyptians. And he took off their chariot\nwheels, that they drove them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, \"Let\nus flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them\nagainst the Egyptians.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses, \"Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that\nthe waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and\nupon their horsemen.\"\n\nAnd Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned\nto its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled\nagainst it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the\nsea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the\nhorsemen, even all the host of Pharaoh that went in after them into\nthe sea; there remained not so much as one of them.\n\nBut the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the\nsea; and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on\ntheir left.\n\n\n{185}{186}\n\n[Illustration]\n LOOKING ACROSS THE RED SEA FROM SINAI TOWARD EGYPT\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood\n and used by special permission.\n\n \"The Israelites were encamped on the western shore of the Red Sea,\n when suddenly a cry of alarm ran through the vast multitude. Over\n the ridges of the desert hills were seen the well-known horses, the\n terrible chariots of the Egyptian host: Pharaoh pursued after the\n children of Israel, and they were sore afraid\n\n \"They were sore afraid; and in that terror and perplexity the sun\n went down behind the huge mountain range which rose on their rear,\n and cut off their return to Egypt; and the dark night fell over the\n waters of the sea which rolled before them, and cut off their\n advance into the desert. So closed in upon them that evening; where\n were they when the morning broke over the hills of Arabia? Where\n were they, and where were their enemies?\n\n \"They stood in safety on the further shore; and the chariots, and\n the horsemen, and the host of Pharaoh had vanished in the waters\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{187}\n\nThus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians;\nand Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw\nthe great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians, and the people\nfeared the Lord: and they believed in the Lord, and in his servant\nMoses.\n\nFor the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his\nhorsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the\nsea upon them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the\nmidst of the sea. And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took\na timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with\ntimbrels and with dances.\n\nAnd Miriam sang:--\n\nTHE SONG OF VICTORY.\n\n Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously;\n The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.\n Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy.\n And in the greatness of thine excellency thou\n overthrowest them that rise up against thee:\n Thou sendest forth thy wrath, it consumeth them as stubble.\n And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up,\n The floods stood upright as an heap;\n The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.\n The enemy said,\n \"I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil: {188}\n My desire shall be satisfied upon them;\n I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.\"\n Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them:\n They sank as lead in the mighty waters.\n Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?\n Who is like thee, glorious in holiness,\n Fearful in praises, doing wonders?\n Thou stretchedst out thy right hand,\n The earth swallowed them.\n Thou in thy mercy hast led the people which thou hast redeemed:\n Thou hast guided them in thy strength to thy holy habitation.\n The peoples have heard, they tremble:\n Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philistia.\n Then were the dukes of Edom amazed;\n The mighty men of Moab, trembling taketh hold upon them:\n All the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away.\n Terror and dread falleth upon them;\n By the greatness of thine arm they are as still as a stone;\n Till thy people pass over, O Lord,\n Till the people pass over which thou hast purchased.\n Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the\n mountain of thine inheritance,\n The place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in,\n The sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.\n The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.\n\n{189}{190}\n\n[Illustration]\n SHEPHERD WITH HIS FLOCK NEAR TEKOA\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood\n and used by special permission.\n\n Two of the great prophets of Israel lived in this region, Amos at\n Tekoa and Jeremiah at Anathoth. It is a wild and desolate region\n\n \"The wilderness of Judea played a great part in her history as the\n refuge of political fugitives and religious solitaries--a part which\n it still continues. The story of Saul's hunt after David and of\n David's narrow escapes becomes very vivid among those tossed and\n broken hills, where the valleys are all alike and large bodies of\n men may camp near each other without knowing it. Ambushes are\n everywhere possible and alarms pass rapidly across the bare and\n silent hills. You may travel for hours and feel as solitary as at\n sea without a sail in sight; but if you are in search of anyone,\n your guide's signal will make men leap from slopes that did not seem\n to shelter a rabbit, and if you are suspected, your passage may be\n stopped by a dozen men as though they had sprung from the earth.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{191}\n\nTHE WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS\n\nTHE RED SEA IS LEFT BEHIND AND THE MARCH TO CANAAN IS BEGUN.\n\n_The Bitter Water of Marah_.\n\nAnd Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into\nthe wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness,\nand found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink\nof the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it\nwas called \"Marah,\" that is, bitter.\n\nAnd the people murmured against Moses, saying, \"What shall we drink?\"\n\nAnd he cried to the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, and he cast\nit into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made for\nthem a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them; and he\nsaid, \"If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy\nGod, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to\nhis commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the\ndiseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am the\nLord that healeth thee.\"\n\nAnd they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and\nthreescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.\n\nAnd they took their journey from Elim, and all the {192} congregation\nof the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is\nbetween Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after\ntheir departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation\nof the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in\nthe wilderness: and the children of Israel said unto them, \"Would that\nwe had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat\nby the flesh pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have\nbrought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole multitude\nwith hunger.\"\n\n\n_The Quails and the Manna_.\n\nThen said the Lord unto Moses, \"Behold, I will rain bread from heaven\nfor you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every\nday, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not.\nAnd it shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare\nthat which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather\ndaily.\"\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, \"At even, then\nye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of\nEgypt: and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord;\nfor that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we,\nthat ye murmur against us?\"\n\nAnd Moses said unto Aaron, \"Say to all the congregation of the\nchildren of Israel, 'Come near before the Lord: for he hath heard your\nmurmurings.'\"\n\n\n{193}{194}\n\n[Illustration]\n RESTING PLACE UNDER THE PALMS AT THE \"SPRING OF MOSES\"\n IN THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood\n and used by special permission.\n\n This brackish pool of water with palms growing about it is supposed\n to be the place of the \"bitter waters of Marah\" which Moses\n sweetened for the weary Israelites in their flight, the first\n stopping place after escaping from Egypt. This place is not far from\n Suez.\n[End illustration]\n\n{195}\n\nAnd it came to pass, as Aaron spoke unto the whole congregation of the\nchildren of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and,\nbehold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord\nspoke to Moses, saying, \"I have heard the murmurings of the children\nof Israel: speak unto them, saying, 'At even ye shall eat flesh, and\nin the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I\nam the Lord your God.'\"\n\nAnd it came to pass at even, that the quails came up, and covered the\ncamp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the camp. And when\nthe dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness\na small round thing, small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when\nthe children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, \"What is it?\"\nfor they knew not what it was.\n\nAnd Moses said to them, \"It is the bread which the Lord hath given you\nto eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, 'Gather ye of\nit every man according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the\nnumber of your persons, shall ye take it, every man for them which are\nin his tent.'\"\n\nAnd the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less.\nAnd Moses said unto them, \"Let no man leave of it till the morning.\"\n\nNotwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left\nof it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was\nwroth with them. And they gathered it morning by morning, every man\naccording to his eating: and when the sun grew hot, it melted. And it\ncame to pass, that on the sixth day they {196} gathered twice as much\nbread, two omers for each one: and all the rulers of the congregation\ncame and told Moses. And he said to them, \"This is that which the Lord\nhath spoken, 'To-morrow is a solemn rest, a holy sabbath unto the\nLord: bake that which ye will bake, and boil that which ye will boil;\nand all that remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the\nmorning.'\"\n\nAnd they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not\nstink, neither was there any worm therein. And Moses said, \"Eat that\nto-day; for to-day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to-day ye shall not\nfind it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh\nday is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass on the seventh day, that there went out some of\nthe people to gather, and they found none.\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Moses, \"How long refuse ye to keep my\ncommandments and my laws? See, because the Lord hath given you the\nsabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two\ndays; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place\non the seventh day.\"\n\nSo the people rested on the seventh day. And the house of Israel\ncalled the name thereof \"Manna\": and it was like coriander seed,\nwhite; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.\n\nAnd Moses said, \"This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, 'Let\nan omerful of it be kept for your generations; that they may see the\nbread wherewith I fed you {197} in the wilderness, when I brought you\nforth from the land of Egypt.'\"\n\nAnd Moses said unto Aaron, \"Take a pot, and put an omerful of manna\ntherein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your\ngenerations.\"\n\nAs the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron did. And the children of Israel\nate the manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they\nate the manna, until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan.\n\n\n_The Battle with Amalek at Rephidim_.\n\nThen came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said\nto Joshua, \"Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek:\nto-morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in\nmine hand.\"\n\nSo Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and\nMoses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to\npass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he\nlet down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and\nthey took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron\nand Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on\nthe other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the\nsun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the\nsword.\n\nAnd Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah my Banner:\nand he said, \"The Lord hath sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek\nfrom generation to generation.\"\n\n{198}\n\nTHE SONG OF THE MANNA GATHERERS\n\n Comrades, haste! the tent's tall shading\n Lies along the level sand,\n Far and faint: the stars are fading\n Over the gleaming western strand,\n Airs of morning\n Freshen the bleak burning land.\n\n Haste, or e'er the third hour glowing\n With its eager thirst prevail\n O'er the moist pearls, now bestrowing\n Thymy slope and rushy vale.\n\n . . . . . . .\n\n Comrades--what our sires have told us,\n Watch and wait, for it will come.\n\n . . . . . . .\n\n Not by manna show'rs at morning\n Shall our board be then supplied,\n But a strange pale gold, adorning\n Many a tufted mountain's side,\n Yearly feed us,\n Year by year our murmurings chide.\n\n There, no prophet's touch awaiting,\n From each cool deep cavern start\n Rills, that since their first creating\n Ne'er have ceased to sing their part;\n Oft we hear them\n In our dreams, with thirsty heart.\n\n --_John Keble_.\n\n{199}{200}\n\n[Illustration]\n IN THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI\n\n From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library,\n Northampton, Mass., and used by special permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{201}\n\nMOSES CLIMBS MOUNT SINAI TO TALK WITH GOD.\n\n_The Giving of the Commandments_.\n\nIn the third month after the children of Israel had gone forth out of\nthe land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of\nSinai. And when they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the\nwilderness of Sinai, they camped in the wilderness; and there Israel\ncamped before the mount. And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called\nto him out of the mountain, saying, \"Thus shalt thou say to the house\nof Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 'Ye have seen what I did\nunto the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought\nyou unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and\nkeep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure to me from\namong all peoples: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be to me a\nkingdom of priests, and an holy nation.' These are words which thou\nshalt speak unto the children of Israel.\"\n\nAnd Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before\nthem all these words which the Lord commanded him. And all the people\nanswered together, and said, \"All that the Lord hath spoken we will\ndo.\"\n\nAnd Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and\nthey stood at the foot of the mount. And all Mount Sinai smoked,\nbecause the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof\nascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked\ngreatly. And when the voice of the trumpet grew louder and louder,\nMoses spoke, and God answered him by a voice. And the {202} Lord came\ndown upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mount: and the Lord called\nMoses to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.\n\nAnd God spoke all these words, saying,--\n\n\nTHE COMMANDMENTS.\n\n\"I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt,\nout of the house of bondage.\n\nI.\n\n\"Thou shalt have none other gods before me.\n\nII.\n\n\"Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor the likeness of any\nform that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that\nis in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself unto\nthem, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,\nvisiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children upon the third\nand upon the fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy\nunto thousands, of them that love me and keep my commandments.\n\nIII.\n\n\"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the\nLord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.\n\nIV.\n\n\"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor,\nand do all thy work: but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the Lord\nthy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy\ndaughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy\nstranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made\nheaven and {203} earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested\nthe seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and\nhallowed it.\n\nV.\n\n\"Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the\nland which the Lord thy God giveth thee.\n\nVI.\n\n\"Thou shalt not kill.\n\nVII.\n\n\"Thou shalt not commit adultery.\n\nVIII.\n\n\"Thou shalt not steal.\n\nIX.\n\n\"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.\n\nX.\n\n\"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy\nneighbor's wife, not his manservant, not his maidservant, nor his ox,\nnor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.\n\n\nAnd all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the\nvoice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people\nsaw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. And they said to Moses,\n\"Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us,\nlest we die.\"\n\nAnd Moses said to the people, \"Fear not: for God is come to prove you,\nand that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not.\"\n\n{204}\n\nAnd the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick\ndarkness where God was.\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN CALF.\n\n_Israel Sins Grievously and Is Severely Punished_.\n\nAnd when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the\nmount, the people gathered themselves together about Aaron, and said\nto him, \"Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this\nMoses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know\nnot what is become of him.\"\n\nAnd Aaron said to them, \"Break off the golden rings, which are in the\nears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring\nthem to me.\"\n\nAnd all the people broke off the golden rings which were in their\nears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received the gold at their\nhand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf:\nand they said, \"These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up\nout of the land of Egypt.\"\n\nAnd when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made\nproclamation, and said, \"To-morrow shall be a feast to the Lord.\"\n\nAnd they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and\nbrought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink,\nand rose up to play.\n\n\n{205}{206}\n\n[Illustration]\n HILL OF THE GOLDEN CALF (JEBEL AARON) AND ITS MOSLEM\n TOWER BELOW THE RIDGE OF SINAI\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n A traveler writes: \"We started to descend by the gorge on the\n northeast side of the mountain (Jethro's Path), by which possibly\n Moses may have descended when he heard the sounds of the camp before\n he could see what was taking place there. We were completely shut in\n by the sides of the gorge until just as we emerged near the bottom.\n There was no sound below for us to hear, but we could readily accept\n Mr. Palmeston's statement that he had distinctly heard the sounds of\n his own camp at the foot of the mountain which was entirely hidden\n from view. If the worship of the golden calf be supposed to have\n taken place anywhere in the neighborhood of the hill of Aaron this\n circumstance would be in striking conformity with the several other\n facts which singularly adapt this place to be the scene of the\n lawgiving.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{207}\n\nAnd the Lord spoke unto Moses, \"Go, get thee down; for thy people,\nwhich thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted\nthemselves: they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I\ncommanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshiped\nit, and have sacrificed unto it, and said, 'These are thy gods, O\nIsrael, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.'\"\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses, \"I have seen this people, and, behold, it\nis a stiffnecked people: now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may\ngrow hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of\nthee a great nation.\"\n\nAnd Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, \"Lord, why doth thy\nwrath grow hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out\nof the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?\nWherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'For evil did he bring\nthem forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from\nthe face of the earth'? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this\nevil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy\nservants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto\nthem, 'I will multiply your family as the stars of heaven, and all\nthis land that I have spoken of will I give unto your family, and they\nshall inherit it for ever.'\"\n\nAnd the Lord repented of the evil which he said he would do unto his\npeople.\n\nAnd Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of\nthe testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both sides; on\nthe one side and on {208} the other were they written. And the tables\nwere the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven\nupon the tables.\n\nAnd when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said\nto Moses, \"There is a noise of war in the camp.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery,\nneither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the\nnoise of them that sing do I hear.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he\nsaw the calf and the dancing: and Moses' anger grew hot, and he cast\nthe tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount.\n\nAnd he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and\nground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the\nchildren of Israel drink of it. And Moses said to Aaron, \"What did\nthis people unto thee, that thou hast brought a great sin upon them?\"\n\nAnd Aaron said, \"Let not the anger of my lord grow hot: thou knowest\nthe people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, 'Make us\ngods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that\nbrought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of\nhim.' And I said to them, 'Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it\noff'; so they gave it me: and I cast it into the fire, and there came\nout this calf.\"\n\nAnd when Moses saw that the people were broken loose; for Aaron had\nlet them loose for a derision among their enemies: then Moses stood in\nthe gate of the camp, and said, \"Whoso is on the Lord's side, let him\ncome unto me.\"\n\n{209}{210}\n\n[Illustration]\n FAMOUS MONASTERY OF SAINT CATHERINE IN THE SHADOW OF MOUNT SINAI\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n It was in this monastery that Prof. C. Tischendorf discovered one of\n the oldest and most valuable manuscripts of the Bible in existence.\n Tischendorf made three visits to the monastery, in 1844, 1853, and\n 1859. On the first visit he found forty-three leaves of the\n manuscript in a wastebasket. Later he found the entire manuscript\n with the exception of a few pages. It was published by Czar\n Alexander II in celebration of the first millennium of the Russian\n Empire. A traveler says, \"When on a visit to Mount Sinai in March,\n 1877, I saw a copy of the magnificent four volume edition in the\n convent library and mentioned the name of Tischendorf, the sub-prior\n kindled up in indignation and called him a thief, who had stolen\n their greatest treasure on the pretext of a temporary loan; and when\n I reminded him of the large reward of the Emperor of Russia, who had\n furnished a new silver shrine for the coffin of Saint Catherine, he\n admitted it reluctantly, but remarked that they did not want the\n silver, but the manuscript--the manuscript which their monks could\n not read and were about to throw into the fire.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{211}\n\nAnd all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he\nsaid unto them, \"Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Put ye every\nman his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate\nthroughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his\ncompanion, and every man his neighbor.'\"\n\nAnd the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there\nfell of the people that day about three thousand men. And Moses said,\n\"Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord, yea, every man against his\nson, and against his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing\nthis day.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people,\n\"Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord;\nperadventure I shall make atonement for your sin.\"\n\nAnd Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, \"Oh, this people have\nsinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou\nwilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy\nbook which thou hast written.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said to Moses, \"Whosover hath sinned against me, him will\nI blot out of my book. And now go, lead the people unto the place of\nwhich I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine angel shall go before\nthee: nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for\ntheir sins.\"\n\n{212}\n\nAnd the Lord smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron\nmade.\n\n\nTHE NEW TABLES OF STONE.\n\n_How the Tables Which Had Been Broken Were Replaced_.\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Moses, \"Hew thee two tables of stone like unto\nthe first: and I will write upon the tables the words that were on the\nfirst tables, which thou brokest.\n\n\"And be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning unto Mount\nSinai, and present thyself there to me on the top of the mount.\n\n\"And no man shall come up with thee; neither let any man be seen\nthroughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before\nthat mount.\"\n\nAnd he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose\nup early in the morning, and went up unto Mount Sinai, as the Lord had\ncommanded him, and took in his hand two tables of stone.\n\nAnd the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and\nproclaimed the name of the Lord.\n\nAnd the Lord passed by before him, and a voice said, \"The Lord, the\nLord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in\nloving kindness and truth; keeping loving kindness for thousands,\nforgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; who will by no means\nclear the guilty.\"\n\nAnd Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and\nworshiped.\n\nAnd he said, \"If now I have found favor in thy sight, {213} O Lord,\nlet the Lord, I pray thee, go in the midst of us; and pardon our\niniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.\"\n\nAnd he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did\nneither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the\nwords of the covenant, the ten commandments.\n\nAnd Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of the\ntestimony in his hand.\n\n\n{214}\n\nTHE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS\n\nTHE PEOPLE GIVE A FREE-WILL OFFERING TO THE LORD.\n\n\nAnd Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel,\nand said unto them, \"These are the words which the Lord hath\ncommanded, that ye should do them. 'Six days shall work be done, but\non the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of\nsolemn rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work therein shall be put\nto death. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the\nsabbath day.'\"\n\nAnd Moses spoke unto all the congregation of the children of Israel,\nsaying, \"This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying, 'Take ye\nfrom among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing\nheart, let him bring it, the Lord's offering; gold, and silver, and\nbrass; and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats'\nhair; and rams' skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia wood; and\noil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet\nincense; and onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for\nthe breastplate.\n\n\"'And let every skilled workman among you come, and make all that the\nLord hath commanded; the tabernacle, its tent, and its covering, its\nclasps, and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; the\nark, and the staves {215} thereof, the mercy-seat, and the veil of the\nscreen; the table, and its staves, and all its vessels, and the\nshewbread; the candlestick also for the light, and its vessels, and\nits lamps, and the oil for the light; and the altar of incense, and\nits staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the\nscreen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; the altar of burnt\noffering, with its grating of brass, its staves, and all its vessels,\nthe laver and its base; the hangings of the court, the pillars\nthereof, and their sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court;\nthe pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their\ncords; the finely wrought garments, for ministering in the holy\nplace, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of\nhis sons, to minister in the priest's office.'\"\n\nAnd all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the\npresence of Moses.\n\nAnd they came, everyone whose heart stirred him up, and everyone whom\nhis spirit made willing, and brought the Lord's offering, for the work\nof the tent of meeting, and for all the service thereof, and for the\nholy garments.\n\nAnd they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted,\nand brought brooches, and earrings, and signet-rings, and armlets, all\njewels of gold; even every man that offered an offering of gold unto\nthe Lord.\n\nAnd every man, who had blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen,\nand goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and sealskins, brought\nthem. Everyone that offered an offering of silver and brass brought\nthe Lord's offering: {216} and every man, who had acacia wood for any\nwork of the service, brought it.\n\nAnd all the women that were skillful spun with their hands, and\nbrought that which they had spun, the blue, and the purple, the\nscarlet, and the fine linen.\n\nAnd all the women who were skillful spun the goats' hair.\n\nAnd the rulers brought the onyx stones, and the stones to be set, for\nthe ephod, and for the breastplate; and the spice, and the oil; for\nthe light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.\n\nThe children of Israel brought a freewill offering unto the Lord;\nevery man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all\nthe work, which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of\nMoses.\n\nAnd Moses said unto the children of Israel, \"See, the Lord hath called\nby name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of\nJudah; and he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in\nunderstanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; and\nto devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,\nand in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work\nin all manner of cunning workmanship. And he hath put in his heart\nthat he may teach, both he, and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the\ntribe of Dan. Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all\nmanner of workmanship, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman,\nand of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in\nfine linen, and of the {217} weaver, even of them that do any\nworkmanship, and of those that devise cunning works.\"\n\n\n\nTHE TABERNACLE AND ITS FURNISHINGS.\n\n_The Tent_.\n\n\nAnd every skillful man among them that wrought the work made the\ntabernacle with ten curtains; of fine linen, and blue, and purple, and\nscarlet, with cherubim the work of the cunning workman made he them.\nThe length of each curtain was eight and twenty cubits, and the\nbreadth of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains had one measure.\nAnd he coupled five curtains one to another: and the other five\ncurtains he coupled one to another. And he made loops of blue upon the\nedge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he\nmade in the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the second\ncoupling. Fifty loops made he in the one curtain, and fifty loops made\nhe in the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling: the\nloops were opposite one to another. And he made fifty clasps of gold,\nand coupled the curtains one to another with the clasps: so the\ntabernacle was one. And he made curtains of goats' hair for a tent\nover the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made. The length of each\ncurtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of each\ncurtain: the eleven curtains had one measure. And he coupled five\ncurtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. And he made\nfifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the\ncoupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which\n{218} was outmost in the second coupling. And he made fifty clasps of\nbrass to couple the tent together, that it might be one. And he made a\ncovering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of\nsealskins above.\n\nAnd he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up.\nTen cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the\nbreadth of each board. Each board had two tenons, joined one to\nanother: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. And he\nmade the boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side\nsouthward; and he made forty sockets of silver under the twenty\nboards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two\nsockets under another board for its two tenons. And for the second\nside of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, and\ntheir forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two\nsockets under another board. And for the hinder part of the tabernacle\nwestward he made six boards. And two boards made he for the corners of\nthe tabernacle in the hinder part. And there were eight boards, and\ntheir sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; under every board two\nsockets. And he made bars of acacia wood; five for the boards of the\none side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the other\nside of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle\nfor the hinder part westward. And he made the middle bar to pass\nthrough in the midst of the boards from the one end to the other. And\nhe overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold for\nplaces for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.\n\n{219}\n\nAnd he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined\nlinen: with cherubim the work of the cunning workman made he it. And\nhe made thereunto four pillars of acacia, and overlaid them with gold:\ntheir hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.\nAnd he made a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple,\nand scarlet, and fine linen, the work of the embroiderer; and the five\npillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their capitals and\ntheir fillets with gold: and their five sockets were of brass.\n\n\n_The Workmen Are Chosen_.\n\n\n\"And Bezalel and Oholiab shall work, and every skillful man, in whom\nthe Lord hath put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all the\nwork for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord\nhath commanded.\"\n\nAnd Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful man, in whose\nheart the Lord had put wisdom, even everyone whose heart stirred him\nup to come unto the work to do it: and they received of Moses all the\noffering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the\nservice of the sanctuary, to make it. And they brought yet unto him\nfreewill offerings every morning. And all the wise men, that wrought\nall the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they\nwrought; and they spoke unto Moses, saying, \"The people bring much\nmore than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded\nto make.\"\n\n{220}\n\nAnd Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed\nthroughout the camp, saying,--\n\n\"Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the\nsanctuary.\" So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff\nthey had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.\n\n\n_The Ark_.\n\n\nAnd Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood: two cubits and a half was the\nlength of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit\nand a half the height of it: and he overlaid it with pure gold within\nand without, and made a rim of gold to it round about. And he cast for\nit four rings of gold, in the four feet thereof; two rings on the one\nside of it, and two rings on the other side of it. And he made staves\nof acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. And he put the staves\ninto the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. And he made a\nmercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof,\nand a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And he made two cherubim\nof gold; of beaten work made he them, at the two ends of the mercy\nseat; one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end: of\none piece with the mercy seat made he the cherubim at the two ends\nthereof. And the cherubim spread out their wings on high, covering the\nmercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward\nthe mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.\n\n{221}\n\n\n_The Table_.\n\n\nAnd he made the table of acacia wood: two cubits was the length\nthereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the\nheight thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereto a\nrim of gold round about. And he made for it a border of an handbreadth\nround about, and made a golden rim to the border thereof round about.\nAnd he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four\ncorners that were on the four feet thereof. Close by the border were\nthe rings, the places for the staves to bear the table. And he made\nthe staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the\ntable. And he made the vessels which were upon the table, the dishes\nthereof, and the spoons thereof, and the bowls thereof, and the\nflagons thereof, to pour out of, pure gold.\n\n\n_The Candlestick_.\n\n\nAnd he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the\ncandlestick, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knobs, and\nits flowers, were of one piece with it: and there were six branches\ngoing out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out\nof the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of\nthe other side thereof: three cups made like almond blossoms in one\nbranch, a knob and a flower; and three cups made like almond blossoms\nin the other branch, a knob and a flower: so for the six branches\ngoing out of the candlestick. And in the candlestick were four cups\nmade like almond blossoms, the knobs thereof, and the flowers {222}\nthereof: and a knob under two branches of one piece with it, and a\nknob under two branches of one piece with it, and a knob under two\nbranches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of it.\nTheir knobs and their branches were of one piece with it: the whole of\nit was one beaten work of pure gold. And he made the lamps thereof,\nseven, and the tongs thereof, and the snuff-dishes thereof, of pure\ngold. Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels\nthereof.\n\n\n_The Altar of Incense_.\n\n\nAnd he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit was the\nlength thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, foursquare; and two\ncubits was the height thereof; the horns thereof were of one piece\nwith it. And he overlaid it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the\nsides thereof round about, and the horns of it: and he made unto it a\nrim of gold round about. And he made for it two golden rings under the\nrim thereof, upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it, for\nplaces for staves to bear it withal. And he made the staves of acacia\nwood, and overlaid them with gold. And he made the holy anointing oil,\nand the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.\n\n\n_The Altar of Burnt Offering_.\n\n\nAnd he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood: five cubits was\nthe length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof, foursquare; and\nthree cubits the height thereof.\n\n{223}{224}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE TRADITIONAL SPOT ON WHICH MOSES READ THE TEN COMMANDMENTS\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n The traditional Sinai is bounded on the north by the great plain\n Er-Rahab out of which it rises precipitately. The northernmost peak\n is called the \"Head of the Willow,\" probably from a willow tree\n growing in one of the gullies, and is commonly taken as the place of\n the giving of the Law. The height of the peak is 6,937 feet. \"Now\n the whole prospect is before us. The vast plain of Er-Rahab, flecked\n with a few camels and black Arab tents, and capable of holding\n millions of people all in view of the Mount, gradually slopes away\n from the eminences where we are.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{225}\n\nAnd he made the horns thereof upon the four corners of it; the horns\nthereof were of one piece with it: and he overlaid it with brass. And\nhe made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and\nthe basins, the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof\nmade he of brass. And he made for the altar a grating of network of\nbrass, under the ledge round it beneath, reaching halfway up. And he\ncast four rings for the four ends of the grating of brass, to be\nplaces for the staves. And he made the staves of acacia wood, and\noverlaid them with brass. And he put the staves into the rings on the\nsides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made it hollow with planks.\n\nAnd he made the laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, of the\nmirrors of the serving women which served at the door of the tent of\nmeeting.\n\n\n_The Court_.\n\n\nAnd he made the court: for the south side southward the hangings of\nthe court were of fine linen, an hundred cubits: their pillars were\ntwenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars\nand their fillets were of silver. And for the north side an hundred\ncubits, their pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the\nhooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. And for the west\nside were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their\nsockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. And\nfor the east side eastward fifty cubits. The hangings for the one side\nof the gate were {226} fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their\nsockets three; and so for the other side: on this hand and that hand\nby the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits; their\npillars three, and their sockets three. All the hangings of the court\nround about were of fine linen. And the sockets for the pillars were\nof brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and\nthe overlaying of their capitals of silver; and all the pillars of the\ncourt were filleted with silver. And the screen for the gate of the\ncourt was the work of the embroiderer, of blue, and purple, and\nscarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and\nthe height in the breadth was five cubits, corresponding to the\nhangings of the court. And their pillars were four, and their sockets\nfour, of brass; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their\ncapitals and their fillets of silver. And all the pins of the\ntabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass.\n\n\n_The Workmen and the Materials_.\n\n\nThis is the sum of the things for the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of\nthe testimony, as they were counted, according to the commandment of\nMoses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son\nof Aaron the priest. And Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the\ntribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses. And with him was\nOholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a\ncunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in\nscarlet, and fine linen.\n\n{227}\n\nAll the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the\nsanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents,\nand seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the\nsanctuary. And the silver of them that were numbered of the\ncongregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and\nthreescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. And\nthe hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the\nsanctuary, and the sockets of the veil; an hundred sockets for the\nhundred talents, a talent for a socket. And of the thousand seven\nhundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and\noverlaid their capitals, and made fillets for them. And the brass of\nthe offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred\nshekels. And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tent of\nmeeting, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grating for it, and all\nthe vessels of the altar, and the sockets of the court round about,\nand the sockets of the gate of the court, and all the pins of the\ntabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.\n\n\n_The Garments of the Priests_.\n\n\nAnd of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made finely wrought\ngarments, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy\ngarments for Aaron; as the Lord commanded Moses.\n\nAnd he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine\nlinen. And they beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires,\nto work it in the blue, and {228} in the purple, and in the scarlet,\nand in the fine linen, the work of the cunning workman. They made\nshoulderpieces for it, joined together: at the two ends was it joined\ntogether. And the cunningly woven band, that was upon it, to gird it\non withal, was of the same piece and like the work thereof; of gold,\nof blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the Lord\ncommanded Moses.\n\nAnd they wrought the onyx stones, inclosed in clasps of gold, graven\nwith the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the\nchildren of Israel. And he put them on the shoulderpieces of the\nephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel; as the\nLord commanded Moses.\n\nAnd he made the breastplate, the work of the cunning workman, like the\nwork of the ephod; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine\nlinen. It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was\nthe length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being double. And\nthey set in it four rows of stones: a row of sardius, topaz, and\ncarbuncle was the first row. And the second row, an emerald, a\nsapphire, and a diamond. And the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and\nan amethyst. And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they\nwere inclosed in clasps of gold in their settings. And the stones were\naccording to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to\ntheir names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to\nhis name, for the twelve tribes.\n\n\n\n{229}{230}\n\n[Illustration]\n VIEW FROM MOUNT HOR\n From an old engraving.\n[End illustration]\n\n{231}\n\nAnd he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue; and the\nhole of the robe in the midst thereof, as the hole of a coat of mail,\nwith a binding round about the hole of it, that it should not be rent.\nAnd they made upon the skirts of the robe pomegranates of blue, and\npurple, and scarlet, and linen. And they made bells of pure gold, and\nput the bells between the pomegranates upon the skirts of the robe\nround about, between the pomegranates; a bell and a pomegranate, a\nbell and a pomegranate, upon the skirts of the robe round about, to\nminister in; as the Lord commanded Moses.\n\nAnd they made the coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for\nhis sons, and the miter of fine linen, and the goodly turbans of fine\nlinen, and the linen breeches of fine linen, and the girdle of fine\ntwined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, the work of the\nembroiderer; as the Lord commanded Moses.\n\nAnd they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon\nit a writing, like the engravings of a signet, \"Holy to the Lord.\" And\nthey tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it upon the miter above;\nas the Lord commanded Moses.\n\nThus was finished all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of\nmeeting: and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord\ncommanded Moses, so did they.\n\n\n_The Work Is Approved_.\n\n\nAnd they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the Tent, and all its\nfurniture, its clasps, its boards, its bars, and {232} its pillars,\nand its sockets; and the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the\ncovering of sealskins, and the veil of the screen; the ark of the\ntestimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat; the table, all\nthe vessels thereof, and the shewbread; the pure candlestick, the\nlamps thereof, even the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels\nthereof, and the oil for the light; and the golden altar, and the\nanointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the screen for the door of\nthe Tent; the brazen altar, and its grating of brass, its staves, and\nall its vessels, the laver and its base; the hangings of the court,\nits pillars, and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the\ncourt, the cords thereof, and the pins thereof, and all the\ninstruments of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;\nthe finely wrought garments for ministering in the holy place, and the\nholy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to\nminister in the priest's office. According to all that the Lord\ncommanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. And Moses\nsaw all the work, and, behold, they had done it; as the Lord had\ncommanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.\n\n\n_The Tabernacle Is Set Up_.\n\n\nAnd the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, \"On the first day of the first\nmonth shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. And\nthou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and thou shalt screen\nthe ark with the veil. And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in\norder the things that are upon it; and thou shalt bring in the\ncandlestick, and light the lamps thereof.\n\n{233}{234}\n\n[Illustration]\n FOUR THOUSAND YEARS UNCHANGED PATRIARCHAL LIFE IN PALESTINE TO-DAY\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n The unchanged habits of the East render it in this respect a kind of\n living Pompeii. The outward appearances, which in the case of the\n Greeks and Romans we know only through art and writing, through\n marble, fresco, and parchment, in the case of Jewish history we know\n through the forms of actual men, living and moving before us,\n wearing almost the same garb, speaking in almost the same language,\n and certainly with the same general turns of speech and tone and\n manners. Such as we see them now, starting on a pilgrimage, or a\n journey, were Abraham and his brother's son, when they \"went forth\"\n to go into the land of Canaan. All their substance that they had\n \"gathered\" is heaped high on the backs of their kneeling camels. The\n slaves that they \"had bought in Haran\" run along by their sides.\n Round about them are their flocks of sheep and goats, and the asses\n moving underneath the towering forms of the camels. The chief is\n there, amidst the stir of movement, or resting at noon within his\n black tent, marked out from the rest by his cloak of brilliant\n scarlet, by the fillet of rope which binds the loose handkerchief\n round his head, by the spear which he holds in his hand to guide the\n march, and to fix the encampment. The chief's wife, the princess of\n the tribe, is there in her own tent, to make the cakes and prepare\n the usual meal of milk and butter; the slave or the child is ready\n to bring in the red lentil soup for the weary hunter, or to kill the\n calf for the unexpected guest\n[End illustration]\n\n{235}\n\nAnd thou shalt set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the\ntestimony, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. And thou\nshalt set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the\ntabernacle of the tent of meeting. And thou shalt set the laver\nbetween the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water\ntherein. And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the\nscreen of the gate of the court. And thou shalt take the anointing\noil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt\nhallow it, and all the furniture thereof: and it shall be holy. And\nthou shalt anoint the altar of burnt offering, and all its vessels,\nand sanctify the altar: and the altar shall be most holy. And thou\nshalt anoint the laver and its base, and sanctify it. And thou shalt\nbring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tent of meeting, and\nthou shalt wash them with water. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the\nholy garments; and thou shalt anoint him, and sanctify him, that he\nmay minister unto me in the priest's office. And thou shalt bring his\nsons, and put coats upon them: and thou shalt anoint them, as thou\ndidst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the\npriest's office: and their anointing shall be to them for an\neverlasting priesthood throughout their generations.\" Thus did Moses:\naccording to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the\nfirst day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. And Moses\nset up the tabernacle, and laid its {236} sockets, and set up the\nboards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and set up its pillars.\nAnd he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of\nthe tent above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses. And he put the\ntestimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the\nmercy seat above upon the ark: and he brought the ark into the\ntabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of\nthe testimony; as the Lord commanded Moses. And he put the table in\nthe tent of meeting, upon the side of the tabernacle northward,\nwithout the veil. And he set the bread in order upon it before the\nLord; as the Lord commanded Moses. And he put the candlestick in the\ntent of meeting, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle\nsouthward. And he lighted the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord\ncommanded Moses. And he put the golden altar in the tent of meeting\nbefore the veil: and he burnt therein incense of sweet spices; as the\nLord commanded Moses. And he put the screen of the door to the\ntabernacle. And he set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the\ntabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt\noffering and the meal offering; as the Lord commanded Moses. And he\nset the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water\ntherein, to wash withal. And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their\nhands and their feet thereat; when they went into the tent of meeting,\nand when they came near unto the altar, they washed: as the Lord\ncommanded Moses. And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle\n{237} and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court.\nSo Moses finished the work.\n\n\n_The Cloud of the Glory of God in the Tent_.\n\n\nThen the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord\nfilled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent\nof meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord\nfilled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the\ntabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their\njourneys: but if the cloud was not taken up, then they journeyed not\ntill the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was upon\nthe tabernacle by day, and there was fire therein by night, in the\nsight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.\n\n\n{238}\n\nLEAD ME ON\n\n Traveling to the better land,\n O'er the desert's scorching sand,\n Father! let me grasp thy hand;\n Lead me on, lead me on!\n\n When at Marah, parched with heat,\n I the sparkling fountain greet,\n Make the bitter water sweet;\n Lead me on!\n\n When the wilderness is drear,\n Show me Elim's palm-grove near,\n And her wells, as crystal clear:\n Lead me on!\n\n Through the water, through the fire,\n Never let me fall or tire,\n Every step brings Canaan nigher:\n Lead me on!\n\n Bid me stand on Nebo's height,\n Gaze upon the land of light,\n Then, transported with the sight,\n Lead me on!\n\n When I stand on Jordan's brink,\n Never let me fear or shrink;\n Hold me, Father, lest I sink:\n Lead me on!\n\n When the victory is won,\n And eternal life begun,\n Up to glory lead me on!\n Lead me on, lead me on!\n\n{239}{240}\n\n[Illustration]\n MOUNT HOREB\n\n From a photograph in the possession of the Forbes Library\n and used by permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n{241}\n\nTHE MARCH TO THE PROMISED LAND\n\nTHE PILLAR OF FIRE AND THE CLOUD OF SMOKE.\n\n\nAnd on the day that the tabernacle was set up the cloud covered the\ntabernacle, even the tent of the testimony: and at even it was upon\nthe tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until morning. So it\nwas always: the cloud covered it, and the appearance of fire by night.\nAnd whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after\nthat the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the\ncloud abode, there the children of Israel encamped. At the commandment\nof the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment\nof the Lord they encamped: as long as the cloud abode upon the\ntabernacle they remained encamped. And when the cloud tarried upon the\ntabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of\nthe Lord, and journeyed not. And sometimes the cloud was a few days\nupon the tabernacle; then according to the commandment of the Lord\nthey remained encamped, and according to the commandment of the Lord\nthey journeyed. And sometimes the cloud was from evening until\nmorning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they\njourneyed: or if it continued by day and by night, when the cloud was\ntaken up, they journeyed.\n\nWhether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud\ntarried upon the tabernacle, abiding thereon, the {242} children of\nIsrael remained encamped, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up,\nthey journeyed. At the commandment of the Lord they encamped, and at\nthe commandment of the Lord they journeyed: they kept the charge of\nthe Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.\n\n\n_The Long Journey from Sinai Begins_.\n\n\nAnd it came to pass in the second year, in the second month, on the\ntwentieth day of the month, that the cloud was taken up from over the\ntabernacle of the testimony. And the children of Israel set forward\naccording to their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the\ncloud abode in the wilderness of Paran. And they first took their\njourney according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.\n\n\nAnd they set forward from the mount of the Lord three days' journey;\nand the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days'\njourney, to seek out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the\nLord was over them by day, when they set forward from the camp.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said,--\n\n \"Rise up, O Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered;\n And let them that hate thee flee before thee.\"\n\nAnd when it rested he said,--\n\n \"Return, O Lord,\n Unto the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel.\"\n\n{243}\n\nTHE SENDING OUT OF THE SPIES.\n\n_They Report \"a Land Flowing with Milk and Honey_.\"\n\nAnd the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, \"Send thou men, that they may spy\nout the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of\nevery tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, everyone a prince\namong them.\"\n\nAnd Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the\ncommandment of the Lord: all of them men who were heads of the\nchildren of Israel.\n\nAnd Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them,\n\"Get you up this way by the south, and go up into the mountains: and\nsee the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein,\nwhether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; and\nwhat the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and\nwhat cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in\nstrong holds; and what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether\nthere be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of\nthe fruit of the land.\"\n\nNow the time was the time of the first ripe grapes. So they went up,\nand spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, to the\nentering in of Hamath. And they went up by the south, and came to\nHebron; and the children of Anak were there.\n\nAnd they came unto the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a\nbranch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it upon a staff\nbetween two; they brought also of the pomegranates, and of the figs.\nThat place was called the valley of Eshcol (that is, \"cluster\"). And\nthey returned {244} from spying out the land at the end of forty days.\nAnd they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the\ncongregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to\nKadesh; and brought back word unto them, and to all the congregation,\nand showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said,\n\"We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth\nwith milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Howbeit the people\nthat dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and\nvery great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. Amalek\ndwelleth in the land of the south: and the Hittite, and the Jebusite,\nand the Amorite, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanite dwelleth by\nthe sea, and along by the side of Jordan.\"\n\nAnd Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, \"Let us go up at\nonce, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.\"\n\nBut the men that went up with him said, \"We are not able to go up\nagainst the people; for they are stronger than we.\"\n\nAnd they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied\nout unto the children of Israel, saying, \"The land, through which we\nhave gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants\nthereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great\nstature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak: and we were in\nour own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.\"\n\n{245}{246}\n\n[Illustration]\n MOSES SMITING THE ROCK\n By Murillo\n[End illustration]\n\n{247}\n\nAnd all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the\npeople wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured\nagainst Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto\nthem, \"Would God, that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God\nwe had died in this wilderness! And wherefore doth the Lord bring us\nunto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones\nshall be a prey: were it not better for us to return into Egypt?\"\n\nAnd they said one to another, \"Let us make a captain, and let us\nreturn into Egypt.\"\n\nThen Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of\nthe congregation of the children of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun\nand Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that spied out the\nland, rent their clothes: and they spoke unto all the congregation of\nthe children of Israel, saying, \"The land, which we passed through to\nspy it out, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then\nhe will bring us into this land, and give it to us; a land which\nfloweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not against the Lord, neither\nfear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their\ndefense is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us: fear them\nnot.\"\n\n\nWATER FROM THE ROCK.\n\n_Passage Through Edom Refused_.\n\n(The people refused to believe the report of the courageous spies, and\ntheir wanderings continued.)\n\nAnd the children of Israel, even the whole multitude, {248} came into\nthe wilderness of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in\nKadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. And there was no\nwater for the multitude: and they assembled themselves together\nagainst Moses and against Aaron.\n\nAnd the people strove with Moses, and spoke, saying, \"Would God that\nwe had died when our brethren died before the Lord! And why have ye\nbrought the people of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should\ndie there, we and our cattle? And wherefore have ye made us to come up\nout of Egypt, to bring us unto this evil place? it is no place of\nseed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there\nany water to drink.\"\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the people to the door\nof the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces: and the glory of\nthe Lord appeared to them. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, \"Take\nthe rod, and assemble the multitude, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and\nspeak ye to the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water;\nand thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou\nshalt give the multitude and their cattle drink.\"\n\nAnd Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And\nMoses and Aaron gathered the people together before the rock, and he\nsaid unto them, \"Hear now, ye rebels; shall we bring you forth water\nout of this rock?\"\n\nAnd Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice:\nand water came forth abundantly, and the {249} multitude drank, and\ntheir cattle. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, \"Because ye\nbelieved not in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of\nIsrael, therefore ye shall not bring this people into the land which I\nhave given them.\" These are the waters of Meribah (that is, strife);\nbecause the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was\nsanctified in them.\n\nAnd Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, \"Thus saith\nthy brother Israel, 'Thou knowest all the trouble that hath befallen\nus: how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long\ntime: and the Egyptians oppressed us, and our fathers: and when we\ncried to the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and brought\nus forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the\nuttermost of thy border: let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land:\nwe will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we\ndrink of the water of the wells: we will go along the king's highway,\nwe will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we\nhave passed thy border.'\"\n\nAnd Edom said unto him, \"Thou shalt not pass through my land, lest I\ncome out with the sword against thee.\"\n\nAnd the children of Israel said unto him, \"We will go up by the\nhighway: and if we drink of thy water, I and my cattle, then will I\ngive the price thereof: let me only, without doing anything else, pass\nthrough on my feet.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Thou shalt not pass through.\"\n\nAnd Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong\nhand. Thus Edom refused to give {250} Israel passage through his\nborder: wherefore Israel turned away from him.\n\nAnd they journeyed from Kadesh: and the children of Israel, even the\nwhole multitude, came unto Mount Hor. And the Lord spoke unto Moses\nand Aaron in Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying,\n\"Aaron shall be gathered to his people: for he shall not enter into\nthe land which I have given to the children of Israel, because ye\nrebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah. Take Aaron and\nEleazar his son, and bring them up unto Mount Hor: and strip Aaron of\nhis priestly garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron\nshall be gathered to his people, and shall die there.\"\n\nAnd Moses did as the Lord commanded: and they went up into Mount Hor\nin the sight of all the multitude. And Moses stripped Aaron of his\npriestly garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died\nthere in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from\nthe mount. And when all the multitude saw that Aaron was dead, they\nwept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.\n\n\nTHE BRAZEN SERPENT.\n\nAnd they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go\naround the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much\ndiscouraged because of the difficulties. And the people spoke against\nGod, and against Moses, \"Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt\nto die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no\nwater; and our soul loatheth this bread of manna.\"\n\n{251}{252}\n\n[Illustration]\n ROCK TEMPLE IN PETRA, IN THE LAND OF EDOM\n\n From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton,\n Mass., and used by special permission.\n\n Hidden away in the rocky gorges of Edom, Petra is one of the\n strangest and most marvelous cities of the world. Even yet it has\n not been fully explored. Its temples and tombs are carved out of the\n solid rock\n[End illustration]\n\n{253}\n\nAnd the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the\npeople; and many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses,\nand said, \"We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord,\nand against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents\nfrom us.\"\n\nAnd Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, \"Make\nthee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to\npass, that everyone who is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live.\"\n\nAnd Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the standard: and\nit came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked\nunto the serpent of brass, he lived.\n\n\n_Battles by the Way_.\n\nAnd from thence they journeyed to Beer: that is the well whereof the\nLord said unto Moses, \"Gather the people together, and I will give\nthem water.\"\n\nThen sang Israel this song:--\n\n THE SONG OF THE WELL.\n\n \"Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:\n The well, which the princes digged,\n Which the nobles of the people delved,\n With the scepter, and with their staves.\"\n\nAnd from the wilderness they journeyed past many places, to the top of\nPisgah, which looketh down upon the desert.\n\nAnd Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the {254} Amorites,\nsaying, \"Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn aside into\nfield, or into vineyard; we will not drink of the water of the wells:\nwe will go by the king's highway, until we have passed thy border.\"\nAnd Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but\nSihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel\ninto the wilderness, and came to Jahaz: and he fought against Israel.\nAnd Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his\nland from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the\nborder of the children of Ammon was strong.\n\nAnd Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities\nof the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the towns thereof. For Heshbon\nwas the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against\nthe former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even\nto Arnon. Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say,--\n\n \"Come ye to Heshbon,\n Let the city of Sihon be built and established:\n For a fire is gone out of Heshbon,\n A flame from the city of Sihon.\n It hath devoured Ar of Moab,\n The lords of the high places of Arnon.\n Woe to thee, Moab!\n Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh:\n He hath given his sons as fugitives,\n And his daughters into captivity,\n Unto Sihon king of the Amorites. {255}\n We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon,\n And we have laid waste even unto Nophah,\n Which reacheth unto Medeba.\"\n\nThus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. And Moses sent to spy\nout Jazer, and they took the towns thereof, and drove out the Amorites\nthat were there.\n\nAnd they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of\nBashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at\nEdrei. And the Lord said to Moses, \"Fear him not: for I have delivered\nhim into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do\nto him as thou didst to Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at\nHeshbon.\"\n\nSo they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was\nnone left him remaining: and they possessed his land.\n\n\nBALAAM AND BALAK.\n\n_The Story of the Prophet Who Was Tempted by a Bribe and of the Ass\nWhich Knew More Than His Master_.\n\nAnd the children of Israel journeyed, and encamped in the plains of\nMoab beyond the Jordan at Jericho.\n\nAnd Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the\nAmorites. And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were\nmany: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. And\nMoab said unto the elders of Midian, \"Now shall this multitude lick\n{256} up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of\nthe field.\"\n\nAnd Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. And he sent\nmessengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the\nRiver, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying,\n\"Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the\nface of the earth, and they abide over against me: come now therefore,\nI pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me:\nperadventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may\ndrive them out of the land: for I know that he whom thou blessest is\nblessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.\"\n\nAnd the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with bribes\nin their hands; and they came unto Balaam, and spoke unto him the\nwords of Balak.\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Lodge here this night, and I will bring you\nword again, as the Lord shall speak unto me.\"\n\nAnd the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. And God came unto Balaam,\nand said, \"What men are these with thee?\"\n\nAnd Balaam said unto God, \"Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath\nsent unto me, saying, 'Behold, the people that is come out of Egypt,\nit covereth the face of the earth: now, come curse me them;\nperadventure I shall be able to fight against them, and shall drive\nthem out.'\"\n\nAnd God said unto Balaam, \"Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not\ncurse the people: for they are blessed.\"\n\n{257}{258}\n\n[Illustration]\n VIEW OF THE DEAD SEA\n\n From a photograph taken by Mr. Louis L. Tribus, Consulting Engineer\n and Commissioner of Public Works of the Borough of Richmond, City of\n New York.\n\n An interesting fact in connection with this picture of the Dead Sea\n concerns the boat which is floating upon it. The owner succeeded in\n securing a concession from the Turkish Government to put a steamboat\n upon the Dead Sea. When he started to run it he was advised that the\n concession had not included the operation of the boat and a\n considerable further sum of money was desired by the officials. This\n being beyond the power of the man to raise, the boat has not been\n operated and remains as the picture shows it.\n\n The water of the Dead Sea contains about 25 per cent. of solid\n substances. There are common salt, chloride of calcium, chloride of\n magnesium, and other ingredients, and it is not to be wondered at\n that the human body floats easily on the surface.\n\n The area of the sea is 360 square miles. Its length is 47-1/2 miles;\n its greatest width, 10 miles. The surface is about 1295 feet below\n sea level.\n\n Scientific observation justifies the estimate that a daily average\n of 6,500,000 tons of water is received into the Dead Sea from the\n Jordan and other sources during the year. During the rainy season\n the amount is very much greater; during the dry season it is, of\n course, very much less, but this average will be maintained year\n after year.\n\n There is no outlet, and the level is kept down by evaporation only,\n which is very rapid because of the intense heat, the dry atmosphere\n and the dry winds which are constantly blowing down the gorges\n between the mountains.\n\n The waters of the Jordan, when they reach the sea, are as brown as\n the earth through which they flow--a thick solution of mud--but the\n instant they mingle with the salt water of the lake the particles of\n soil are precipitated and they become as clear as crystal, with an\n intensely green tint.\n[End illustration]\n\n{259}\n\nAnd Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak,\n\"Get you into your land: for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go\nwith you.\"\n\nAnd the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said,\n\"Balaam refuseth to come with us.\"\n\nAnd Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable than they.\nAnd they came to Balaam, and said to him, \"Thus saith Balak the son of\nZippor, 'Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:\nfor I will promote thee unto very great honor, and whatsoever thou\nsayest unto me I will do: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this\npeople.'\"\n\nAnd Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, \"If Balak\nwould give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond\nthe word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. Now therefore, I pray\nyou, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will\nspeak unto me more.\"\n\nAnd God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, \"If the men be\ncome to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I\nspeak unto thee, that shalt thou do.\"\n\nAnd Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with\nthe princes of Moab. And God's anger was kindled because he went: and\nthe angel of the Lord placed himself in the way for an adversary\nagainst him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were\nwith him. And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way,\nwith his sword drawn in his hand: {260} and the ass turned aside out\nof the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn\nher into the way.\n\nThen the angel of the Lord stood in a hollow place between the\nvineyards, a fence being on this side, and a fence on that side. And\nthe ass saw the angel of the Lord, and she thrust herself unto the\nwall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her\nagain.\n\nAnd the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place,\nwhere was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.\n\nAnd the ass saw the angel of the Lord, and she lay down under Balaam:\nand Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with his staff.\n\nAnd the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam,\n\"What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three\ntimes?\"\n\nAnd Balaam said unto the ass, \"Because thou hast mocked me: I would\nthere were a sword in mine hand, for now I had killed thee.\"\n\nAnd the ass said unto Balaam, \"Am not I thine ass, upon which thou\nhast ridden all thy life long unto this day? was I ever wont to do so\nunto thee?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"No.\"\n\nThen the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the\nLord standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand: and he\nbowed his head, and fell on his face.\n\nAnd the angel of the Lord said unto him, \"Wherefore {261} hast thou\nsmitten thine ass these three times? behold, I am come forth for an\nadversary, because thy way is perverse before me: and the ass saw me,\nand turned aside before me these three times: unless she had turned\naside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive.\"\n\nAnd Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, \"I have sinned; for I knew\nnot that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it\ndisplease thee, I will get me back again.\"\n\nAnd the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, \"Go with the men: but only\nthe word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak.\"\n\nSo Balaam went with the princes of Balak. And when Balak heard that\nBalaam was come, he went out to meet him unto the city of Moab, which\nis on the border of Arnon.\n\nAnd Balak said unto Balaam, \"Did I not earnestly send unto thee to\ncall thee? wherefore earnest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to\npromote thee to honor?\"\n\nAnd Balaam said unto Balak, \"Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any\npower at all to speak anything? the word that God putteth in my mouth,\nthat shall I speak.\"\n\nAnd Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kiriath-huzoth. And\nBalak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the\nprinces that were with him. And it came to pass in the morning, that\nBalak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of {262}\nBaal, and he saw from thence the utmost part of the people.\n\nAnd Balaam said unto Balak, \"Build me here seven altars, and prepare\nme here seven bullocks and seven rams.\"\n\nAnd Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on\nevery altar a bullock and a ram.\n\nAnd Balaam said unto Balak, \"Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will\ngo; peradventure the Lord will come to meet me: and whatsoever he\nshoweth me I will tell thee.\" And he went to a bare summit.\n\nAnd God met Balaam: and he said unto him, \"I have prepared the seven\naltars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.\"\n\nAnd the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, \"Return unto\nBalak, and thus thou shalt speak.\"\n\nAnd he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt offering, he,\nand all the princes of Moab. And Balaam said,--\n\n \"From Aram hath Balak brought me,\n The king of Moab from the mountains of the East:\n 'Come, curse me Jacob,\n And come, defy Israel.'\n How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?\n And how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?\n For from the top of the rocks I see him,\n And from the hills I behold him:\n Lo, it is a people that dwell alone,\n And shall not be reckoned among the nations. {263}\n Who can count the dust of Jacob,\n Or number the fourth part of Israel?\n Let me die the death of the righteous,\n And let my last end be like his!\"\n\nAnd Balak said unto Balaam, \"What hast thou done unto me? I took thee\nto curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them\naltogether.\"\n\nAnd he answered and said, \"Must I not take heed to speak that which\nthe Lord putteth in my mouth?\"\n\nAnd Balak said unto him, \"Come, I pray thee, with me unto another\nplace, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost\npart of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from\nthence.\"\n\nAnd he took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and\nbuilt seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.\n\nAnd he said unto Balak, \"Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I\nmeet the Lord yonder.\"\n\nAnd the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said,\n\"Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.\"\n\nAnd he came to him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt offering, and the\nprinces of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, \"What hath the Lord\nspoken?\" And he said,--\n\n \"Rise up, Balak, and hear;\n Hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:\n God is not a man, that he should lie;\n Neither the son of man, that he should repent: {264}\n Hath he said, and shall he not do it?\n Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?\n Behold, I have received commandment to bless:\n And he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.\n He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob,\n Neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel:\n The Lord his God is with him,\n And the shout of a king is among them.\n God bringeth them forth out of Egypt;\n He hath as it were the strength of the wild ox.\n Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob,\n Neither is there any divination with Israel:\n Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel,\n 'What hath God wrought!'\n Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness,\n And as a lion doth he lift himself up:\n He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,\n And drink the blood of the slain.\"\n\nAnd Balak said unto Balaam, \"Neither curse them at all, nor bless them\nat all.\" But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, \"Told not I thee,\nsaying, 'All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do'?\"\n\nAnd Balak said unto Balaam, \"Come now, I will take thee unto another\nplace; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them\nfrom thence.\"\n\nAnd Balak took Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh down upon the\ndesert.\n\nAnd Balaam said unto Balak, \"Build me here seven altars, and prepare\nme here seven bullocks and seven rams.\"\n\n{265}\n\nAnd Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a ram\non every altar.\n\nAnd when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he set\nhis face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he\nsaw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the spirit of God\ncame upon him. And he said,--\n\n \"Balaam the son of Beor saith,\n And the man whose eye was closed saith:\n He saith, who heareth the words of God,\n Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,\n Falling down, and having his eyes open:\n How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,\n Thy tabernacles, O Israel!\n As valleys are they spread forth,\n As gardens by the river side,\n As aloes which the Lord hath planted,\n As cedar trees beside the waters.\n Water shall flow from his buckets,\n And his family shall be in many waters,\n And his king shall be higher than Agag,\n And his kingdom shall be exalted.\n God bringeth him forth out of Egypt;\n He hath as it were the strength of the wild ox:\n He shall eat up the nations his adversaries,\n And shall break their bones in pieces,\n And smite them through with his arrows.\n He couched, he lay down as a lion,\n And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?\n Blessed be everyone that blesseth thee,\n And cursed be everyone that curseth thee.\"\n\n{266}\n\nAnd Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands\ntogether: and Balak said unto Balaam, \"I called thee to curse mine\nenemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three\ntimes. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee\nunto great honor; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honor.\"\n\nAnd Balaam said unto Balak, \"Spoke I not also to thy messengers which\nthou sentest unto me, saying, 'If Balak would give me his house full\nof silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord, to do\neither good or bad of mine own mind; what the Lord speaketh, that will\nI speak'?\n\n\"And now, behold, I go unto my people: come, and I will announce to\nthee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.\" And\nhe said,--\n\n \"Balaam the son of Beor saith,\n And the man whose eye was closed saith:\n He saith, who heareth the words of God,\n And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High,\n Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,\n Falling down, and having his eyes open:\n I see him, but not now:\n I behold him, but not nigh:\n There shall come forth a star out of Jacob,\n And a scepter shall rise out of Israel,\n And shall smite through the corners of Moab,\n And break down all the sons of tumult.\n And Edom shall be a possession,\n Seir also shall be a possession, which were his enemies; {267}\n While Israel doeth valiantly.\n And out of Jacob shall one have dominion,\n And shall destroy the remnant from the city.\"\n\nAnd he looked on Amalek, and said,--\n\n \"Amalek was the first of the nations;\n But his latter end shall come to destruction.\"\n\nAnd he looked on the Kenite, and said,--\n\n \"Strong is thy dwelling place,\n And thy nest is set in the rock.\n Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted,\n Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.\"\n\nAnd he said,--\n\n \"Alas, who shall live when God doeth this?\n But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim,\n And they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber,\n And he also shall come to destruction.\"\n\nAnd Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his\nplace: and Balak also went his way.\n\n{268}\n\nTHE DEATH OF MOSES.\n\n_He Sees but Cannot Enter the Promised Land_.\n\n(After the Israelites had wandered for many years in the desert, they\napproached at last the river Jordan, on the borders of the promised\nland. Moses, their great hero and leader, was not permitted to cross\nthe river, but, after giving the people his last words of advice,\nclimbed the rugged slopes of Mount Nebo, and was never again seen by\nthe eye of man.)\n\nAnd Moses went and spoke these words unto all Israel. And he said to\nthem, \"I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go\nout and come in: and the Lord hath said to me, 'Thou shalt not go over\nthis Jordan.' The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee; he will\ndestroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them:\nand Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath spoken. And\nthe Lord shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of\nthe Amorites, and unto their land; whom he destroyed. And the Lord\nshall deliver them up before you, and ye shall do to them according\nunto all the commandment which I have commanded you. Be strong and of\na good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: for the Lord thy\nGod, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor\nforsake thee.\"\n\nAnd Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all\nIsrael, \"Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt go with this\npeople into the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to\ngive them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, he\nit is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail\nthee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.\n\n{269}{270}\n\n[Illustration]\n MOSES ON MOUNT NEBO\n Thomas Nast\n\n This picture by the famous cartoonist Nast, represents Moses from\n the summit of Nebo gazing into the land which he was never to enter\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{271}\n\n\"For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too\nhard for thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou\nshouldest say, 'Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto\nus, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?' Neither is it beyond\nthe sea, that thou shouldest say, 'Who shall go over the sea for us,\nand bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?' But\nthe word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that\nthou mayest do it.\n\n\"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and\nevil; in that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to\nwalk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and\nhis judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply, and that the Lord\nthy God may bless thee in the land whither thou goest in to possess\nit. But if thine heart turn away, and thou wilt not hear, but shalt be\ndrawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I announce to you\nthis day, that ye shall surely perish; ye shall not prolong your days\nupon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go in to possess\nit. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I\nhave set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse:\ntherefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy families:\nto love the Lord thy God, to obey his voice, and to cleave unto him:\nfor he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest {272}\ndwell in the land which the Lord swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham,\nto Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.\"\n\nAnd Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel: and\nhe said to them, \"Set your heart to all the words which I testify to\nyou this day; which ye shall command your children, to observe to do\nall the words of this law. For it is no vain thing for you; because it\nis your life, and through this thing ye shall prolong your days upon\nthe land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.\"\n\nAnd the Lord spoke to Moses that selfsame day, saying, \"Get thee up\ninto this mountain of Abarim, unto Mount Nebo, which is in the land of\nMoab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan,\nwhich I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: and die in\nthe mount whither thou goest up; as Aaron thy brother died in Mount\nHor: because ye trespassed against me in the midst of the children of\nIsrael at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin;\nbecause ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.\nFor thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither\ninto the land which I give the children of Israel.\"\n\nAnd Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of\nPisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the\nland of Gilead, as far as Dan; and all Naphtali, and the land of\nEphraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, to the western sea;\nand the South, and the Plain of the valley of Jericho the city of palm\ntrees, as far as Zoar. And the Lord said to {273} him, \"This is the\nland which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying,\n'I will give it unto thy family': I have caused thee to see it with\nthine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.\"\n\nSo Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab,\naccording to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in the valley in\nthe land of Moab over against Beth-pear: but no man knoweth of his\nsepulcher unto this day.\n\nAnd Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye\nwas not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel\nwept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of\nweeping in the mourning for Moses were ended.\n\nAnd there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses,\nwhom the Lord knew face to face; in all the signs and the wonders,\nwhich the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to\nall his servants, and to all his land; and in all the mighty hand, and\nin all the great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all\nIsrael.\n\n{274}\n\nTHE BURIAL OF MOSES\n\n By Nebo's lonely mountain,\n On this side Jordan's wave,\n In a vale in the land of Moab,\n There lies a lonely grave.\n And no man knows that sepulcher,\n And no man saw it e'er,\n For the angels of God upturned the sod,\n And laid the dead man there.\n\n That was the grandest funeral\n That ever passed on earth;\n But no man heard the trampling,\n Or saw the train go forth:\n Noiselessly as the daylight\n Comes back when night is done,\n And the crimson streak on ocean's cheek\n Grows into the great sun;\n\n Noiselessly as the spring-time\n Her crown of verdure weaves,\n And all the trees on all the hills\n Open their thousand leaves;\n So without sound of music\n Or voice of them that wept,\n Silently down from the mountain's crown\n The great procession swept.\n\n Perchance that bald old eagle\n On gray Beth-Peor's height,\n Out of his lonely eyrie\n Looked on the wondrous sight: {275}\n Perchance the lion, stalking,\n Stills shuns that hallowed spot,\n For beast and bird have seen and heard\n That which man knoweth not.\n\n But when the warrior dieth,\n His comrades in the war,\n With arms reversed and muffled drum,\n Follow his funeral car;\n They show the banners taken,\n They tell his battles won,\n And after him lead his masterless steed,\n While peals the minute-gun.\n\n Amid the noblest of the land\n We lay the sage to rest,\n And give the bard an honored place.\n With costly marble drest,\n In the great minster transept\n Where lights like glories fall,\n And the organ rings and the sweet choir sings\n Along the emblazoned wall.\n\n This was the truest warrior\n That ever buckled sword,\n This the most gifted poet\n That ever breathed a word;\n And never earth's philosopher\n Traced with his golden pen,\n On the deathless page, truths half so sage\n As he wrote down for men.\n\n And had he not 'nigh honor,--\n The hillside for a pall,\n To lie in state while angels wait,\n With stars for tapers tall, {276}\n And the dark rock-pines like tossing plumes\n Over his bier to wave,\n And God's own hand, in that lonely land,\n To lay him in the grave?\n\n In that strange grave without a name,\n Whence his uncoffined clay\n Shall break again, O wondrous thought!\n Before the judgment day,\n And stand with glory wrapt around\n On the hills he never trod,\n And speak of the strife that won our life\n With the Incarnate Son of God.\n\n O, lonely grave in Moab's land!\n O, dark Beth-Peor's hill!\n Speak to these curious hearts of ours,\n And teach them to be still.\n God hath his mysteries of grace,\n Ways that we cannot tell;\n He hides them deep, like the hidden sleep\n Of him he loved so well.\n --_Cecil Frances Alexander_.\n\n{277}\n\nJOSHUA\n\n_The Story of the Hero Whose Genius as a Warrior Won\nthe Land of Canaan for Israel_.\n\n(The Israelites found the land of Canaan occupied by a fierce and\nwarlike people with whom they fought many battles and waged long\ncampaigns. The story of this warfare is filled with deeds of cruelty\nand violence, yet it is no more terrible than war has always been. We\ncannot understand why God has permitted so much suffering, but we know\nthat in some cases at least the world has advanced in freedom through\nthe loss and sacrifice of war. Even in war men have grown less cruel,\nand we may hope for the time when all war shall cease and men shall\nlive together as brethren.)\n\n\nJOSHUA IS MADE CAPTAIN OF THE HOST.\n\n_Spies Are Sent to Jericho_.\n\nNow it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,\nthat the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, saying, \"Moses my\nservant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and\nall this people, to the land which I give to them, even to the\nchildren of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread\nupon, to you have I given it, as I spoke to Moses. From the\nwilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river\nEuphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea to the\ngoing down of the sun, shall {278} be your border. There shall not any\nman be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was\nwith Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake\nthee. Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt cause this\npeople to inherit the land which I swore unto their fathers to give\nthem. Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according\nto all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from\nit to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good\nsuccess whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not\ndepart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and\nnight, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written\ntherein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou\nshalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a\ngood courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for the\nLord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.\"\n\nThen Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, \"Pass\nthrough the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying,\n'Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this\nJordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth\nyou to possess it.'\"\n\nAnd Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies\nsecretly, saying, \"Go view the land, and Jericho.\" And they went, and\ncame into the house of a woman whose name was Rahab, and lay there.\nAnd it was told the king of Jericho, saying, \"Behold, there came men\nin hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the land.\"\n\n{279}{280}\n\n[Illustration]\n MOUNDS MARKING THE SITE OF OLD JERICHO\n\n From the road from Jerusalem to Jericho\n\n From a photograph taken by Prof. D. G. Lyon\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n Jericho, \"the city of palm trees,\" was the only important place in\n the Jordan valley. In Bible times it was a beautiful and prosperous\n city, but now it is only a waste. Its palm trees are gone and the\n site is desolate. It was often conquered by the armies which passed\n through Palestine. After its walls fell down before Joshua's hosts,\n \"no great man was born in Jericho; no heroic deed was ever done in\n her. She never stood a siege and her inhabitants were always running\n away.\" --_Smith_\n[End illustration]\n\n{281}\n\nAnd the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, \"Bring forth the men\nthat are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they\nare come to search out all the land.\"\n\nAnd the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said, \"Yea, the\nmen came unto me, but I knew not whence they were: and it came to pass\nabout the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the\nmen went out: whither the men went I know not: pursue after them\nquickly; for ye shall overtake them.\"\n\nBut she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks\nof flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. And the men\npursued after them along the way to Jordan to the fords: and as soon\nas those who pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. And\nbefore they were laid down, she came up to them upon the roof; and she\nsaid to the men, \"I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and\nthat the fear of you is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants\nof the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried\nup the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt; and\nwhat ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond\nJordan, unto Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon\nas we had heard it, our hearts melted, neither did there remain any\nmore spirit in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is\nGod in heaven above, and on earth beneath. Now {282} therefore, I pray\nyou, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you,\nthat ye also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a\ntrue token: and that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and\nmy brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver\nour lives from death.\"\n\nAnd the men said to her, \"Our life for yours, if ye speak not of this\nour business; and it shall be, when the Lord giveth us the land, that\nwe will deal kindly and truly with thee.\"\n\nThen she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was\nupon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said to them,\n\"Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers find you; and hide\nyourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned: and\nafterward may ye go your way.\"\n\nAnd the men said unto her, \"We will be guiltless of this thine oath\nwhich thou hast made us to swear, unless, when we come into the land,\nthou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou\ndidst let us down by: and thou shalt gather into the house thy father,\nand thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household. And\nit shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house\ninto the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be\nguiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood\nshall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. But if thou speak of\nthis our business, then we will be guiltless or thine oath which thou\nhast made us to swear.\"\n\n{283}{284}\n\n[Illustration]\n LOWER FORDS OF THE JORDAN\n\n From a photograph in the possession of Rev. Louis F. Giroux\n of the International College, Springfield, Mass.,\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n Jordan river is a narrow, winding stream flowing down on the eastern\n border of the \"Promised Land.\" When not in flood its width does not\n average over two hundred feet and it is rarely over five feet deep\n at such times; in flood it becomes in places a mile broad. It is so\n winding that in sixty-five miles direct course it covers a distance\n of two hundred miles. There are some fifty fords across the river,\n and in Roman times it was spanned by bridges. This picture shows the\n \"lower fords.\" At this point, or near here, the Israelites crossed.\n \"There are hundreds of other streams more large, more useful, or\n more beautiful; there is none which has been more spoken about by\n mankind\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{285}\n\nAnd she said, \"According to your words, so be it.\" And she sent them\naway, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.\n\nAnd they went, and came to the mountain, and hid there three days,\nuntil the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them\nthroughout all the way, but found them not. Then the two men returned,\nand descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua\nthe son of Nun; and they told him all that had befallen them. And they\nsaid unto Joshua, \"Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all\nthe land; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land do melt away\nbefore us.\"\n\n\nTHE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN.\n\n_The Israelites Leave the Jordan Behind Them as They Left\nthe Red Sea_.\n\nAnd Joshua rose up early in the morning, and they marched from\nShittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel; and\nthey lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after\nthree days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp; and\nthey commanded the people, saying, \"When ye see the ark of the\ncovenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it,\nthen ye shall advance from your place, and go after it. Yet there\nshall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by\nmeasure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye\nmust go; for ye have not passed this way heretofore.\"\n\n{286}\n\nAnd Joshua said to the people, \"Sanctify yourselves: for to-morrow the\nLord will do wonders among you.\"\n\nAnd Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, \"Take up the ark of the\ncovenant, and pass over before the people.\" And they took up the ark\nof the covenant, and went before the people.\n\nAnd the Lord said to Joshua, \"This day will I begin to magnify thee in\nthe sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses,\nso I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear\nthe ark of the covenant, saying, 'When ye are come to the brink of the\nwaters of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.'\"\n\nAnd Joshua said unto the children of Israel, \"Come hither, and hear\nthe words of the Lord your God.\"\n\nAnd Joshua said, \"Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among\nyou, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the\nCanaanite, and all the people of the land. Behold, the ark of the\ncovenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into\nJordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel,\nfor every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, when the soles of\nthe feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all\nthe earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of\nJordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above;\nand they shall stand in one heap.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass\nover Jordan, the priests that bore the ark of the covenant being\nbefore the people; and when they {287} that bore the ark were come to\nJordan, and the feet of the priests that bore the ark were dipped in\nthe brink of the water (for Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the\ntime of harvest), that the waters which came down from above stood,\nand rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is\nbeside Zarethan: and those that went down toward the Salt Sea were\nwholly cut off: and the people passed over right opposite Jericho.\n\nAnd the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood\nfirm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all Israel passed over\non dry ground, until all the nation were passed wholly over Jordan.\n\n\nSIEGE AND CAPTURE OF JERICHO.\n\n_How the Walls of the City Fell Down_.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his\neyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with\nhis sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went to him, and said to him,\n\"Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now\ncome.\"\n\nAnd Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and said to\nhim, \"What saith my Lord to his servant?\" And the captain of the\nLord's host said to Joshua, \"Put off thy shoe from off thy foot; for\nthe place whereon thou standest is holy.\"\n\nAnd Joshua did so.\n\n(Now Jericho was closely besieged by the children {288} of Israel:\nnone went out, and none came in.) And the Lord said to Joshua, \"See, I\nhave given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the\nmighty men of valor. And ye shall march around the city, all the men\nof war, going about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And\nseven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark:\nand the seventh day ye shall march around the city seven times, and\nthe priests shall blow the trumpets. And it shall be, that when they\nmake a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of\nthe trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the\nwall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up\nevery man straight before him.\"\n\nAnd Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them,\n\"Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven\ntrumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.\"\n\nAnd they said unto the people, \"Pass on, and march around the city,\nand let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.\"\n\nAnd it was so, that when Joshua had spoken unto the people, the seven\npriests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord\npassed on, and blew the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the\nLord followed them. And the armed men went before the priests that\nblew the trumpets, and the rear guard went after the ark, the priests\nblowing the trumpets as they went.\n\n{289}{290}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE PLAIN OF JERICHO, LOOKING TOWARD THE JORDAN\n FROM THE HILLS TO THE WEST.\n\n From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n A view of the Jordan plain, showing the desolate\n nature of the country.\n[End illustration]\n\n{291}\n\nAnd Joshua commanded the people, saying, \"Ye shall not shout, nor let\nyour voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth,\nuntil the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.\"\n\nSo he caused the ark of the Lord to pass around the city, going about\nit once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.\n\nAnd Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark\nof the Lord. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams'\nhorns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew the\ntrumpets: and the armed men went before them; and the rear guard came\nafter the ark of the Lord, the priests blowing the trumpets as they\nwent.\n\nAnd the second day they marched around the city once, and returned\ninto the camp: so they did six days. And it came to pass on the\nseventh day, that they rose early at the dawning of the day, and\nmarched around the city after the same manner seven times. And it came\nto pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets,\nJoshua said to the people, \"Shout! for the Lord hath given you the\ncity. And the city shall be devoted, even it and all that is therein,\nto the Lord: only Rahab shall live, she and all that are with her in\nthe house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, be\nsure to keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when ye have\ndevoted it, ye take of the devoted thing; so should ye make the camp\nof Israel accursed, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and\nvessels of brass and iron, are holy {292} unto the Lord: they shall\ncome into the treasury of the Lord.\"\n\nSo the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets: and it came\nto pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the\npeople shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so\nthat the people went up into the city, every man straight before him,\nand they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the\ncity, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and\nass, with the edge of the sword.\n\nAnd Joshua said unto the two men that had spied out the land, \"Go into\nRahab's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath,\nas ye swore unto her.\" And the young men who were the spies went in,\nand brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her\nbrethren, and all that she had, all her kindred also they brought out;\nand they set them without the camp of Israel.\n\nAnd they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the\nsilver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put\ninto the treasury of the house of the Lord.\n\nBut Rahab and her father's household, and all that she had, did Joshua\nsave alive; and she dwelt in the midst of Israel, to this day; because\nshe hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.\n\n\n{293}\n\nTHE FALL OF JERICHO\n\n Sound, sound for ever, Clarions of Thought!\n When Joshua 'gainst the high-walled city fought,\n He marched around it with his banners high.\n His troops in serried order following nigh.\n But not a sword was drawn, no shaft outsprang,\n Only the trumpets the shrill onset rang.\n At the first blast, smiled scornfully the king,\n And at the second sneered, half wonderingly:\n \"Hop'st thou with noise my stronghold to break down?\"\n At the third round, the ark of old renown\n Swept forward, still the trumpets sounding loud,\n And then the troops with ensigns waving proud.\n Stepped out upon the old walls children dark\n With horns to mock the notes and hoot the ark.\n\n At the fourth turn, braving the Israelites,\n Women appeared upon the crenelated heights--\n Those battlements embrowned with age and rust--\n And hurled upon the Hebrews stones and dust,\n And spun and sang when weary of the game.\n At the fifth circuit came the blind and lame,\n And with wild uproar clamorous and high\n Railed at the clarion ringing to the sky.\n At the sixth time, upon a tower's tall crest,\n So high that there the eagle built his nest,\n So hard that on it lightning lit in vain,\n Appeared in merriment the king again:\n \"These Hebrew Jews musicians are, me-seems!\"\n He scoffed, loud laughing, \"but they live on dreams.\"\n The princes laughed, submissive to the king,\n Laughed all the courtiers in their glittering ring,\n And thence the laughter spread through all the town.\n At the seventh blast--the city walls fell down.\n\n --_Victor Hugo_.\n\n{294}\n\nTHE ATTACK UPON AI.\n\n_The Story of a Rout and an Ambush. Defeat Turned to Victory_.\n\n\n(The spoil of the city of Jericho was \"devoted,\" that is offered\nto the Lord, and could be the private property of no person.\nHow the greed of one soldier got the better of him, the evil\nconsequences, the execution of the guilty soldier for disobedience of\nmilitary orders, and the subsequent victory of the Israelites are\ntold in the following chapter.)\n\n\nBut the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted thing:\nfor Achan, of the tribe of Judah, took of the devoted thing: and the\nanger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.\n\nAnd Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on\nthe east side of Beth-el, and spoke unto them, saying, \"Go up and spy\nout the land.\" And the men went up and spied out Ai.\n\nAnd they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, \"Let not all the\npeople go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite\nAi; make not all the people to toil thither; for they are but few.\"\n\nSo there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and\nthey fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about\nthirty and six men: and they chased them from before the gate even\nunto Shebarim, and smote them at the descent: and the hearts of the\npeople melted, and became as water. And Joshua rent his clothes, and\nfell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the\nevening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust upon their\nheads.\n\n{295}\n\nAnd Joshua said, \"Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought\nthis people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites,\nto cause us to perish? would that we had been content and dwelt beyond\nJordan! O Lord, what shall I say, after Israel hath turned their backs\nbefore their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of\nthe land shall hear of it, and shall surround us round, and cut off\nour name from the earth: and what wilt thou do for thy great name?\"\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Joshua, \"Get thee up; wherefore art thou thus\nfallen upon thy face? Israel hath sinned; yea, they have even\ntransgressed my covenant which I commanded them: yea, they have even\ntaken of the devoted thing; and have also stolen, and lied also, and\nthey have even put it among their own goods. Therefore the children of\nIsrael cannot stand before their enemies, they turn their backs before\ntheir enemies, because they are become accursed: I will not be with\nyou any more, except ye destroy the devoted thing from among you. Up,\nsanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow:\nfor thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, There is a devoted thing\nin the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine\nenemies, until ye take away the devoted thing from among you. In the\nmorning therefore ye shall be brought near by your tribes: and it\nshall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come near by\nfamilies; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come near by\nhouseholds; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come\nnear man by man. And it {296} shall be, that he that is taken with the\ndevoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath:\nbecause he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he\nhath wrought folly in Israel.'\"\n\nSo Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel near by\ntheir tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: and he brought near\nthe family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zerahites: and he\nbrought near the family of the Zerahites man by man; and Zabdi was\ntaken: and he brought near his household man by man; and Achan was\ntaken. And Joshua said unto Achan, \"My son, give, I pray thee, glory\nto the Lord, the God of Israel, and make confession to him; and tell\nme now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.\"\n\nAnd Achan answered Joshua, and said, \"Of a truth I have sinned against\nthe Lord, the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: when I saw\namong the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, and two hundred shekels of\nsilver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted\nthem, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the\nmidst of my tent, and the silver under it.\"\n\nSo Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it\nwas hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them from\nthe midst of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the\nchildren of Israel; and they laid them down before the Lord. And\nJoshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the\nsilver, and the mantle, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his\ndaughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his {297} sheep, and his\ntent, and all that he had: and they brought them up unto the valley of\nAchor.\n\nAnd Joshua said, \"Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble\nthee this day.\"\n\nAnd all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire,\nand stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of\nstones, to this day; and the Lord turned from the fierceness of his\nanger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of\nAchor (that is, troubling), unto this day.\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Joshua, \"Fear not, neither be thou dismayed:\ntake all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I\nhave given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city,\nand his land: and thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto\nJericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof,\nshall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: set thee an ambush for the\ncity behind it.\"\n\nSo Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai: and Joshua\nchose out thirty thousand men, the mighty men of valor, and sent them\nforth by night. And he commanded them, saying, \"Behold, ye shall lie\nin ambush against the city, behind the city: go not very far from the\ncity, but be ye all ready: and I, and all the people that are with me,\nwill approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come\nout against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them; and\nthey will come out after us, till we have drawn them away from the\ncity; for they will say, 'They flee before us, as at the first'; so we\nwill {298} flee before them: and ye shall rise up from the ambush, and\ntake possession of the city: for the Lord your God will deliver it\ninto your hand. And it shall be, when ye have seized upon the city,\nthat ye shall set the city on fire; according to the word of the Lord\nshall ye do: see, I have commanded you.\"\n\nAnd Joshua sent them forth: and they went to the ambushment, and took\ntheir place between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua\ncamped that night among the people.\n\nAnd Joshua rose up early in the morning, and mustered the people, and\nwent up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. And all\nthe people, even the men of war that were with him, went up, and drew\nnigh, and came before the city, to the north side of Ai: now there was\na valley between him and Ai. And he took about five thousand men, and\nset them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the\ncity. So they set the people, even all the host that was on the north\nof the city, and their liers in wait that were on the west of the\ncity; and Joshua went that night into the midst of the vale. And it\ncame to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up\nearly, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he\nand all his people, at the time appointed, before the valley; but he\nknew not that there was an ambush against him behind the city.\n\nAnd Joshua and all Israel pretended that they were beaten before them,\nand fled by the way of the {299} wilderness. And all the people that\nwere in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they\npursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. And there was\nnot a man left in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel: and\nthey left the city open, and pursued after Israel. And the Lord said\nunto Joshua, \"Stretch out the javelin that is in thy hand toward Ai;\nfor I will give it into thine hand.\"\n\nAnd Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the\ncity. And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as\nsoon as he had stretched out his hand, and entered into the city, and\ntook it; and they hasted and set the city on fire. And when the men of\nAi looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city\nascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that\nway: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the\npursuers. And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken\nthe city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned\nagain and slew the men of Ai. And the others came forth out of the\ncity against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this\nside, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let\nnone of them remain or escape.\n\nAnd the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. And it\ncame to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the\ninhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they pursued\nthem, and they were all fallen by the edge of the sword, until they\nwere {300} consumed, that all Israel returned unto Ai, and smote it\nwith the edge of the sword. And all that fell that day, both of men\nand women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. For Joshua\ndrew not back his hand, wherewith he stretched out the javelin, until\nhe had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Only the cattle\nand the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey to themselves,\naccording to the word of the Lord which he commanded Joshua. So Joshua\nburnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation, unto this\nday.\n\n\nTHE SUBMISSION OF GIBEON.\n\n_How a Timid People Used a Successful Trick_.\n\n\nAnd it came to pass, when all the kings which were beyond Jordan, in\nthe hill country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the\ngreat sea in front of Lebanon, heard of this, they gathered themselves\ntogether, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.\n\nBut when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto\nJericho and to Ai, they were very cunning, and they pretended to be\nambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine skins, old\nand rent and bound up; and shoes old and patched upon their feet, and\nold garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry\nand was become mouldy. And they went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal,\nand said to him, and to the men of Israel, \"We are come from a far\ncountry: now therefore make ye a covenant with us.\"\n\nAnd the men of Israel said unto the Gibeonites, \"Perhaps {301} ye\ndwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you?\"\n\nAnd they said to Joshua, \"We are thy servants.\"\n\nAnd Joshua said to them, \"Who are ye? and from whence come ye?\"\n\nAnd they said unto him, \"From a very far country thy servants are come\nbecause of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of\nhim, and all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two\nkings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of\nHeshbon, and to Og king of Bashan. And our elders and all the\ninhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, 'Take provision in\nyour hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We\nare your servants: and now make ye a covenant with us.' This bread we\ntook hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth\nto go to you; but now, behold, it is dry, and is become mouldy: and\nthese wine skins, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they are\nrent: and these garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the\nvery long journey.\"\n\nAnd the men took of their provision, and asked not counsel at the\nmouth of the Lord.\n\nAnd Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let\nthem live: and the princes of the congregation swore unto them. And it\ncame to pass at the end of three days after they had made a covenant\nwith them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that\nthey dwelt among them. And the children of Israel {302} journeyed, and\ncame to their cities on the third day. And the children of Israel\nsmote them not, because the princes of the host had sworn unto them by\nthe Lord, the God of Israel. And all the host murmured against the\nprinces. But all the princes said unto all the host, \"We have sworn\nunto them by the Lord, the God of Israel: now therefore we may not\ntouch them. This we will do to them, and let them live; lest wrath be\nupon us, because of the oath which we swore unto them.\" And the\nprinces said unto them, \"Let them live: so they become hewers of wood\nand drawers of water to all the people;\" as the princes had spoken\nunto them.\n\nAnd Joshua called for them, and he spoke unto them, saying, \"Wherefore\nhave ye tricked us, saying, 'We are very far from you'; when ye dwell\namong us? Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall never fail to\nbe of you bondmen, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the\nhouse of my God.\"\n\nAnd they answered Joshua, and said, \"Because it was certainly told thy\nservants how that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give\nyou all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from\nbefore you; therefore we were sore afraid for our lives because of\nyou, and have done this thing. And now, behold, we are in thine hand:\nas it seemeth good and right unto thee to do to us, do.\"\n\nAnd so did he to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the\nchildren of Israel, that they slew them not. And Joshua made them that\nday hewers of wood and drawers of water for the people, and for the\naltar of the Lord, to this day, in the place which he should choose.\n\n{303}{304}\n\n[Illustration]\n A PORTION OF THE RIDGE BY WHICH THE ROAD RAN EASTWARD\n FROM UPPER BETH-HORON\n\n From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n This road along the ridge was one of the important highways of the\n East. Throughout history we see hosts swarming up this avenue or\n swept down it in flight. Here Joshua fought his famous fight with\n the five kings. Here Judas Maccabaeus won a great battle with the\n Syrians (see Tales of the Maccabees, Vol. III.). Joshua in his battle\n drove the Canaanites over the ridge and then cut them to pieces in\n the ravine on the other side.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{305}\n\n\nTHE BATTLE WITH THE FIVE KINGS.\n\n_How Joshua Won a Great Fight_.\n\n\nNow it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard how\nJoshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to\nJericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the\ninhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;\nthat they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of\nthe royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men\nthereof were mighty. Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto\nHoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia\nking of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, \"Come up to me,\nand help me, and let us smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with\nJoshua and with the children of Israel.\"\n\nTherefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the\nking of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of\nEglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their\nhosts, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it. And the\nmen of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, \"Desert\nnot thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for\nall the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill country are\ngathered together against us.\"\n\nSo Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people {306} of war\nwith him, and all the mighty men of valor. And the Lord said to\nJoshua, \"Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hands;\nthere shall not a man of them stand before thee.\"\n\nJoshua therefore came upon them suddenly; for he went up from Gilgal,\nmarching all the night. And the Lord discomfited them before Israel,\nand he slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by\nthe way of the ascent to Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and\nunto Makkedah. And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel,\nwhile they were in the descent of Beth-horon, that the Lord cast down\ngreat hailstones from heaven upon them, and they died: they were more\nwho died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel\nslew with the sword.\n\nThen spoke Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up\nthe Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight\nof Israel,--\n\n \"Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon;\n And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.\"\n And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,\n Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies.\n\nIs not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the\nmidst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And\nthere was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord\nhearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.\n\n{307}\n\nAnd these five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.\nAnd it was told Joshua, saying, \"The five kings are found, hidden in\nthe cave at Makkedah.\" And Joshua said, \"Roll great stones unto the\nmouth of the cave, and set men by it to keep them: but stay not ye;\npursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them\nnot to enter into their cities: for the Lord your God hath delivered\nthem into your hand.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made\nan end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were\nconsumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the\nfortified cities, that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua\nat Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the\nchildren of Israel. Then said Joshua, \"Open the mouth of the cave, and\nbring forth those five kings to me out of the cave.\"\n\nAnd they did so, and brought forth those five kings to him out of the\ncave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth,\nthe king of Lachish, the king of Eglon. And it came to pass, when they\nbrought forth those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the\nmen of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war which went\nwith him, \"Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings.\"\n\nAnd they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.\n\nAnd Joshua said unto them, \"Fear not, nor be {308} dismayed; be\nstrong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your\nenemies against whom ye fight.\"\n\nAnd afterward Joshua smote them and put them to death, and hung them\non five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.\nAnd it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that\nJoshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them\ninto the cave wherein they had hidden themselves, and laid great\nstones on the mouth of the cave, to this very day.\n\n\nTHE LAST ADDRESSES OF JOSHUA TO THE PEOPLE.\n\n_Words of Warning and Advice_.\n\n\nAnd it came to pass after many days, when the Lord had given rest unto\nIsrael from all their enemies round about, and Joshua was old; that\nJoshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads,\nand for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, \"I am\nold and well stricken in years: and we have seen all that the Lord\nyour God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the Lord\nyour God, he it is that hath fought for you.\n\n\"Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written\nin the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to\nthe right hand or to the left; that ye come not among these nations,\nthese that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their\ngods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow down\nyourselves to them; but be loyal to the Lord your God, as ye have done\nunto this day.\n\n{309}{310}\n\n[Illustration]\n AN OLD TOMB AT TIMNEH, CALLED THE TOMB OF JOSHUA\n From a photograph of the Palestine Exploration Fund\n and used by special permission.\n\n This is a good example of the rock-hewn tombs of Palestine. It is\n tradition only which calls it the resting place of the great captain.\n[End illustration]\n\n{311}\n\n\"For the Lord hath driven out from before you great nations and\nstrong: but as for you, no man hath stood before you unto this day.\nOne man of you shall chase a thousand; for the Lord your God, he it is\nthat fighteth for you, as he spoke unto you. Take good heed therefore\nunto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God.\"\n\nAnd Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called\nfor the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges,\nand for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.\n\nAnd Joshua said unto all the people, \"Thus saith the Lord, the God of\nIsrael, 'Fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and\nput away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in\nEgypt; and serve ye the Lord.' And if it seem evil to you to serve the\nLord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which\nyour fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the\nAmorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will\nserve the Lord.\"\n\nAnd the people answered and said, \"Far be it from us that we should\nforsake the Lord, to serve other gods; for the Lord our God, he it is\nthat brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the\nhouse of bondage, and that did those great signs in our sight, and\npreserved us in an the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples\nthrough the midst of whom we passed; and the Lord drove out from\nbefore us all the peoples, even the Amorites that dwelt in the land:\ntherefore we also will serve the Lord; for he is our God.\"\n\n{312}\n\nAnd Joshua said unto the people, \"Ye are not able to serve the Lord;\nfor he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your\ntransgression nor your sins. If ye forsake the Lord, and serve foreign\ngods, then he will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after that\nhe hath done you good.\"\n\nAnd the people said unto Joshua, \"Nay; but we will serve the Lord.\"\n\nAnd Joshua said unto the people, \"Ye are witnesses against yourselves\nthat ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"We are witnesses.\"\n\n\nTHE DEATH OF JOSHUA.\n\n_The Great Captain Is Laid at Rest_.\n\n\nAnd after many years of fighting, and many victories, Joshua the son\nof Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years\nold. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in\nTimnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north\nof the mountain of Gaash. And Israel served the Lord all the days of\nJoshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and had\nknown all the work of the Lord, that he had wrought for Israel.\n\n{313}\n\nThe Judges\n\nAfter the death of Joshua there followed a long period of unrest and\nfighting. The land was by no means conquered. Many times the\nIsraelites were opposed by the neighboring people, and all but wiped\nout of existence. But each time a hero arose who overthrew the\noppressor, and became the leader or judge, as the office was called,\nof the people. These leaders were not all of the highest character,\nbut they served to hold the nation together, and to preserve it from\nextinction, during this period of trouble and unrest.\n\n\n{314}\n\n{315}\n\n\nEHUD\n\nThe Story of the Young Man Who Killed a King.\n\nAnd the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight\nof the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against\nIsrael, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of the\nLord. And he gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he\nwent and smote Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees (that\nis, Jericho). And the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab\neighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord,\nthe Lord raised them up a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the\nBenjamite, a left-handed man: and the children of Israel sent a\npresent by him unto Eglon the king of Moab. And Ehud made him a sword\nwhich had two edges, of a cubit length; and he girded it under his\nraiment upon his right thigh. And he offered the present unto Eglon\nking of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an\nend of offering the present, he sent away the people that bore the\npresent. But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by\nGilgal, and said, \"I have a secret errand unto thee, O king.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Keep silence.\" And all that stood by him went out from\nhim. And Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in his\nsummer room. {316} And Ehud said, \"I have a message from God to thee.\"\nAnd he arose out of his seat.\n\nAnd Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right\nthigh, and thrust it into his body: and the haft also went in after\nthe blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, for he drew not the\nsword out of his body; and it came out behind. Then Ehud went forth\ninto the porch, and shut the doors of the room upon him, and locked\nthem. Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and,\nbehold, the doors of the room were locked.\n\nAnd they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not\nthe doors of the room; therefore they took the key, and opened them:\nand, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.\n\nAnd Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries,\nand escaped to Seirah.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the\nhill country of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him\nfrom the hill country, and he before them. And he said unto them,\n\"Follow after me: for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the\nMoabites into your hand.\"\n\nAnd they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan against the\nMoabites, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they smote of Moab\nat that time about ten thousand men, every strong man, and every man\nof valor; and there escaped not a man. So Moab was subdued that day\nunder the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.\n\n{317}{318}\n\n[Illustration]\n A CAMP IN THE DESERT\n The black tents of the Arabs on the desert sands.\n\n From a photograph belonging to Mr. S. E. Bridgman\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n \"The Midianites came up with their cattle and their tents, they came\n in as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were\n without number: and they came into the land to destroy it.\" This is\n no doubt just the way in which the camps of the Midianites looked\n in the old days when they raided the farms of the Israelites.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{319}\n\nGIDEON\n\n_The Story of a Brave Man Who Freed His People from Oppression_.\n\n\n(There was a time when every year one of the tribes of the desert\nwhich lies south and east of Palestine raided the farms and pastures\nof the Israelites, plundering and burning, and carrying off the crops\nand herds.)\n\n\nThe Midianites came up with their cattle and their tents, they came in\nas locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without\nnumber: and they came into the land to destroy it. And Israel was\nbrought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried\nunto the Lord.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord\nbecause of Midian, that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of\nIsrael: and he said unto them, \"Thus saith the Lord, the God of\nIsrael, 'I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the\nhouse of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the\nEgyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove\nthem out from before you, and gave you their land; and I said to you,\nI am the Lord your God; ye shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in\nwhose land ye dwell: but ye have not hearkened unto my voice.'\"\n\nAnd the angel of the Lord came, and sat under the {320} oak which was\nin Ophrah, which was on the land of Joash the Abiezrite: and his son\nGideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the\nMidianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to\nhim, \"The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.\"\n\nAnd Gideon said to him, \"O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then\nis all this befallen us? and where are all his wondrous works of which\nour fathers told us, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from\nEgypt?' but now the Lord hath cast us off, and delivered us into the\nhand of Midian.\"\n\nAnd the Lord looked upon him, and said, \"Go in thy might, and save\nIsrael from the hand of Midian: have not I sent thee?\"\n\nAnd he said to him, \"O Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my\nfamily is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's\nhouse.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said unto him, \"Surely I will be with thee, and thou\nshalt smite the Midianites as one man.\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"If now I have found grace in thy sight, then\nshow me a sign that it is thou that talkest with me. Depart not hence,\nI pray thee, until I come to thee, and bring forth my present, and lay\nit before thee.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I will tarry until thou come again.\"\n\nAnd Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an\nephah of meal: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a\npot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it. And\nthe angel of God said unto him, \"Take the flesh and the unleavened\ncakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth.\"\n\n{321}{322}\n\n[Illustration]\n DESERT WARRIORS\n\n Riding thus on their camels the hosts of Midian came out of the\n desert like locusts and swarmed over the fair fields of Palestine.\n[End illustration]\n\n{323}\n\nAnd he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the\nstaff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened\ncakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh\nand the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the Lord departed out of\nhis sight. And Gideon saw that he was the angel of the Lord; and\nGideon said, \"Alas, O Lord God! because I have seen the angel of the\nLord face to face.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said unto him, \"Peace be to thee; fear not: thou shalt\nnot die.\"\n\nThen Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it \"Jehovah\nis Peace\": to this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.\n\nAnd it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said to him, \"Take\nthy father's bullock, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father\nhath, and cut down the pillar that is by it: and build an altar to the\nLord thy God upon the top of this stronghold, in the proper manner,\nand take a bullock, and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the\npillar which thou shalt cut down.\" Then Gideon took ten men of his\nservants, and did as the Lord had spoken to him: and it came to pass,\nbecause he feared his father's household and the men of the city, so\nthat he dared not do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the\nmen of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal\nwas broken down, and the pillar was cut down that was by it, and the\nbullock was offered upon {324} the altar that was built. And they said\none to another, \"Who hath done this thing?\" And when they inquired and\nasked, they said, \"Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.\"\n\nThen the men of the city said to Joash, \"Bring out thy son, that he\nmay die: because he hath broken down the altar of Baal, and because he\nhath cut down the pillar that was by it.\"\n\nAnd Joash said to all that stood against him, \"Will ye plead for Baal?\nor will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to\ndeath whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for\nhimself, because one hath broken down his altar.\"\n\nTherefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, that is, \"Let Baal\nplead.\"\n\n\n_How a Few Brave Men Saved the Nation_.\n\nThen all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the\neast assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and camped\nin the valley of Jezreel. But the spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon;\nand he blew a trumpet; and the men of Abiezer were gathered together\nafter him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; and they\nalso were gathered together after him: and he sent messengers to\nAsher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.\nAnd Gideon said to God, \"If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as\nthou hast spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the\nthreshing-floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it {325} be\ndry upon all the ground, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel\nby mine hand, as thou hast spoken.\"\n\nAnd it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and pressed the\nfleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of\nwater.\n\nAnd Gideon said to God, \"Let not thine anger be kindled against me,\nand I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this\nonce with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon\nall the ground let there be dew.\"\n\nAnd God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and\nthere was dew on all the ground.\n\nThen Jerubbaal (which is another name for Gideon), and all the people\nthat were with him, rose up early, and camped beside the spring of\nHarod: and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the\nhill of Moreh, in the valley.\n\nAnd the Lord said to Gideon, \"The people that are with thee are too\nmany for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast\nthemselves against me, saying, 'Mine own hand hath saved me.' Now\ntherefore, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, 'Whosoever is\nfearful and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.'\"\n\nAnd there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there\nremained ten thousand.\n\nAnd the Lord said to Gideon, \"The people are yet too many; bring them\ndown unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall\nbe, that of whom I say {326} unto thee, 'These shall go with thee,'\nthe same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, 'These\nshall not go with thee,' the same shall not go.\"\n\nSo he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto\nGideon, \"Everyone that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog\nlappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise everyone that boweth\ndown upon his knees to drink.\"\n\nAnd the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth,\nwas three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon\ntheir knees to drink water.\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Gideon, \"By the three hundred men that lapped\nwill I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let\nall the people go every man to his place.\"\n\nSo the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he\nsent all the men of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the\nthree hundred men: and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the\nvalley.\n\nAnd it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said to him, \"Arise,\nget thee down into the camp; for I have delivered it into thine hand.\nBut if thou fear to go down, go thou with Purah thy servant down to\nthe camp: and thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine\nhands be strengthened to go down into the camp.\"\n\n\n{327}{328}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON\n\n From a photograph belonging to Prof. H. G. Mitchell\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n The plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel is one of the famous battle\n fields of the world's history. Lying in the heart of Palestine, the\n great highways of commerce come down through the hills and cross its\n level fields. Through it runs the little river Kishon. On the banks\n of this stream the hosts of Sisera were routed (see Tales of Brave\n Women, Vol. III). Here Gideon and his three hundred men swept before\n them the hordes of Midian in the panic of the night attack. Here\n began the battle between Saul and the Philistines which ended in the\n death of the king, whose force had been pushed back to the height of\n Gilboa (see The Great Kings in this volume). Here King Josiah was\n mortally wounded in his fatal fight with the armies of Egypt (see\n The Story of a Divided Kingdom, Vol. III). Through its fertile\n fields in all ages of history the armies of the great kingdoms of\n the East have marched to battle and conquest\n[End illustration]\n\n{329}\n\nThen went he down with Purah his servant to the outermost part of the\narmed men that were in the camp. And the Midianites and the Amalekites\nand all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts\nfor multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which\nis upon the sea shore for multitude. And when Gideon was come, behold,\nthere was a man that told a dream to his fellow, and said, \"Behold, I\ndreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp\nof Midian, and came to the tent, and smote it that it fell, and turned\nit upside down, that the tent lay flat.\"\n\nAnd his fellow answered and said, \"This is nothing else save the sword\nof Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: into his hand God hath\ndelivered Midian, and all the host.\"\n\nAnd when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation\nthereof, he worshiped; and returned into the camp of Israel, and said,\n\"Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of\nMidian.\"\n\nAnd he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put\ninto the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with\ntorches within the pitchers. And he said to them, \"Look on me, and do\nlikewise: and, behold, when I come to the outermost part of the camp,\nit shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow the trumpet, I\nand all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side\nof all the camp, and say,--\n\n \"'For the Lord and for Gideon.'\"\n\nSo Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the\noutermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when\nthey had but newly set {330} the watch: and they blew the trumpets,\nand broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands. And the\nthree companies blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held\nthe torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands\nto blow wherewith: and they cried, \"The sword of the Lord and of\nGideon.\"\n\nAnd they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all\nthe host ran; and they shouted, and put them to flight. And they blew\nthe three hundred trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against\nhis fellow, and against all the host: and the host fled in confusion.\nAnd the men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, and out\nof Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian. And\nGideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim,\nsaying, \"Come down against Midian, and hold the fords as far as the\nfords of Jordan.\" So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together,\nand held the fords as far as the fords of Jordan. And they took the\ntwo princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the rock\nof Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the wine press of Zeeb, and pursued\nMidian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond\nJordan.\n\nThen the men of Israel said unto Gideon, \"Rule thou over us, both\nthou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast saved us out\nof the hand of Midian.\"\n\nAnd Gideon said unto them, \"I will not rule over you, neither shall my\nson rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.\"\n\n{331}\n\nSo Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted\nup their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days\nof Gideon.\n\nAnd Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in\nthe sepulcher of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.\n\n\n{332}\n\nABIMELECH\n\n_The Story of the Sons of Gideon, and the Evil Which Befell Them_.\n\n\nABIMELECH SEIZES THE LEADERSHIP.\n\n\n(This is the first of the bloody conflicts for leadership in Hebrew\nhistory, so common after the kingdom was established. Abimelech, the\nson of Gideon, whose mother was a woman of Shechem and a servant,\nkilled all the other children but Jotham, and died himself in battle\nafter a brief period of supremacy.)\n\n\nAnd Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's\nbrethren, and spoke with them, and with all the family of the house of\nhis mother's father, saying, \"Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all\nthe men of Shechem, 'Which is better for you, that all the sons of\nJerubbaal, who are threescore and ten persons, rule over you, or that\none rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.'\"\n\nAnd his mother's brethren spoke of him in the ears of all the men of\nShechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech;\nfor they said, \"He is our brother.\" And they gave him threescore and ten\npieces of silver, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, who\nfollowed him. And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew\nhis brethren the sons of {333} Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten\npersons, upon one stone: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was\nleft; for he hid himself.\n\n\nAN OLD FABLE.\n\n(This is one of the earliest of those stories called fables in which\nanimals or trees or other things not living are represented as\nspeaking and acting like living persons. Such stories were\nusually told to teach some lesson.)\n\n\nAnd all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the\nhouse of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the\npillar that was in Shechem. And when they told it to Jotham, he went\nand stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and\ncried, and said unto them, \"Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that\nGod may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a\nking over them; and they said unto the olive tree, 'Reign thou over\nus.' But the olive tree said unto them, 'Should I leave my fatness,\nwherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over\nthe trees?' And the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come thou, and reign\nover us.' But the fig tree said unto them, 'Should I leave my\nsweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the\ntrees?' And the trees said to the vine, 'Come thou, and reign over\nus.' And the vine said unto them, 'Should I leave my wine, which\ncheereth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?' Then\nsaid all the trees to the bramble, 'Come thou, and reign over us.' And\nthe bramble {334} said to the trees, 'If in truth ye anoint me king\nover you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let\nfire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'\n\n\"Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that ye have\nmade Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his\nhouse, and have done to him according to the deserving of his hands;\n(for my father fought for you, and adventured his life, and delivered\nyou out of the hand of Midian: and ye are risen up against my father's\nhouse this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons,\nupon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maid-servant,\nking over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;) if ye then\nhave dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this\nday, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:\nbut if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of\nShechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of\nShechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.\" And\nJotham ran away, and fled, for fear of Abimelech his brother.\n\n\nTHE FATE OF ABIMELECH.\n\n_After Several Years of Uneasy Rule Abimelech Met His Fate\nat the Hands of His Enemies_.\n\n\nAnd it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem\nwere gathered together. And Abimelech went up to mount Zalmon, he and\nall the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his\nhand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it\non his shoulder: and he said to the people that were with him, \"What\nye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.\"\n\n{335}{336}\n\n[Illustration]\n SHECHEM\n\n In the time of the Judges, Shechem was known as the City of\n Abimelech. The people of the town first made him king and then\n revolted against him. Afterward he captured the city and utterly\n destroyed it\n[End illustration]\n\n{337}\n\nAnd all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed\nAbimelech, and put them about the tower, and set the hold on fire upon\nthem; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a\nthousand men and women.\n\nThen went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took\nit. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all\nthe men and women, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in,\nand went up to the roof of the tower. And Abimelech came unto the\ntower, and fought against it, and went close under the door of the\ntower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast an upper\nmillstone upon Abimelech's head, and broke his skull. Then he called\nhastily unto the young man his armor-bearer, and said unto him, \"Draw\nthy sword, and kill me, that men say not of me, 'A woman slew him.'\"\n\nAnd his young man thrust him through, and he died.\n\nAnd when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed\nevery man unto his place.\n\n{338}\n\nSAMUEL\n\n_The Story of a Man Who Began to Do Right When He Was a Boy, and Who\nNever Departed from the Way in Which He Began_.\n\n\n(Samuel is one of the finest characters in the Old Testament. In the\nmidst of evil times, and in contact with evil men, he never departed\nfrom the strict way of truth and righteousness and service to God.\nSamuel was fortunate in having an excellent mother. She dedicated her\nson to God, and gave him very early to the service of God. She loved\nhim very much, and no doubt missed him very much from the home. Every\nyear she went to see him, and brought him a little coat which she had\nmade.\n\n\"But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child. Moreover his\nmother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to\nyear, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly\nsacrifice.\")\n\n\nHOW SAMUEL LEARNED TO OBEY THE VOICE OF GOD.\n\nAnd the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word\nof the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And\nit came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now\nhis eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see), and the\nlamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep,\nin the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was; that the Lord\ncalled Samuel: and he said, \"Here am I.\"\n\n{339}{340}\n\n[Illustration]\n SOURCES OF THE JORDAN. THE ANCIENT DAN\n\n Dan was a city on the northern boundary of Palestine, and Beer-sheba\n was a city on the southern boundary, so there came to be a national\n saying \"from Dan to Beer-sheba,\" to indicate the whole kingdom. \"And\n all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was\n established to be a prophet of the Lord.\" The picture is taken near\n the supposed site of the ancient city at the point where a great\n spring bursting forth forms the principal source of the Jordan river.\n[End illustration]\n\n{341}\n\nAnd he ran to Eli, and said, \"Here am I; for thou calledst me.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I called not; lie down again.\"\n\nAnd he went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, \"Samuel.\"\n\nAnd Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, \"Here am I; for thou\ncalledst me.\"\n\nAnd he answered, \"I called not, my son; lie down again.\"\n\nNow Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord\nyet revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time.\nAnd he arose and went to Eli, and said, \"Here am I; for thou calledst.\nme.\"\n\nAnd Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.\n\nTherefore Eli said to Samuel, \"Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he\ncall thee, that thou shalt say, 'Speak, Lord; for thy servant\nheareth.'\"\n\nSo Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and\nstood, and called as at other times, \"Samuel, Samuel.\"\n\nThen Samuel said, \"Speak; for thy servant heareth.\" And the Lord said,\n\"Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of\neveryone that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform\nagainst Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the\nbeginning even unto the end. For I have told him that I will judge\n{342} his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his\nsons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not.\nAnd therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of\nEli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.\"\n\nAnd Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of\nthe Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. Then Eli called\nSamuel, and said, \"Samuel, my son.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Here am I.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"What is the thing that the Lord hath spoken unto thee? I\npray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if\nthou hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke unto thee.\"\n\nAnd Samuel told him every word, and hid nothing from him. And he said,\n\"It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.\"\n\nAnd Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and let none of his words\nfall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew\nthat Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.\n\n\nHOW THE WICKEDNESS OF THE LEADERS BROUGHT SORE DEFEAT UPON ISRAEL AND\nHOW ELI DIED WHEN HE HEARD THE NEWS.\n\n\nNow Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and camped\nbeside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines camped in Aphek. And the\nPhilistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they\njoined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they\nslew of the army in the field about four thousand men.\n\n{343}{344}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE RUINS OF SHILOH (SEILUN), FROM THE NORTHEAST\n Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.\n\n The mound is covered with foundations, heaps of stones, and walls.\n\n \"And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh\n the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.\"\n Shiloh was one of the principal sanctuaries of Israel throughout the\n time of the Judges. Here the ark was kept, and here Eli was living\n when the man of Benjamin came out of the fatal fight to tell Eli\n that his sons were slain and the Ark of God was taken by the\n Philistines.\n[End illustration]\n\n{345}\n\nAnd when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel\nsaid, \"Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to-day before the\nPhilistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of\nShiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand\nof our enemies.\"\n\nSo the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from thence the ark of\nthe covenant of the Lord of hosts, which sitteth upon the cherubim:\nand the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark\nof the covenant of God. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord\ncame into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the\nearth rang again. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the\nshout, they said, \"What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the\ncamp of the Hebrews?\"\n\nAnd they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.\nAnd the Philistines were afraid, for they said, \"God is come into the\ncamp.\" And they said, \"Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a\nthing heretofore. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of\nthese mighty gods? these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with\nall manner of plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit\nyourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto\nthe Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and\nfight.\"\n\nAnd the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled\nevery man to his tent: and there was a very {346} great slaughter; for\nthere fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was\ntaken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. And\nthere ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the\nsame day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. And when\nhe came, lo, Eli sat upon his seat by the wayside watching: for his\nheart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the\ncity, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the\nnoise of the crying, he said, \"What meaneth the noise of this tumult?\"\n\nAnd the man hasted, and came and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and\neight years old; and his eyes were set, that he could not see.\n\nAnd the man said unto Eli, \"I am he that came out of the army, and I\nfled to-day out of the army.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"How went the matter, my son?\"\n\nAnd he that brought the tidings answered and said, \"Israel is fled\nbefore the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter\namong the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are\ndead, and the ark of God is taken.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he\nfell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck\nbroke, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had\njudged Israel forty years.\n\n{347}\n\nThe Great Kings\n\nAfter the judges came the kings. There were many kings in Israel's\nhistory, but the first three were really the greatest. Saul was the\nfounder of the kingdom, a mighty king in spite of his faults. David made\nthe nation great because he was great himself. Solomon by his wisdom and\nskill raised Israel to such wealth and splendor as it never had before\nor after.\n\n{348}\n\n{349}\n\nSAUL\n\n_The Story of the Farmer Who Became King_.\n\n(Samuel was the last and the best of the Judges of Israel. He\nconquered the Philistines, and for many years the land had peace. He\nwas a \"circuit judge,\" going from district to district. As he grew old\nhe attempted to put his sons in his place, but they were not like\ntheir father. They took bribes and did that which was evil. Then the\npeople demanded a king. How Samuel at first resisted, but at last\nyielded and anointed Saul as king, is told in the following story.)\n\n\nTHE PEOPLE DEMAND A KING TO RULE OVER THEM.\n\n_Samuel Warns Them of the Dangers of a Kingdom_.\n\nAfter a great victory over the Philistines, Samuel took a stone, and\nset it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer\n(that is, the stone of help), saying, \"Hitherto hath the Lord helped\nus.\"\n\nSo the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the\nborder of Israel: and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines\nall the days of Samuel.\n\nAnd Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went from\nyear to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he\njudged Israel in all those places. And his return was to Ramah, for\nthere was his house; and there he judged Israel: and he built there an\naltar unto the Lord.\n\n{350}\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges\nover Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of\nhis second, Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons\nwalked not in his ways, but turned aside after money, and took bribes,\nand perverted judgment.\n\nThen all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came\nto Samuel unto Ramah: and they said to him, \"Behold, thou art old, and\nthy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all\nthe nations.\"\n\nBut the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, \"Give us a king to\njudge us.\"\n\nAnd Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel,\n\"Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee:\nfor they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I\nshould not be king over them. According to all the works which they\nhave done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to\nthis day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do\nthey also to thee. Now therefore hearken to their voice: howbeit thou\nshalt protest solemnly to them, and shalt show them the manner of the\nking that shall reign over them.\"\n\nAnd Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked\nof him a king. And he said, \"This will be the manner of the king that\nshall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto\nhim, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run\nbefore {351} his chariots: and he will appoint them for captains of\nthousands, and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plow his\nground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war,\nand the instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters\nto be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will\ntake your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the\nbest of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the\ntenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers,\nand to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your\nmaidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put\nthem to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall\nbe his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king\nwhich ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not answer you in\nthat day.\"\n\nBut the people refused to hearken to the voice of Samuel; and they\nsaid, \"Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like\nall the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us,\nand fight our battles.\"\n\nAnd Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in\nthe ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, \"Hearken to their\nvoice, and make them a king.\"\n\nAnd Samuel said to the men of Israel, \"Go ye every man unto his city.\"\n\n\n{352}\n\nTHE TALL SON OF KISH IS CHOSEN.\n\n_Saul Is Secretly Anointed by Samuel to Be King_.\n\n\nNow there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, a Benjamite, a\nmighty man of valor. And he had a son whose name was Saul, a young man\nand a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a\ngoodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher\nthan any of the people. And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost.\nAnd Kish said to Saul his son, \"Take now one of the servants with\nthee, and arise, go seek the asses.\"\n\nAnd he passed through the hill country of Ephraim, but they found them\nnot: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found\nthem not. When they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his\nservant that was with him, \"Come and let us return; lest my father\nstop caring for the asses, and be anxious for us.\"\n\nAnd he said to him, \"Behold now, there is in this city a man of God,\nand he is a man who is held in honor; all that he saith cometh surely\nto pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can tell us concerning\nour journey whereon we go.\"\n\nThen said Saul to his servant, \"But, behold, if we go, what shall we\nbring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not\na present to bring to the man of God: what have we?\" And the servant\nanswered Saul again, and said, \"Behold, I have in my hand the fourth\npart of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to\ntell us our way.\"\n\n{353}\n\nThen said Saul to his servant, \"Well said; come, let us go.\"\n\nSo they went unto the city where the man of God was. As they went up\nthe ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw\nwater, and said to them, \"Is the seer here?\"\n\nAnd they answered them and said, \"He is; behold, he is before thee:\nmake haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people\nhave a sacrifice to-day in the high place: as soon as ye are come into\nthe city, ye shall straightway find him, before he goes up to the high\nplace to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he\ndoth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards those eat who are bidden. Now\ntherefore get you up; for at this time ye shall find him.\"\n\nAnd they went up to the city; and as they came within the city,\nbehold, Samuel came out toward them to go up to the high place.\n\nNow the Lord had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying,\n\"To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of\nBenjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be prince over my people\nIsrael, and he shall save my people out of the hand of the\nPhilistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is\ncome unto me.\"\n\nAnd when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, \"Behold the man of\nwhom I spoke to thee! this same shall have authority over my people.\"\n\nThen Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said. \"Tell me, I pray\nthee, where the seer's house is.\"\n\n{354}\n\nAnd Samuel answered Saul, and said, \"I am the seer; go up before me\nunto the high place, for ye shall eat with me to-day: and in the\nmorning I will let thee go, and will tell all that is in thine heart.\nAnd as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind\non them; for they are found. And for whom is all that is desirable in\nIsrael? Is it not for thee, and for all thy father's house?\"\n\nAnd Saul answered and said, \"Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of\nthe tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of\nthe tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou to me after this\nmanner?\"\n\nAnd Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the guest\nchamber, and made them sit in the chiefest place among those who were\nbidden, who were about thirty persons. And Samuel said to the cook,\n\"Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said to thee, 'Set it\nby thee.'\"\n\nAnd the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set\nit before Saul. And Samuel said, \"Behold that which hath been\nreserved! set it before thee and eat; because to the appointed time\nhath it been kept for thee, for I said, 'I have invited the people.'\"\n\nSo Saul did eat with Samuel that day. And when they were come down\nfrom the high place into the city, he communed with Saul upon the\nhousetop.\n\nAnd they arose early: and it came to pass about the dawning of the\nday, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying, \"Up, that I\nmay send thee away.\"\n\n\n{355}{356}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE ANCIENT MIZPAH, LOOKING FROM THE SOUTH.\n It is situated on a high hill to the northwest of Jerusalem.\n From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell,\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n There were many places in Palestine called Mizpah, \"watch tower,\"\n but it seems probable that the location shown in the picture was the\n site of Samuel's home.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{357}\n\nAnd Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.\nAs they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul,\n\"Bid the servant pass on before us\" (and he passed on), \"but stand\nthou still that I may cause thee to hear the word of God.\"\n\nThen Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and\nkissed him, and said, \"Is it not that the Lord hath anointed thee to\nbe prince over his inheritance?\" And Saul departed from Samuel.\n\nAnd when Saul reached home his uncle said to him and to his servant,\n\"Whither went ye?\" And he said, \"To seek the asses: and when we saw\nthat they were not found, we came to Samuel.\"\n\nAnd Saul's uncle said, \"Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said to\nyou.\" And Saul said to his uncle, \"He told us plainly that the asses\nwere found.\" But concerning the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel\nspoke, he told him not.\n\n\nSAUL IS PUBLICLY PROCLAIMED KING.\n\n\"_God Save the King!_\"\n\n\nAnd Samuel called the people together to the Lord to Mizpah; and he\nsaid to the children of Israel, \"Thus saith the Lord, the God of\nIsrael, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of\nthe hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms\nthat oppressed you: but ye have this day rejected your God, who\nhimself saveth you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and\nye have said to him, 'Nay, but set a king over us.' Now {358}\ntherefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by\nyour thousands.\"\n\nSo Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of\nBenjamin was chosen. And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by\ntheir families, and the family of the Matrites was chosen: and Saul\nthe son of Kish was chosen; but when they sought him, he could not be\nfound. Therefore they asked of the Lord further, \"Is the man yet come\nhither?\"\n\nAnd the Lord answered, \"Behold, he hath hid himself in the camp.\"\n\nAnd they ran and fetched him thence; and when he stood among the\npeople, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and\nupward. And Samuel said to all the people, \"See ye him whom the Lord\nhath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?\"\n\nAnd all the people shouted, and said,--\n\n \"God save the king!\"\n\nThen Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in\na book, and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people\naway, every man to his house. And Saul also went to his house to\nGibeah; and there went with him the host, whose hearts God had\ntouched.\n\nBut certain worthless fellows said, \"How shall this man save us?\"\n\nAnd they despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his\npeace.\n\n\n{359}\n\nSAUL IS TRIED AND IS NOT FOUND WANTING.\n\n_The First Battle of the New King_.\n\nThen Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead:\nand all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, \"Make a covenant with us,\nand we will serve thee.\"\n\nAnd Nahash the Ammonite said unto them, \"On this condition will I make\nit with you, that all your right eyes be put out; and I will lay it\nfor a reproach upon all Israel.\"\n\nAnd the elders of Jabesh said to him, \"Give us seven days' respite,\nthat we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel: and then, if\nthere be none to save us, we will come out to thee.\"\n\nThen came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and spoke these words in\nthe ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voice, and\nwept. And, behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and\nSaul said, \"What aileth the people that they weep?\"\n\nAnd they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. And the spirit of\nGod came mightily upon Saul when he heard those words, and his anger\nwas kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in\npieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand\nof messengers, saying, \"Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and\nafter Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.\"\n\nAnd the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out as one\nman. And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were\nthree hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they\nsaid {360} to the messengers that came, \"Thus shall ye say unto the\nmen of Jabesh-gilead, 'To-morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall\nhave deliverance.'\"\n\nAnd the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were\nglad. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, \"To-morrow we will come out\nunto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you.\"\n\nAnd it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three\ncompanies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning\nwatch, and smote the Ammonites until the heat of day: and it came to\npass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them\nwere not left together.\n\nAnd the people said to Samuel, \"Who is he that said, 'Shall Saul reign\nover us?' bring the men, that we may put them to death.\"\n\nAnd Saul said, \"There shall not a man be put to death this day: for\nto-day the Lord hath wrought deliverance in Israel.\"\n\n\nSAUL THE WARRIOR.\n\n_Battles and Victories_.\n\nSaul was thirty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two\nyears over Israel. And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel;\nwhereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mount of\nBeth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and\nthe rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. And Jonathan\nsmote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the\nPhilistines heard of it. And Saul {361} blew the trumpet throughout\nall the land, saying, \"Let the Hebrews hear.\" And all Israel heard\nthat Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel\nalso was held in abomination by the Philistines. And the people were\ngathered together after Saul to Gilgal.\n\nAnd the Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with\nIsrael, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and\npeople as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they\ncame up and pitched in Michmash, eastward of Beth-aven. When the men\nof Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were\ndistressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets,\nand in rocks, and in holds, and in pits. Now some of the Hebrews had\ngone over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he\nwas yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.\n\nAnd he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had\nappointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were\nscattered from him. And Saul said, \"Bring hither the burnt offering to\nme, and the peace offerings.\" And he offered the burnt offering. And\nit came to pass that, as soon as he had made an end of offering the\nburnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him,\nthat he might salute him. And Samuel said, \"What hast thou done?\" And\nSaul said, \"Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and\nthat thou earnest not within the days appointed, and that the\nPhilistines assembled themselves together at Michmash; therefore said\nI, 'Now will the Philistines come {362} down upon me to Gilgal, and I\nhave not intreated the favor of the Lord': I forced myself therefore\nto do it, and offered the burnt offering.\"\n\nAnd Samuel said to Saul, \"Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept\nthe commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now\nwould the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. But now\nthy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his\nown heart, and the Lord hath appointed him to be prince over his people,\nbecause thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.\"\n\nAnd Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And\nSaul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred\nmen. And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present\nwith them, abode in Geba of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in\nMichmash. And bands of the Philistines came out and ravaged the\ncountry all about.\n\nNow there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel:\nfor the Philistines said, \"There shall be no blacksmith, lest the\nHebrews make them swords or spears\": but all the Israelites went down\nto the Philistines, to sharpen their axes and ploughshares and other\ntools.\n\nSo it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword\nnor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul\nand Jonathan; except in the hands of Saul and Jonathan his son. And\nthe garrison of the Philistines went out unto the pass of Michmash.\n\n\n\n\n{363}{364}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE VALLEY OF AIJALON\n\n \"Throughout history we see hosts swarming up this avenue or swept\n down it in flight. Joshua drove the Canaanites down this valley.\n Down Aijalon the early men of Ephraim and Benjamin raided the\n Philistines. Up Aijalon the Philistines swarmed to the very heart of\n Israel's territory at Michmash, disarmed the Israelites, and forced\n them to come down the vale to get their tools sharpened, so that the\n mouth of the vale was called the 'Valley of the Smiths,' even till\n after the Exile. Down Aijalon Saul and Jonathan beat the Philistines\n from Michmash.\" --_George Adam Smith_\n\n David also fought in Aijalon, and in 66 A. D., a Roman army suffered\n a terrible defeat in the valley.\n[End illustration]\n\n{365}\n\nNow it fell upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the\nyoung man who bore his armor, \"Come and let us go over to the\nPhilistines' garrison, that is on yonder side.\"\n\nBut he told not his father. And Saul abode in the uttermost part of\nGibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people\nthat were with him were about six hundred men. And the people knew not\nthat Jonathan was gone. And between the passes, by which Jonathan\nsought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky\ncrag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side. The one crag\nrose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south\nin front of Geba. And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his\narmor, \"Come and let us go over unto the garrison of the Philistines:\nit may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no reason why\nthe Lord cannot save by many or by few.\"\n\nAnd his armorbearer said to him, \"Do all that is in thine heart: turn\nthee, behold I am with thee according to thy wish.\" Then said\nJonathan, \"Behold, we will pass over to the men, and we will show\nourselves to them. If they say thus unto us, 'Tarry until we come to\nyou'; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to\nthem. But if they say thus, 'Come up to us'; then we will go up: for\nthe Lord hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be the sign\nto us.\"\n\nAnd both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines:\nand the Philistines said, \"Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the\nholes where they had hid {366} themselves.\" And the men of the\ngarrison answered Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, \"Come up to\nus, and we will show you something.\"\n\nAnd Jonathan said to his armorbearer, \"Come up after me: for the Lord\nhath delivered them into the hand of Israel.\"\n\nAnd Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his\narmorbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his\narmorbearer slew them after him. And that first slaughter, which\nJonathan and his armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within an\nacre of land. And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and\namong all the people. And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin\nlooked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went hither\nand thither.\n\nThen said Saul to the people that were with him, \"Number now, and see\nwho is gone from us.\"\n\nAnd when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armorbearer were\nnot there. And Saul said to Ahijah, \"Bring hither the ark of God.\"\n\nFor the ark of God was there at that time with the children of Israel.\nAnd it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the\ntumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased:\nand Saul said to the priest, \"Withdraw thine hand.\"\n\nAnd Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together,\nand came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his\nfellow, and there was a very great rout. Now the Hebrews that were\nwith the {367} Philistines as beforetime, which went up with them into\nthe camp from the country round about; even they also turned to be\nwith the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. Likewise all the\nmen of Israel which had hid themselves in the hill country of Ephraim,\nwhen they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed\nhard after them in the battle.\n\nSo the Lord saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over by\nBeth-aven. And the men of Israel were distressed that day: but Saul\ncommanded the people, saying, \"Cursed be the man that eateth any food\nuntil it be evening, and I be avenged on mine enemies.\" So none of the\npeople tasted food. And all the people came into the forest; and there\nwas honey upon the ground. And when the people were come unto the\nforest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man ate any; for the people\nfeared the oath. But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the\npeople with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that\nwas in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and ate it; and he\nwas strengthened. Then said one of the people, \"Thy father straitly\ncharged the people with an oath, saying, \"Cursed be the man that\neateth food this day.\"\n\nAnd the people were faint. Then said Jonathan, \"My father hath\ntroubled the land: see, I pray you, how I have been strengthened,\nbecause I tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if the people\nhad eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies which they\nfound? for now hath there been no great slaughter among the\nPhilistines.\"\n\n{368}\n\nAnd they smote of the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon:\nand the people were very faint. And the people flew upon the spoil,\nand took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and\nthe people did eat them with the blood. Then they told Saul, saying,\n\"Behold, the people sin against the Lord, in that they eat with the\nblood.\" And he said, \"Ye have dealt treacherously: roll a great stone\nto me this day.\"\n\nAnd Saul said, \"Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them,\n'Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay\nthem here, and eat; and sin not against the Lord in eating with the\nblood.'\"\n\nAnd all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and\nslew them there. And Saul built an altar unto the Lord: the same was\nthe first altar that he built to the Lord.\n\nAnd Saul said, \"Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and\nfight them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of\nthem.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee.\" Then said the\npriest, \"Let us draw near hither to God.\"\n\nAnd Saul asked counsel of God, \"Shall I go down after the Philistines?\nwilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel?\"\n\nBut he answered him not that day. And Saul said, \"Draw nigh hither,\nall ye chiefs of the people: and know and see wherein this sin hath\nbeen this day. For as the Lord liveth, who saveth Israel, though it be\nin Jonathan {369} my son, he shall surely die.\" But there was not a\nman among all the people that answered him.\n\nThen said he unto all Israel, \"Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan\nmy son will be on the other side.\"\n\nAnd the people said to Saul, \"Do what seemeth good to thee.\"\n\nTherefore Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, \"Show the right.\"\n\nAnd Jonathan and Saul were chosen by lot: but the people escaped.\n\nAnd Saul said, \"Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.\" And\nJonathan was chosen.\n\nThen Saul said to Jonathan, \"Tell me what thou hast done.\"\n\nAnd Jonathan told him, and said, \"I did certainly taste a little honey\nwith the end of the rod that was in mine hand; and, lo, I must die.\"\n\nAnd Saul said, \"God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die,\nJonathan.\"\n\nAnd the people said to Saul, \"Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought\nthis great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the Lord liveth, there\nshall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought\nwith God this day.\"\n\nSo the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.\n\nThen Saul went up from following the Philistines: and the Philistines\nwent to their own place.\n\nNow when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all\nhis enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of\nAmmon, and against Edom, {370} and against the kings of Zobah, and\nagainst the Philistines: and whithersoever he went he defeated them.\n\n\nTHE DISOBEDIENCE OF SAUL.\n\n\"_To Obey Is Better than Sacrifice._\"\n\n\nAnd Samuel said to Saul, \"The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king\nover his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou to the voice\nof the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, 'I have marked\nthat which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the\nway, when he came up out of Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and\nutterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both\nman and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.'\"\n\nAnd Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred\nthousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the\ncity of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. And Saul said unto the\nKenites, \"Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I\ndestroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of\nIsrael, when they came up out of Egypt.\"\n\nSo the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites, and Saul smote the\nAmalekites and defeated them. And he took Agag the king of the\nAmalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge\nof the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the\nsheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all\nthat was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that\nwas useless and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. .\n\n{371}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF A ROMAN BRIDGE AT BETH-SHAN, OVER WHICH THE\n ROAD TO GADARA PASSED\n\n Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.\n\n After the battle of Gilboa the bodies of Saul and his sons were\n found on the field by the Philistines and carried to the town of\n Beth-shan and fastened to the wall. But the men of Jabesh-Gilead\n heard of this indignity to the dead, and making a night march\n removed the bodies.\n[End illustration]\n\n{373}\n\nThen came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, \"It repenteth me\nthat I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from\nfollowing me, and hath not performed my commandments.\"\n\nAnd Samuel was wroth; and he cried to the Lord all night. And Samuel\nrose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel,\nsaying, \"Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a monument,\nand is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.\" And Samuel\ncame to Saul: and Saul said to him, \"Blessed be thou of the Lord: I\nhave performed the commandment of the Lord.\"\n\nAnd Samuel said, \"What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine\nears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?\"\n\nAnd Saul said, \"They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the\npeople spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to\nthe Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.\"\n\nThen Samuel said to Saul, \"Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord\nhath said to me this night.\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"Say on.\"\n\nAnd Samuel said, \"Though thou wast little in thine own sight, wast\nthou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed\nthee king over Israel; and the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said,\n'Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against\nthem until they be consumed.' Wherefore then didst thou not obey {374}\nthe voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that\nwhich was evil in the sight of the Lord?\"\n\nAnd Saul said unto Samuel, \"Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord,\nand have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag\nthe king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the\npeople took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted\nthings, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.\"\n\nAnd Samuel said, \"Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings\nand sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold,--\n\n \"To obey is better than sacrifice,\n and to harken than the fat of rams.\"\n\n\"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as\nidolatry and image worship. Because thou hast rejected the word of the\nLord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.\"\n\nAnd Saul said to Samuel, \"I have sinned: for I have transgressed the\ncommandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people,\nand obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and\nturn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.\"\n\nAnd Samuel said to Saul, \"I will not return with thee: for thou hast\nrejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from\nbeing king over Israel.\"\n\nAnd as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of\nhis robe, and it rent. And Samuel said to him, \"The Lord hath rent the\nkingdom of Israel from {375} thee this day, and hath given it to a\nneighbor of thine, that is better than thou. And also the Strength of\nIsrael will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should\nrepent.\"\n\nThen he said, \"I have sinned: yet honor me now, I pray thee, before\nthe elders of my people, and before Israel; and turn again with me,\nthat I may worship the Lord thy God.\"\n\nSo Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshiped the Lord.\n\nThen said Samuel, \"Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the\nAmalekites.\" And Agag came unto him cheerfully. And Agag said, \"Surely\nthe bitterness of death is past.\"\n\nAnd Samuel said, \"As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy\nmother be childless among women.\"\n\nAnd Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.\n\nThen Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of\nSaul. And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death;\nfor Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made\nSaul king over Israel.\n\n\nTHE DOWNFALL OF THE KING.\n\n\"_God is Departed from Me_.\"\n\n\n(For some time after this Saul continued to be king over Israel, but\nhe had many troubles. These troubles made him sad {376} and\ndespondent, so that often the people thought him insane. At last war\nbroke out again with the fierce and powerful Philistines, who lived on\nthe plains to the west of the hill-country which was the home of the\nIsraelites. Saul was very much discouraged at the beginning of this\nwar. The story of what he did, and how he died at last like a hero on\nthe battle-field, is as follows.)\n\n\nNow Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him\nin Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had\nfamiliar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. And the\nPhilistines gathered themselves together, and came and camped in\nShunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in\nGilboa. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid,\nand his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord,\nthe Lord answered him not.\n\nThen said Saul to his servants, \"Seek me a woman that hath a familiar\nspirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her.\"\n\nAnd his servants said to him, \"Behold, there is a woman that hath a\nfamiliar spirit at En-dor.\"\n\nAnd Saul disguised himself and put on other raiment, and went, he and\ntwo men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said,\n\"Divine unto me, I pray thee, by the familiar spirit, and bring me up\nwhomsoever I shall name unto thee.\"\n\nAnd the woman said unto him, \"Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath\ndone, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the\nwizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my\nlife, to cause me to die?\"\n\n{377}{378}\n\n[Illustration]\n EN-DOR\n\n This was where the great king came at night, in despair, to consult\n the woman \"with the familiar spirit.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{379}\n\nAnd Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, \"As the Lord liveth, there\nshall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.\"\n\nThen said the woman, \"Whom shall I bring up unto thee?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Bring me up Samuel.\"\n\nAnd when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the\nwoman spoke to Saul, saying, \"Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art\nSaul.\"\n\nAnd the king said to her, \"Be not afraid: for what seest thou?\"\n\nAnd the woman said to Saul, \"I see one like a god coming up out of the\nearth.\"\n\nAnd he said unto her, \"What form is he of?\"\n\nAnd she said, \"An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe.\"\n\nAnd Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to\nthe ground, and did obeisance. And Samuel said to Saul, \"Why hast thou\ndisquieted me, to bring me up?\"\n\nAnd Saul answered, \"I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war\nagainst me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more,\nneither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that\nthou mayest make known to me what I shall do.\"\n\nAnd Samuel said, \"Wherefore dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is\ndeparted from thee, and is become thine {380} adversary? And the Lord\nhath done unto thee as he spoke by me: and the Lord hath rent the\nkingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to\nDavid. Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, and didst not\nexecute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done\nthis thing unto thee this day. Moreover the Lord will deliver Israel\nalso with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to-morrow shalt\nthou and thy sons be with me: the Lord shall deliver the host of\nIsrael also into the hand of the Philistines.\"\n\nThen Saul fell straightway his full length upon the earth, and was\nsore afraid, because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength\nin him; for he had eaten no food all the day, nor all the night.\n\n\nTHE FATAL FIELD OF GILBOA.\n\n_The Tide of Battle Rolls Over King Saul and His Sons_.\n\nNow the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled\nfrom before the Philistines, and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa. And\nthe Philistines followed hard upon Saul, and upon his sons; and the\nPhilistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of\nSaul. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook\nhim; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.\n\nThen said Saul to his armorbearer, \"Draw thy sword, and thrust me\nthrough therewith; lest the Philistines come and thrust me through,\nand maltreat me.\"\n\n{381}\n\nBut his armorbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul\ntook his sword and fell upon it.\n\nAnd when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon\nhis sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and\nhis armorbearer, and all his men, that same day together. And when the\nmen of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that\nwere beyond Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and\nhis sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the\nPhilistines came and dwelt in them.\n\nAnd it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip\nthe slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in Mount\nGilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and\nsent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the\ntidings unto the house of their idols, and to the people. And they put\nhis armor in the house of the god Ashtaroth: and they fastened his\nbody to the wall of Beth-shan. And when the inhabitants of\nJabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the\nvaliant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and\nthe bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to\nJabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones and buried\nthem under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.\n\n{382}\n\nDAVID\n\n_The Story of the Shepherd Boy Who Became King_.\n\nTHE SHEPHERD LAD OF BETHLEHEM.\n\n_Samuel Secretly Anoints David as the Future King of Israel_.\n\n(After Samuel had said to Saul that God wanted no king who would not\ndo exactly as he said, he himself became very sad, because he loved\nSaul.)\n\nBut the Lord said to Samuel, \"How long wilt thou mourn for Saul,\nseeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill thine\nhorn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite:\nfor I have provided me a king among his sons.\"\n\nAnd Samuel said, \"How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said, \"Take an heifer with thee, and say, 'I am come to\nsacrifice to the Lord.' And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will\nshow thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint to me him whom I\nname to thee.\"\n\nAnd Samuel did that which the Lord spoke, and came\nto Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet\nhim trembling, and said, \"earnest thou peaceably?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice to the Lord: sanctify\nyourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.\" And he sanctified\nJesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.\n\n{383}{384}\n\n[Illustration]\n DAVID\n\n This is the head of the great statue of David in Florence, carved by\n the most famous of all sculptors, Michael Angelo. The story is that\n the great sculptor took a piece of marble partly spoiled by another\n man, and carved this wonderful statue out of it. The statue shows\n the young shepherd with his sling, ready for the conflict with the\n giant.\n[End illustration]\n\n{385}\n\nAnd it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and\nsaid, \"Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.\"\n\nBut the Lord said unto Samuel, \"Look not on his countenance, or on the\nheight of his stature; because I have rejected him: for the Lord seeth\nnot as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the\nLord looketh on the heart.\"\n\nThen Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he\nsaid, \"Neither hath the Lord chosen this.\"\n\nThen Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, \"Neither hath the\nLord chosen this.\"\n\nAnd Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel\nsaid unto Jesse, \"The Lord hath not chosen these.\"\n\nAnd Samuel said unto Jesse, \"Are here all thy children?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he\nkeepeth the sheep.\"\n\nAnd Samuel said unto Jesse, \"Send and fetch him: for we will not sit\ndown till he come hither.\"\n\nAnd he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a\nbeautiful countenance, and goodly to look upon. And the Lord said,\n\"Arise, anoint him; for this is he.\"\n\nThen Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him {386} in the midst\nof his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David\nfrom that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.\n\n\nDAVID AND GOLIATH.\n\n_How a Giant Was Killed by a Stone from a Shepherd's Sling_.\n\n\nNow the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle. And Saul\nand the men of Israel were gathered together, and camped in the vale\nof Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. And the\nPhilistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on\nthe mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.\n\nAnd there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines,\nnamed Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he\nhad an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of\nmail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.\nAnd he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass\nbetween his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's\nbeam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and\nhis shieldbearer went before him. And he stood and cried to the armies\nof Israel, and said to them, \"Why are ye come out to set your battle\nin array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a\nman for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with\nme, and kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail\nagainst him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve\nus.\"\n\n{387}{388}\n\n[Illustration]\n SCENE OF THE FIGHT BETWEEN DAVID AND GOLIATH IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n \"It is the very battlefield for those ancient foes. Israel in one of\n the gateways to her mountain land; the Philistines on the low hills\n they so often overran; and between them the great valley. The\n Philistines were probably on the hill of Sochoh.\n\n \"Sochoh is a strong position isolated from the rest of the ridge,\n and it keeps open the line of retreat down the valley. Saul's army\n was probably not immediately opposite, but a little way up on the\n slopes of the incoming Wady el Jindy, and so placed that the\n Philistines, in attacking it, must cross not only the level land and\n the main stream, but one of the two other streams as well, and must\n also climb the slopes for some distance. Both positions were thus\n very strong, and this fact perhaps explains the long hesitation of\n the armies in face of each other, even though the Philistines had\n the advantage of Goliath. The Israelite position certainly looks the\n stronger. It is interesting, too, that from its rear the narrow pass\n goes right up to the interior of the land near Bethlehem; so that\n the shepherd boy, whom the story represents as being sent by his\n father for news of the battle, would have almost twelve miles to\n cover between his father's house and the camp\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{389}\n\nAnd the Philistine said, \"I defy the armies of Israel this day; give\nme a man, that we may fight together.\"\n\nAnd when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they\nwere dismayed, and greatly afraid.\n\nNow David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-judah, whose\nname was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in\nthe days of Saul. And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after\nSaul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the\nbattle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the\nthird Shammah. And David was the youngest: and the three eldest\nfollowed Saul.\n\nAnd Jesse said to David his son, \"Take now for thy brethren an ephah\nof this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to\nthe camp to thy brethren; and bring these ten cheeses unto the captain\nof their thousand; and look how thy brethren fare, and bring back some\ntoken of their welfare.\"\n\nNow Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale of\nElah, fighting with the Philistines. And David rose up early in the\nmorning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took the presents and\nwent, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the barricade of\nwagons, as the host which was going forth to the fight shouted for the\nbattle. And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army\nagainst army. And David left the presents he had brought in the hand\nof the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and\nsaluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there {390}\ncame up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of\nthe ranks of the Philistines, and spoke as before: and David heard\nhim. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him,\nand were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said, \"Have ye seen this\nman that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up, and it shall\nbe that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great\nriches, and will give him his daughter in marriage, and make his\nfather's house free in Israel.\"\n\nAnd David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying, \"What shall be\ndone to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the\nreproach from Israel? for who is this Philistine, that he should defy\nthe armies of the living God?\"\n\nAnd the people answered him after this manner, saying, \"So shall it be\ndone to the man that killeth him.\"\n\nAnd Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke unto the men; and\nEliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, \"Why art thou\ncome down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the\nwilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for\nthou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.\"\n\nAnd David said, \"What have I done now? I have only asked a question.\"\n\nAnd he turned away from him toward another, and spoke after the same\nmanner: and the people answered him again in the same way. And when\nthe words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before\nSaul; and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, \"Let no {391} man's\nheart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this\nPhilistine.\"\n\nAnd Saul said to David, \"Thou art not able to go against this\nPhilistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man\nof war from his youth.\"\n\nAnd David said to Saul, \"Thy servant kept his father's sheep; and when\nthere came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, I went\nout after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and\nwhen he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him,\nand slew him. Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear: and this\nPhilistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies\nof the living God.\" And David said, \"The Lord that delivered me out of\nthe paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver\nme out of the hand of this Philistine.\"\n\nAnd Saul said to David, \"Go, and the Lord shall be with thee.\"\n\nAnd Saul clad David with his own garments, and he put an helmet of\nbrass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. And David\ngirded on his sword. But David said to Saul, \"I cannot go with these;\nfor I have not proved them.\"\n\nAnd David put them off him. And he took his staff in his hand, and\nchose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the\nshepherd's bag which he had, and his sling was in his hand: and he\ndrew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came on and drew near\nto David; and the man that bore the shield went before him. And when\n{392} the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he despised him: for\nhe was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the\nPhilistine said to David, \"Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with\nstaves?\"\n\nAnd the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said\nto David, \"Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the\nair, and to the beasts of the field.\"\n\nThen said David to the Philistine, \"Thou comest to me with a sword,\nand with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name\nof the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast\ndefied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will\nsmite thee, and take thine head from off thee; and I will give the\ncarcases of the host of the Philistines this day to the fowls of the\nair, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know\nthat there is a God in Israel: and that all this host may know that\nthe Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the\nLord's, and he will give you into our hand.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh\nto meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet\nthe Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a\nstone, and slung it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the\nstone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.\nSo David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone,\nand smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the\nhand of David. Then {393} David ran, and stood over the Philistine,\nand took his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and slew him, and\ncut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their\nchampion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah\narose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, to the gates of\nEkron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way. And\nthe children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines,\nand they plundered their camp. And David took the head of the\nPhilistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his\ntent.\n\nAnd when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto\nAbner, the captain of the host, \"Abner, whose son is this youth?\"\n\nAnd Abner said, \"As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.\"\n\nAnd the king said, \"Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.\"\n\nAnd as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took\nhim, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in\nhis hand. And Saul said to him, \"Whose son art thou, young man?\"\n\nAnd David answered, \"I am the son of thy servant Jesse the\nBeth-lehemite.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul,\nthat the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and\nJonathan loved him as his own soul.\n\nAnd Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his\nfather's house. Then Jonathan and {394} David made a covenant, because\nhe loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the\nrobe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to\nhis sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. And David went out\nwhithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set\nhim over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the\npeople, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.\n\n{395}\n\nSAUL AND DAVID\n\n Deep was the furrow in the royal brow,\n When David's hand, lightly as vernal gales\n Rippling the brook of Kedron, skimm'd the lyre:\n He sung of Jacob's youngest born,--the child\n Of his old age,--sold to the Ishmaelite;\n His exaltation to the second power\n In Pharaoh's realm; his brethren thither sent;\n Suppliant they stood before his face, well known,\n Unknowing,--till Joseph fell upon the neck\n Of Benjamin, his mother's son, and wept.\n Unconsciously the warlike shepherd paused;\n But when he saw, down the yet quivering string,\n The tear-drop trembling glide, abash'd, he check'd,\n Indignant at himself, the bursting flood,\n And, with a sweep impetuous, struck the chords:\n From side to side his hands transversely glance,\n Like lightning 'thwart a stormy sea; his voice\n Arises 'mid the clang, and straightway calms\n Th' harmonious tempest, to a solemn swell\n Majestical, triumphant; for he sings\n Of Arad's mighty host by Israel's arm\n Subdued; of Israel through the desert led\n He sings; of him who was their leader, call'd\n By God himself, from keeping Jethro's flock,\n To be a ruler o'er the chosen race.\n Kindles the eye of Saul; his arm is poised,\n Harmless the javelin quivers in the wall.\n\n{396}\n\nTHE JEALOUSY OF SAUL.\n\n\n_How Saul Was Jealous of David and Hated Him, and How\nJonathan Loved Him_.\n\n\nAnd it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the\nslaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities\nof Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with\njoy, and with instruments of music. And the women sang one to another\nin their play, and said,--\n\n \"Saul hath slain his thousands,\n And David his ten thousands.\"\n\nAnd Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him; and he said,\n\"They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have\nascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?\"\n\nAnd Saul eyed David jealously from that day and forward.\n\nAnd it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came\nmightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house: and David\nplayed upon his harp, as he did day by day: and Saul had his spear in\nhis hand. And Saul cast the spear; for he said, \"I will smite David\neven to the wall.\"\n\nAnd David escaped from his presence twice. And Saul was afraid of\nDavid, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.\nTherefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a\nthousand; and he went out and came in before the people. And David\nbehaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him.\n\n{397}{398}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE VALLEY OF THE KIDRON, IN THE WILDERNESS OF JUDEA.\n\n The building on the left is the convent of Mar Saba.\n\n Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund\n\n The \"Wilderness of Judaea\" is a wonderful place. Much of it is not a\n wilderness at all in our understanding of the term. It is, on its\n western edge at least, just a wild pasture land. But it was a very\n wild, desolate, and solitary place. The shepherd who kept his flocks\n there was in danger from the wild beasts and from raids of fierce\n robbers. Below the pasture land it is wilderness indeed. The land\n breaks off abruptly and falls in crag and precipice down to the very\n shores of the Dead Sea. \"You cannot live in Judaea without being\n daily aware of the presence of the awful deep which bounds it on the\n east. From Beth-lehem and other points you look down into that deep,\n and you feel Judaea rising from it about you almost as a sailor\n feels his narrow deck.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{399}\n\nAnd when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe\nof him. But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came\nin before them.\n\nAnd Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they\nshould slay David. But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David.\nAnd Jonathan told David, saying, \"Saul my father seeketh to slay thee:\nnow therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and\nabide in a secret place, and hide thyself: and I will go out and stand\nbeside my father in the field where thou art, and I will talk with my\nfather of thee; and if I see aught, I will tell thee.\"\n\nAnd Jonathan spoke good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto\nhim, \"Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because\nhe hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been very\ngood toward thee; for he put his life in his hand, and smote the\nPhilistine, and the Lord wrought a great victory for all Israel: thou\nsawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against\ninnocent blood, to slay David without a cause?\"\n\nAnd Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul swore, \"As the\nLord liveth, he shall not be put to death.\"\n\nAnd Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things.\nAnd Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as\nbefore.\n\nAnd there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the\nPhilistines, and slew them with a great {400} slaughter; and they fled\nbefore him. And an evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, as he sat\nin his house with his spear in his hand; and David played upon his\nharp. And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear;\nbut he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he struck the spear\ninto the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.\n\nAnd David came and said to Jonathan, \"What have I done? what is mine\niniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my\nlife?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father doeth\nnothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me: and\nwhy should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.\"\n\nAnd David swore moreover, and said, \"Thy father knoweth well that I\nhave found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, 'Let not Jonathan know\nthis, lest he be grieved': but truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy\nsoul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.\"\n\nThen said Jonathan to David, \"Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will\neven do it for thee.\"\n\nAnd David said to Jonathan, \"Behold, to-morrow is the new moon, and I\nshould not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I\nmay hide myself in the field until the third day at even. If thy\nfather miss me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me\nthat he might run to Beth-lehem his city: for it is the yearly\nsacrifice there for all the family.' If he say thus, 'It is well'; thy\nservant shall have peace: but if he be wroth, then know {401} that\nevil is determined by him. Therefore deal kindly with thy servant; for\nthou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee:\nbut if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest\nthou bring me to thy father?\"\n\nAnd Jonathan said, \"Far be it from thee: for if I should at all know\nthat evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would\nnot I tell it thee?\"\n\nThen said David to Jonathan, \"Who shall tell me if perchance thy\nfather answer thee roughly?\"\n\nAnd Jonathan said to David, \"Come and let us go out into the field.\"\nAnd they went out both of them into the field.\n\nAnd Jonathan said to David, \"The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness;\nwhen I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, or the third\nday, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto\nthee, and disclose it unto thee? The Lord do so to Jonathan, and more\nalso, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not\nunto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the\nLord be with thee, as he hath been with my father. And thou shalt not\nonly while yet I live show me the kindness of the Lord, that I die\nnot: but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for\never: no, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David everyone\nfrom the face of the earth.\"\n\nSo Jonathan made a covenant with David.\n\nAnd Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to\nhim: for he loved him as he loved his {402} own soul. Then Jonathan\nsaid to him, \"To-morrow is the feast of the new moon: and thou shalt\nbe missed, because thy seat will be empty. And when thou hast stayed\nthree days, thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where\nthou didst hide thyself before. And I will shoot three arrows, as\nthough I shot at a mark. And, behold, I will send the lad, saying,\n'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to the lad, 'Behold, the arrows are on\nthis side of thee: take them,' then come; for there is peace to thee\nand no hurt, as the Lord liveth. But if I say thus to the boy,\n'Behold, the arrows are beyond thee': go thy way; for the Lord hath\nsent thee away. And as touching the matter which thou and I have\nspoken of, behold, the Lord is between thee and me for ever.\"\n\nSo David hid himself in the field: and when the feast of the new moon\nwas come, the king sat down to eat. And the king sat upon his seat, as\nat other times, even upon the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up,\nand Abner sat by Saul's side: but David's place was empty.\nNevertheless Saul spoke not anything that day: for he thought,\n\"Something hath befallen him.\" And it came to pass on the morrow after\nthe new moon, which was the second day, that David's place was empty:\nand Saul said to Jonathan his son, \"Wherefore cometh not the son of\nJesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to-day?\"\n\nAnd Jonathan answered Saul, \"David earnestly asked leave of me to go\nto Beth-lehem: and he said, 'Let me go, I pray thee; for our family\nhath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to\nbe there: and now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me get\naway, I pray thee, and see my brethren.' Therefore he is not come unto\nthe king's table.\"\n\n{403}{404}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF THE FORTRESS OF MASSADA, WILDERNESS OF JUDAEA\n\n This is another picture of a portion of the \"Wilderness of Judaea.\"\n It is easy to see how David, who was thoroughly familiar with the\n country, could hide himself and his men safely from pursuit during\n the time in which he was an outlaw and a fugitive from the king.\n\n This fortress was the scene of a terrible siege and massacre in 70\n A. D., after the fall of Jerusalem. About a thousand men, women, and\n children fled to this place. The Romans followed and in spite of\n almost insurmountable difficulties besieged the place. Driven to the\n last extremity, the defenders killed the women and children and then\n themselves. Only two women and five children survived\n[End illustration]\n\n{405}\n\nThen Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said, \"Do not I\nknow that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame? For as\nlong as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be\nstablished, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me,\nfor he shall surely die.\"\n\nAnd Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, \"Wherefore\nshould he be put to death? what hath he done?\"\n\nAnd Saul cast his spear at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew\nthat it was determined of his father to put David to death. So\nJonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the\nsecond day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his\nfather had done him shame.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the\nfield at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. And\nhe said to his lad, \"Run, find now the arrows which I shoot.\"\n\nAnd as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.\n\nAnd when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had\nshot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, \"Is not the arrow beyond\nthee?\"\n\nAnd Jonathan cried after the lad, \"Make speed, haste, stay not.\"\n\nAnd Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came {406} to his\nmaster. But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew\nthe matter. And Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said unto\nhim, \"Go, carry them to the city.\"\n\nAnd as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of his hiding place,\nand fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and\nthey kissed one another, and wept one with another. And Jonathan said\nto David, \"Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the\nname of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord shall be between me and thee, and\nbetween my family and thy family, for ever.'\"\n\nAnd he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.\n\n\nDAVID AN OUTLAW.\n\n_How He Showed Mercy to His Enemy_.\n\n(After this David became a fugitive from the king, who pursued him and\ntried to kill him. David gathered a band of followers and for a time\nlived as an outlaw, hiding in caves, plundering farms, living from\nhand to mouth. Several times he had the king in his power, but each\ntime he allowed him to escape. This is the story of one of these\nadventures.)\n\n\nAnd the Ziphites came to Saul to Gibeah, saying, \"Doth not David hide\nhimself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert?\"\n\nThen Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three\nthousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the\nwilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which\nis before the {407} desert. But David abode in the wilderness, and he\nsaw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. David therefore sent\nout spies, and understood that Saul was certainly come. And David\narose, and came to the place where Saul had encamped: and David beheld\nthe place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his\nhost: and Saul lay within the barricade of the wagons, and the people\nwere encamped round about him. Then said David, \"Who will go down with\nme to Saul to the camp?\"\n\nAnd Abishai said, \"I will go down with thee.\"\n\nSo David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul\nlay sleeping within the barricade of the wagons, with his spear stuck\nin the ground at his head: and Abner and the people lay round about\nhim. Then said Abishai to David, \"God hath delivered up thine enemy\ninto thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee,\nwith the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not need to\nsmite him the second time.\"\n\nAnd David said to Abishai, \"Destroy him not: for who can put forth his\nhand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?\"\n\nAnd David said, \"As the Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite him; or his\nday shall come to die; or he shall go down into the battle, and\nperish. The Lord forbid that I should put forth mine hand against the\nLord's anointed: but now take, I pray thee, the spear that is at his\nhead, and the jar of water, and let us go.\"\n\nSo David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's {408} head;\nand they went away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any\nawake: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the Lord\nwas fallen upon them. Then David went over to the other side, and\nstood on the top of the mountain afar off; a great space being between\nthem: and David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner,\nsaying, \"Answerest thou not, Abner?\"\n\nThen Abner answered and said, \"Who art thou that criest to the king?\"\n\nAnd David said to Abner, \"Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like\nto thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept watch over thy\nlord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king\nthy lord. This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the Lord\nliveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept watch over your\nlord, the Lord's anointed. And now, see where the king's spear is, and\nthe jar of water that was at his head.\"\n\nAnd Saul knew David's voice, and said, \"Is this thy voice, my son\nDavid?\"\n\nAnd David said, \"It is my voice, my lord, O king.\" And he said,\n\"Wherefore doth my lord pursue after his servant? for what have I\ndone? or what evil is in mine hand? Now therefore, I pray thee, let my\nlord the king hear the words of his servant. If it be the Lord that\nhath stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if it\nbe the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord; for they have\ndriven me out this day that I should not cleave to the inheritance of\nthe Lord, saying, 'Go, serve other gods.'\n\n{409}{410}\n\n[Illustration]\n A SHEPHERD NEAR DAVID'S HOUSE LEADING HIS FLOCK OVER THE JUDEAN\n HILLS.\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n The principal business and the greatest interest of the people in\n the hill country of Judea was connected with the flocks.\n\n \"If, as we have seen, the prevailing character of Judaea be\n pastoral, with husbandry only incidental to her life, it is not\n surprising that the forms which have impressed both her history and\n her religion upon the world should be those of the pastoral habit.\n Her origin; more than once her freedom and power of political\n recuperation; more than once her prophecy; her images of God, and\n her sweetest poetry of the spiritual life, have been derived from\n this source. It is the stateliest shepherds of all time whom the\n dawn of history reveals upon her fields--men not sprung from her own\n remote conditions, nor confined to them, but moving across the world\n in converse with great empires, and bringing down from heaven truths\n sublime and universal to wed with the simple habits of her life.\n These were the patriarchs of the nation. The founder of its one\n dynasty, and the first of its literary prophets, were also taken\n from following the flocks. The king and every true leader of men was\n called a shepherd. Jehovah was the Shepherd of His people, and they\n the sheep of His pasture. It was in Judaea that Christ called\n Himself the Good Shepherd, as it was in Judaea also that, taking the\n other great feature of her life, He said He was the True Vine.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{411}\n\nNow therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the\npresence of the Lord: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a\nflea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.\"\n\nThen said Saul, \"I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no\nmore do thee harm, because my life was precious in thine eyes this\nday: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.\"\n\nAnd David answered and said, \"Behold the spear, O king! let then one\nof the young men come over and fetch it. And the Lord shall render to\nevery man his righteousness and his faithfulness: because the Lord\ndelivered thee into my hand to-day, and I would not put forth mine\nhand against the Lord's anointed. And, behold, as thy life was very\nprecious this day in mine eyes, so let my life be precious in the eyes\nof the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.\"\n\nThen Saul said to David, \"Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt\nboth do mightily, and shalt surely prevail.\"\n\nSo David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.\n\n\nSAUL'S PURSUIT OF DAVID.\n\n_How David a Second Time Spared the King's Life_.\n\n(Day after day Saul pursued David. First, some one would\nreport David at a certain point, then he would be seen at another.\nBut every time, by forced marches, hiding in caves by day, and\nstealing out by night, the bold outlaw escaped his foe. Once Saul\nentered the very cave where David and his faithful men were {412}\nhiding in the shadows. Again Saul was in David's power. Again\nhis men wished him to kill the king, but David refused, and spared\nthe king's life.)\n\nAnd David abode in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in\nthe hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every\nday, but God delivered him not into his hand.\n\nAnd David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was\nin the wilderness of Ziph in the wood. And Jonathan Saul's son arose,\nand went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. And\nhe said unto him, \"Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not\nfind thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next\nunto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.\"\n\nAnd they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the\nwood, and Jonathan went to his house.\n\nThen came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, \"Doth not David\nhide himself with us in the strongholds in the wood, in the hill of\nHachilah, which is on the south of the desert? Now therefore, O king,\ncome down, according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and\nour part shall be to deliver him up into the king's hand.\"\n\nAnd Saul said, \"Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have had compassion\non me. Go, I pray you, make yet more sure, and know and see his place\nwhere his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me\nthat he dealeth very subtilly. See therefore, and take knowledge of\nall the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to\nme of a certainty, and I will go with you: and it {413} shall come to\npass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out among all the\nthousands of Judah.\"\n\nAnd they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men\nwere in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul and his men went to seek him.\nAnd they told David: wherefore he came down to the rock, and abode in\nthe wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after\nDavid in the wilderness of Maon.\n\nAnd Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on\nthe other side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for\nfear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round\nabout to take them. But there came a messenger to Saul, saying, \"Haste\nthee, and come; for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land.\"\n\nSo Saul returned from pursuing after David.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the\nPhilistines, that it was told him, saying, \"Behold, David is in the\nwilderness of En-gedi.\"\n\nThen Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went\nto seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.\n\nAnd he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul\nwent in.\n\nNow David and his men were abiding in the innermost parts of the cave.\nAnd the men of David said unto him, \"Behold, the day of which the Lord\nsaid unto thee, 'Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand,\nand thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee.'\"\n\n{414}\n\nThen David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. And it\ncame to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had\ncut off Saul's skirt.\n\nAnd he said unto his men, \"The Lord forbid that I should do this thing\nunto my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put forth mine hand against him,\nseeing he is the Lord's anointed.\"\n\nSo David checked his men with these words, and suffered them not to\nrise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his\nway.\n\nDavid also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after\nSaul, saying, \"My lord the king!\"\n\nAnd when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the\nearth, and did obeisance.\n\nAnd David said to Saul, \"Wherefore hearkenest thou to men's words,\nsaying, 'Behold, David seeketh thy hurt'? Behold, this day thine eyes\nhave seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to-day into mine hand\nin the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and\nI said, 'I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the\nLord's anointed.'\n\n\"Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand:\nfor in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know\nthou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine\nhand, and I have not sinned against thee, though thou huntest after my\nsoul to take it.\n\n\"The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee:\nbut mine hand shall not be upon thee.\"\n\n{415}{416}\n\n[Illustration]\n STREET OF JERUSALEM\n \"The Joppa Gate\" in the center.\n\n This is a characteristic scene in Jerusalem, the bazaars in the area\n outside, the camels and donkeys with their burdens, and the traffic\n going in and out of the city. \"In an aperture of the western wall of\n Jerusalem hang the 'oaken valves' called the Beth-lehem or Joppa\n Gate. The area outside is one of the notable places of the city.\n Long before David coveted Zion there was a citadel there. When at\n last the son or Jesse ousted the Jebusites, and began to build, the\n site of the citadel became the northwest corner of the wall,\n defended by a tower much more imposing than the old one. The\n location of the gate, however, was not disturbed, for the reason,\n most likely, that the roads which met and merged in front of it\n could not well be transferred to another spot, while the area\n outside had become a recognized market place. In Solomon's day there\n was a great traffic at this locality, shared in by traders from\n Egypt and the rich dealers from Tyre and Sidon.\"\n --_Lew Wallace in \"Ben-Hur_\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{417}\n\nAnd it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these\nwords unto Saul, that Saul said, \"Is this thy voice, my son David?\"\nAnd Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.\n\nAnd he said to David, \"Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast\nrewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.\n\n\"And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me:\nforasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou\nkilledst me not.\n\n\"For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore\nthe Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.\n\n\"And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that\nthe kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.\n\n\"Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off\nmy seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my\nfather's house.\"\n\nAnd David swore unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men\nwent up to the stronghold.\n\n\nONE OF DAVID'S ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS.\n\n_How the Sheep Master of Maon Refused to Pay Tribute_.\n\n(While David was roaming about the country followed by a company of\nmen as young and gallant as himself, much as Robin Hood roamed about\nthe forests of England, he had many adventures, some of them\nchivalrous and some of which he was perhaps afterward, when he became\nking, just a little ashamed. This is the story of one of these\nadventures.)\n\n{418}\n\nThere was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man\nwas very rich, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats:\nand he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.\n\nNow the name of the man was Nabal (the Fool); and the name of his wife\nAbigail: and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful\ncountenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he\nwas of the house of Caleb.\n\nAnd David heard in the wilderness that Nabal sheared his sheep. And\nDavid sent ten young men, and David said unto the young men, \"Get you\nup to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name: and thus\nshall ye say, 'All hail! Peace be both unto thee, and peace be to\nthine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. And now I have\nheard that thou hast shearers: thy shepherds have now been with us,\nand we did them no hurt, neither was there aught missing unto them,\nall the while they were in Carmel. Ask thy young men, and they will\ntell thee: wherefore let the young men find favor in thine eyes, for\nwe come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine\nhand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David.'\"\n\nAnd when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all\nthose words in the name of David, and ceased.\n\nAnd Nabal answered David's servants, and said, \"Who is David? and who\nis the son of Jesse? there are many servants nowadays that break away\nevery man from his {419} master. Shall I then take my bread, and my\nwater, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it\nunto men of whom I know not whence they be?\"\n\nSo David's young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and\ntold him according to all these words.\n\nAnd David said unto his men, \"Gird ye on every man his sword.\" And\nthey girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his\nsword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two\nhundred remained in the camp.\n\nBut one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, \"Behold,\nDavid sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and\nhe flew upon them. But the men were very good unto us, and we were not\nhurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we were with them, when\nwe were in the fields: they were a wall unto us both by night and by\nday, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore\nconsider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master,\nand against all his house: for he is such a worthless fellow that one\ncannot speak to him.\"\n\nThen Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles\nof wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched\ncorn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of\nfigs, and laid them on asses.\n\nAnd she said unto her young men, \"Go on before me; behold, I come\nafter you.\"\n\nBut she told not her husband Nabal. And it was so, {420} as she rode\non her ass, and came down by the covert of the mountain, that, behold,\nDavid and his men came down against her; and she met them.\n\nNow David had said, \"Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow\nhath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that\npertained unto him: and he hath returned me evil for good. God do so\nunto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that\npertain to him by the morning light so much as one man child.\"\n\nAnd when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off her ass, and\nfell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground. And\nshe fell at his feet, and said, \"Upon me, my lord, upon me be the\niniquity: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears,\nand hear thou the words of thine handmaid.' Let not my lord, I pray\nthee, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal: for as his name is, so\nis he; Nabal [the Fool] is his name, and folly is with him: but I\nthine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.\n\n\"Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth,\nseeing the Lord hath withholden thee from bloodguiltiness, and from\navenging thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies,\nand them that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. And now this present\nwhich thy servant hath brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the\nyoung men that follow my lord.\n\n\"Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord\nwill certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the\nbattles of the Lord; and evil shall not be found in thee all thy days.\n\n\n{421}{422}\n\n[Illustration]\n JERUSALEM, LOOKING UP THROUGH THE VALLEY OF HINNOM.\n\n It is said that continual fires were kept burning in the valley of\n Hinnom for the destruction of the refuse from the city. It was here,\n too, that the human sacrifices to the god Molech took place, where\n the victims were made \"to pass through the fire.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{423}\n\nAnd though man be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, yet\nthe soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord\nthy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as\nfrom the hollow of a sling.\n\n\"And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord\naccording to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and\nshall have appointed thee prince over Israel; that this shall be no\ngrief unto thee, nor offense of heart unto my lord, either that thou\nhast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: and\nwhen the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine\nhandmaid.\"\n\nAnd David said to Abigail, \"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,\nwhich sent thee this day to meet me: and blessed be thy wisdom, and\nblessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and\nfrom avenging myself with mine own hand. For in very deed, as the\nLord, the God of Israel, liveth, which hath withholden me from hurting\nthee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had\nnot been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one man\nchild.\"\n\nSo David received of her hand that which she had brought him: and he\nsaid unto her, \"Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened\nto thy voice, and have accepted thy person.\"\n\nAnd Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house,\nlike the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for\nhe was very drunken: {424} wherefore she told him nothing, less or\nmore, until the morning light.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of\nNabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within\nhim, and he became as a stone.\n\nAnd it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal,\nthat he died.\n\nAnd when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, \"Blessed be the\nLord, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of\nNabal, and hath kept back his servant from evil: and the evil-doing of\nNabal hath the Lord returned upon his own head.\"\n\nAnd David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to him to\nwife. And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel,\nthey spoke unto her, saying, \"David hath sent us unto thee, to take\nthee to him to wife.\"\n\nAnd she arose, and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said,\n\"Behold, thine handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants\nof my lord.\"\n\nAnd Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels\nof hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David,\nand became his wife.\n\n\nDAVID BECOMES KING.\n\n_The Lament for Saul and Jonathan. After Long Waiting the\nThrone is Gained_.\n\n(At last came that fatal battle with the Philistines in the hills and,\nwhen the sun set, Saul and his three sons lay dead upon the field.)\n\nAnd it came to pass after the death of Saul, on the {425} third day,\nthat, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes\nrent, and earth upon his head: and when he came to David, he fell to\nthe earth, and did obeisance. And David said to him, \"From whence\ncomest thou?\" And he said unto him, \"Out of the camp of Israel am I\nescaped.\"\n\nAnd David said to him, \"How went the day? I pray thee, tell me.\"\n\nAnd he answered, \"The people are fled from the battle, and many of the\npeople also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are\ndead also.\"\n\nAnd David said to the young man that told him, \"How knowest thou that\nSaul and Jonathan his son are dead?\"\n\nAnd the young man that told him said, \"As I happened by chance upon\nMount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the\nchariots and the horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked\nbehind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, 'Here am\nI.'\n\n\"And he said unto me, 'Who art thou?'\n\n\"And I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.'\n\n\"And he said to me, 'Stand, I pray thee, beside me, and slay me, for\nanguish hath taken hold of me; because my life is yet whole in me.' So\nI stood beside him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not\nlive after he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head,\nand the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither\nunto my lord.\"\n\nThen David took hold of his clothes, and rent them; {426} and likewise\nall the men that were with him: and they mourned, and wept, and fasted\nuntil even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of\nthe Lord, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the\nsword. And David said to the young man that told him, \"Whence art\nthou?\"\n\nAnd he answered, \"I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.\"\n\nAnd David said to him, \"Why wast thou not afraid to put forth thine\nhand to destroy the Lord's anointed?\"\n\nAnd David called one of the young men and said, \"Go near, and fall\nupon him.\" And he smote him that he died.\n\nAnd David said to him, \"Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath\ntestified against thee, saying, 'I have slain the Lord's anointed.'\"\n\nAnd David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan\nhis son: and he bade them teach the children of Judah the song of the\nbow.\n\n_The Song of the Bow_.\n\n Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places!\n How are the mighty fallen!\n Tell it not in Gath,\n Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon;\n Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,\n Lest the daughters of our enemies triumph.\n Ye mountains of Gilboa,\n Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings:\n For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away,\n The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.\n From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,\n The bow of Jonathan turned not back,\n And the sword of Saul returned not empty.\n Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,\n And in their death they were not divided:\n They were swifter than eagles,\n They were stronger than lions.\n Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,\n Who clothed you in scarlet delicately,\n Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.\n How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!\n Jonathan is slain upon thy high places.\n I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan:\n Very pleasant hast thou been unto me:\n Thy love to me was wonderful,\n Passing the love of women.\n How are the mighty fallen,\n And the weapons of war perished!\n\n{427}{428}\n\n[Illustration]\n \"DAVID STREET\" IN JERUSALEM\n\n From a picture taken by Prof. Lyon and used by his kind permission.\n\n This narrow, busy street in Jerusalem still bears the name of the\n great king who scaled the heights and took the citadel from the\n Jebusites so long ago\n[End illustration]\n\n{429}\n\nAnd they told David, saying, \"The men of Jabesh-gilead were they that\nburied Saul.\" And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-gilead,\nand said to them, \"Blessed be ye of the Lord, that ye have showed this\nkindness to your lord, even to Saul, and have buried him. And now the\nLord show kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you\nthis kindness, because ye have done this thing. Now therefore let your\nhands be strong, and be ye valiant: for Saul your lord is dead, and\nalso the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.\"\n\nThen came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, {430} and\nspoke, saying, \"Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. In times past,\nwhen Saul was king over us, it was thou that didst lead out and bring\nin Israel: and the Lord said to thee, 'Thou shalt feed my people\nIsrael, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.'\"\n\nSo all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and King David\nmade a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed\nDavid king over Israel.\n\nDavid was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned\nforty years.\n\n\nAN EVIL DEED.\n\n_How a Brave Prophet Rebuked a King_.\n\n(David once did a very evil deed. He wished to have as his wife the\nwife of another man, named Uriah, a very brave soldier in the royal\narmy. David caused this soldier to be placed in a very dangerous place\nin the battle, where he knew he would be killed. The prophet told the\nking a story to show him how wicked he was. Then the eyes of the king\nwere opened to his sin, and he repented, but the child which had been\nborn to him died.)\n\nAnd it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab,\nand sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying,\n\"Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye\nfrom him, that he may be smitten, and die.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Joab kept watch upon the city, that he\nassigned Uriah unto the place where he knew that valiant men were. And\nthe men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell\nsome of the people, even of the servants of David; and Uriah the {431}\nHittite died also. Then Joab sent and told David all the things\nconcerning the war; and he charged the messenger, saying, \"When thou\nhast made an end of telling all the things concerning the war to the\nking, it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he say unto\nthee, 'Wherefore went ye so nigh unto the city to fight? knew ye not\nthat they would shoot from the wall? why went ye so near the wall?'\nthen shalt thou say, 'Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'\"\n\nSo the messenger went, and came and showed David all that Joab had\nsent him for. And the messenger said to David, \"The men prevailed\nagainst us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them\neven unto the entering of the gate. And the archers shot at thy\nservants from off the wall; and some of the king's servants are dead,\nand thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.\"\n\nThen David said to the messenger, \"Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, 'Let\nnot this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as\nanother: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow\nit': and encourage thou him.\"\n\nAnd when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she\nmade lamentation for her husband. And when the mourning was past,\nDavid sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife,\nand a child was born to them. But the thing that David had done\ndispleased the Lord.\n\nAnd the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came {432} to him, and said\nto him, \"There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other\npoor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: but the poor\nman had nothing save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and\nnourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children;\nit did eat of his own morsel of food, and drank of his own cup, and\nlay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a\ntraveler to the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and\nof his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come to him,\nbut took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come\nto him.\"\n\nAnd David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to\nNathan, \"As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this is worthy to\ndie: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this\nthing, and because he had no pity.\"\n\nAnd Nathan said to David,--\n\n\"Thou art the man!\"\n\n\"Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, I anointed thee king over\nIsrael, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; and if that had\nbeen too little, I would have added unto thee such and such things.\nWherefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord, to do that which is\nevil in his sight? thou hast smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword,\nand hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the\nsword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never\ndepart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken\nthe wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.\"\n\n{433}{434}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF RABBATH AMMON\n\n An important city in Moab, taken by David.\n Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.\n\n It was during the long siege of this city that Uriah the Hittite,\n whose wife David wished as his own, was killed. The army of Joab,\n David's general, encamped about the city and finally by the capture\n of the springs which supplied water to the people the strong walled\n place fell. Joab sent for David, so that he was on the ground when\n the last assault was made and the city was taken. Very rich spoil\n fell into the hands of the victors\n[End illustration]\n\n{435}\n\nAnd David said to Nathan, \"I have sinned against the Lord.\"\n\nAnd Nathan said to David, \"The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou\nshalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great\noccasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that\nis born unto thee shall surely die.\"\n\nAnd Nathan departed to his house.\n\nAnd the child which had been born to David was very sick. David\ntherefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in,\nand lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose,\nand stood beside him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would\nnot, neither did he eat with them. And it came to pass on the seventh\nday, that the child died, And the servants of David feared to tell him\nthat the child was dead: for they said, \"Behold, while the child was\nyet alive, we spoke unto him, and he hearkened not to our voice: what\nwill he then do if we tell him that the child is dead?\"\n\nBut when David saw that his servants whispered together, David\nperceived that the child was dead: and David said to his servants, \"Is\nthe child dead?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"He is dead.\"\n\nThen David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and\nchanged his apparel; and he came into the house of the Lord, and\nworshiped: then he came to his own house; and when he required they\nset food {436} before him, and he ate. Then said his servants to him,\n\"What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for\nthe child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst\nrise and eat.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I\nsaid 'Who knoweth whether the Lord will not be gracious to me, that\nthe child may live?' But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can\nI bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to\nme.\"\n\n{437}\n\nCAVE OF ADULLAM\n\n David and his three captains bold\n Kept ambush once within a hold.\n It was in Adullam's cave,\n Nigh which no water they could have,\n Nor spring nor running brook was near\n To quench the thirst that parched them there.\n Then David, King of Israel,\n Straight bethought him of a well,\n Which stood beside the city gate\n At Bethlehem; where, before his state\n Of kingly dignity, he had\n Oft drunk his fill, a shepherd lad;\n But now his fierce Philistine foe\n Encamped before it he does know.\n Yet ne'er the less, with heat opprest,\n Those three bold captains he addrest;\n And wished that one to him would bring\n Some water from his native spring.\n His valiant captains instantly\n To execute his will did fly.\n The mighty three the ranks broke through\n Of armed foes, and water drew\n For David, their beloved king,\n At his own sweet native spring.\n Back through their armed foes they haste,\n With the hard-earned treasure graced.\n But when the good king David found\n What they had done, he on the ground\n The water poured. \"Because,\" said he,\n \"That it was at the jeopardy\n Of your three lives this thing ye did,\n That I should drink it, God forbid.\"\n --_Charles Lamb_.\n\n{438}\n\nA KNIGHTLY DEED.\n\n_David and His Three Brave Captains. How They Brought the\nWater for Which He Longed and How He Would Not Drink It_.\n\nThere were three valiant captains in David's army. These three went\ndown, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam;\nand the troop of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of\nRephaim.\n\nAnd David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the\nPhilistines was then in Beth-lehem. And David longed, and said, \"Oh\nthat one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which\nis by the gate!\"\n\nAnd the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines,\nand drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and\ntook it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink thereof, but\npoured it out to the Lord.\n\nAnd he said, \"Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this: shall\nI drink the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives?\"\ntherefore he would not drink it.\n\nThese things did the three mighty men.\n\n\nHOW DAVID BOUGHT A THRESHING-FLOOR FOR AN ALTAR.\n\n\"_Neither Will I Offer Burnt Offerings Unto the Lord My God of\nThat Which Cost Me Nothing_.\"\n\nAnd David said unto the Lord, \"I have sinned greatly in that I have\ndone: but now, O Lord, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy\nservant; for I have done very foolishly.\"\n\n{439}{440}\n\n[Illustration]\n A PALESTINE THRESHING FLOOR, WITH CATTLE TREADING OUT THE GRAIN\n\n From a photograph belonging to Dr. W. J. Moulton\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n This was the method, still in use, whereby during all the times of\n the Bible the farmer in Palestine threshed out his grain. It was\n then thrown up by forks and the wind blew away the chaff. A level\n place for a threshing floor was much prized. It was such a floor\n that David bought of Araunah as a suitable place to build an altar.\n[End illustration]\n\n{441}\n\nAnd when David rose up in the morning, the word of the Lord came to\nthe prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, \"Go and speak to David, 'Thus\nsaith the Lord: I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them,\nthat I may do it unto thee.'\"\n\nSo Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, \"Shall seven\nyears of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three\nmonths before thy foes while they pursue thee? or shall there be three\ndays' pestilence in thy land? now advise thee, and consider what\nanswer I shall return to him that sent me.\"\n\nAnd David said unto Gad, \"I am in a great strait: let us fall now into\nthe hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall\ninto the hand of man.\"\n\nSo the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the\ntime appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to\nBeer-sheba seventy thousand men.\n\nAnd when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy\nit, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that\ndestroyed the people, \"It is enough; now stay thine hand.\"\n\nAnd the angel of the Lord was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the\nJebusite. And David spoke unto the Lord when he saw the angel that\nsmote the people, and said, \"Lo, I have sinned, and I have done\nperversely: but these sheep, my people, what have they done? let thine\nhand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.\"\n\n{442}\n\nAnd Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, \"Go up, rear an\naltar unto the Lord in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.\"\n\nAnd David went up according to the saying of Gad, as the Lord\ncommanded. And Araunah looked forth, and saw the king and his servants\ncoming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before\nthe king with his face to the ground.\n\nAnd Araunah said, \"Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant?\"\n\n\nAnd David said, \"To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar\nunto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people.\"\n\nAnd Araunah said unto David, \"Let my lord the king take and offer up\nwhat seemeth good unto him: behold, the oxen for the burnt offering,\nand the threshing instruments and the furniture of the oxen for the\nwood: all this, O king, doth Araunah give unto the king.\"\n\nAnd Araunah said unto the king, \"The Lord thy God accept thee.\"\n\nAnd the king said unto Araunah, \"Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee\nat a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God\nwhich cost me nothing.\"\n\nSo David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of\nsilver.\n\nAnd David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt\nofferings and peace offerings. So the Lord was intreated for the land,\nand the plague was stayed from Israel.\n\n\n{443}\n\nTHE REBELLION OF ABSALOM.\n\n_How an Evil Son Met His Fate in the Branches of an Oak_.\n\n(David had much trouble and many wars during his reign, but the\nrebellion of his own son Absalom brought more grief to him than\nanything else. For a time the rebellion was successful, and David was\ndriven from his own palace. Then the tide turned and Absalom was\ndefeated and slain in a great battle. The strange way in which Absalom\nmet his death, and how David mourned for his son, are told in the\nfollowing story.)\n\nAnd David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of\nthousands and captains of hundreds over them. And David sent forth the\npeople, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under\nthe hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third\npart under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the\npeople, \"I will surely go forth with you myself also.\"\n\nBut the people said, \"Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away,\nthey will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care\nfor us: but thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is\nbetter that thou be ready to succor us out of the city.\"\n\nAnd the king said to them, \"What seemeth to you best I will do.\"\n\nAnd the king stood by the gate side, and all the people went out by\nhundreds and by thousands. And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and\nIttai, saying, \"Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with\nAbsalom.\"\n\n{444}\n\nAnd all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge\nconcerning Absalom. So the people went out into the field against\nIsrael: and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim. And the people of\nIsrael were smitten there before the servants of David, and there was\na great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men. For the\nbattle was there spread over the face of all the country: and the\nforest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. And\nAbsalom chanced to meet the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon\nhis mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and\nhis head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the\nheaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went on. And a\ncertain man saw it and told Joab, and said, \"Behold, I saw Absalom\nhanging in an oak.\"\n\nAnd Joab said to the man that told him, \"And, behold, thou sawest it,\nand why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have\ngiven thee ten pieces of silver and a girdle.\"\n\nAnd the man said to Joab, \"Though I should receive a thousand pieces\nof silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against\nthe king's son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai\nand Ittai, saying, 'Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.'\nOtherwise if I had dealt falsely against his life (and there is no\nmatter hid from the king), then thou thyself wouldest have stood\naloof.\"\n\n{445}{446}\n\n[Illustration]\n JERUSALEM, FROM THE WELL OF EN-ROGEL\n\n \"Leaving Jerusalem by St. Stephen's Gate and walking down the valley\n of Jehoshaphat, by the dry bed of the Kidron, you meet at length the\n deep rugged valley of Hinnom, skirting the city in a semi-circular\n form on the southern and western sides. At the junction of these two\n valleys stands a low, vaulted stone building--this is the well of\n En-Rogel.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{447}\n\nThen said Joab, \"I may not tarry thus with thee.\" And he took three\ndarts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while\nhe was yet alive in the midst of the oak. And ten young men that bore\nJoab's armor came up and smote Absalom, and slew him. And Joab blew\nthe trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel: for\nJoab held back the people. And they took Absalom and cast him into the\ngreat pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of\nstones: and all Israel fled everyone to his tent.\n\nThen said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, \"Let me now run, and bear the king\ntidings, how that the Lord hath avenged him of his enemies.\"\n\nAnd Joab said to him, \"Thou shalt not be the bearer of tidings this\nday, but thou shalt bear tidings another day: but this day thou shalt\nbear no tidings, because the king's son is dead.\"\n\nThen said Joab to the Cushite, \"Go tell the king what thou hast seen.\"\n\n\nAnd the Cushite bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. Then said Ahimaaz\nthe son of Zadok yet again to Joab, \"But come what may, let me, I pray\nthee, also run after the Cushite.\"\n\nAnd Joab said, \"Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou wilt\nhave no reward for the tidings?\"\n\n\"But come what may,\" said he, \"I will run.\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"Run.\"\n\nThen Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.\n\nNow David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the\nroof of the gate unto the wall, and {448} lifted up his eyes, and\nlooked, and, behold, a man running alone. And the watchman cried, and\ntold the king. And the king said, \"If he be alone, there is tidings in\nhis mouth.\"\n\nAnd he came apace, and drew near. And the watchman saw another man\nrunning: and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, \"Behold,\nanother man running alone.\"\n\nAnd the king said, \"He also bringeth tidings.\"\n\nAnd the watchman said, \"I think the running of the foremost is like\nthe running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.\"\n\nAnd the king said, \"He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.\"\n\nAnd Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, \"All is well.\"\n\nAnd he bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth, and\nsaid, \"Blessed be the Lord thy God, who hath delivered up the men that\nlifted up their hand against my lord the king.\"\n\nAnd the king said, \"Is it well with the young man Absalom?\"\n\nAnd Ahimaaz answered, \"When Joab sent the king's servant, even me thy\nservant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was.\"\n\nAnd the king said, \"Turn aside, and stand here.\"\n\nAnd he turned aside, and stood still. And, behold, the Cushite came; and\nthe Cushite said, \"Tidings for my lord the king: for the Lord hath\navenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.\"\n\n{449}{450}\n\n[Illustration]\n ANCIENT TOMBS NEAR JERUSALEM.\n From a photograph belonging to Dr. W. J. Moulton\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n Many of the kings of Judah were buried in these rock tombs. \"Every\n family who could afford it had their tomb hewn out of the rock, with\n niches for the reception of many bodies.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{451}\n\nAnd the king said unto the Cushite, \"Is it well with the young man\nAbsalom?\"\n\nAnd the Cushite answered, \"The enemies of my lord the king, and all that\nrise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.\"\n\nAnd the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate,\nand wept: and as he went, thus he said, \"O my son Absalom, my son, my\nson Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!\"\n\n\nTHE PASSING OF DAVID.\n\n\"_I Go the Way of All the Earth_.\"\n\nNow the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged\nSolomon his son, saying, \"I go the way of all the earth: be thou\nstrong therefore, and show thyself a man; and keep the charge of the\nLord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his\ncommandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, according to\nthat which is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in\nall that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: that the\nLord may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If\nthy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with\nall their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee a\nman on the throne of Israel.'\"\n\nAnd David died, and his son Solomon reigned in his stead.\n\n{452}\n\nSOLOMON\n\n_The Story of the Wisest and Greatest King Israel Ever Had_.\n\n\n(After some opposition on the part of the other sons of David,\nSolomon was established on the throne.)\n\n\nTHE DREAM OF SOLOMON.\n\n_He Makes a Wise Choice_.\n\nAnd the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great\nhigh place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that\naltar. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and\nGod said, \"Ask what I shall give thee.\"\n\nAnd Solomon said, \"Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father\ngreat kindness, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in\nrighteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast\nkept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to\nsit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou\nhast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a\nlittle child; I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is\nin the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people,\nthat cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give thy servant\ntherefore an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may\ndiscern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy great\npeople?\"\n\n{453}{454}\n\n[Illustration]\n A CEDAR OF LEBANON\n\n From a photograph belonging to the Public Library of Springfield,\n Mass., and used by special permission.\n\n This is the largest of the \"Cedars of Lebanon\" now standing. It\n measures forty feet in circumference near the roots. These great\n trees grow in abundance upon the Lebanon range, and cedar wood was\n very much used in Bible times. Solomon's temple had beams of cedar,\n David's palace was built of it, and one of Solomon's palaces was\n called the house of the forest of Lebanon.\n[End illustration]\n\n{455}\n\nAnd the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.\nAnd God said unto him, \"Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast\nnot asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for\nthyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for\nthyself understanding to discern judgment; behold, I have done\naccording to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an\nunderstanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before\nthee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have\nalso given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor,\nso that there shall not be any among the kings like to thee, all thy\ndays. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my\ncommandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy\ndays.\"\n\nAnd Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream: and he came to\nJerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and\noffered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a\nfeast to all his servants.\n\n\nLORD OF THE LANDS.\n\n_The Prosperity and the Wisdom of Solomon_.\n\nAnd Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River Euphrates to\nthe land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt: they brought\npresents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. And Solomon's\nprovision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and\nthreescore {456} measures of meal; ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out\nof the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and gazelles, and\nroebucks, and fatted fowl. For he had dominion over all the region on\nthis side the River Euphrates, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the\nkings on this side the River Euphrates: and he had peace on all sides\nround about him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under\nhis vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the\ndays of Solomon. And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for\nhis chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And those officers\nprovided victual for King Solomon, and for all that came unto King\nSolomon's table, every man in his month: they let nothing be lacking.\nBarley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they to\nthe place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.\n\nAnd God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and\nlargeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.\n\nAnd Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the\neast, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; and\nhis fame was in all the nations round about. And he spoke three\nthousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he\nspoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop\nthat springeth out of the wall: he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl,\nand of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came of all peoples\nto hear the {457} wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth,\nwhich had heard of his wisdom.\n\n\nTHE TREATY WITH KING HIRAM.\n\n_Cedars of Lebanon and Stones from the Quarries for the Temple_.\n\nAnd Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard\nthat they had anointed him king instead of his father: for Hiram was\never a lover of David. And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, \"Thou\nknowest how David my father could not build an house for the name of\nthe Lord his God for the wars which were about him on every side,\nuntil the Lord put his enemies under his feet. But now the Lord my God\nhath given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil\nhappening. And, behold, I purpose to build an house for the name of\nthe Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying, 'Thy\nson, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the\nhouse for my name.' Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar\ntrees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants; and\nI will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou\nshalt say: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that has\nskill to hew timber like unto the Zidonians.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he\nrejoiced greatly, and said, \"Blessed be the Lord this day, who hath\ngiven unto David a wise son over this great people.\"\n\n{458}\n\nAnd Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, \"I have heard the message which\nthou hast sent to me: I will do all thy desire concerning timber of\ncedar, and concerning timber of fir. My servants shall bring them down\nfrom Lebanon to the sea: and I will make them into rafts to go by sea\nto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be\nbroken up there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt\naccomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.\"\n\nSo Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of fir according to\nall his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of\nwheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus\ngave Solomon to Hiram year by year. And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom,\nas he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and\nthey two made a league together.\n\nAnd King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was\nthirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month\nby turns: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and\nAdoniram was over the levy. And Solomon had three score and ten\nthousand that bore burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in\nthe mountains; besides Solomon's chief officers that were over the\nwork, three thousand and three hundred, which were overseers of the\npeople that wrought in the work. And the king commanded, and they\nhewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the\nhouse with wrought stone. And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders\ndid fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the\nhouse.\n\n{459}{460}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE LEBANON RANGE AND A GROVE OF CEDARS.\n\n The grand mountain range called Lebanon, \"white,\" from the snow\n which lies for seven months on its summits, is very often mentioned\n in the Old Testament. The highest summits are from five thousand\n five hundred to seven thousand feet.\n[End illustration]\n\n{461}\n\nSOLOMON'S TEMPLE.\n\n_The House of the Lord Is Built_.\n\n\n\nThen Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in\nMount Moriah, where the Lord appeared to David his father, which he\nmade ready in the place that David had appointed, in the\nthreshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.\n\nAnd he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the\nfourth year of his reign. Now these are the foundations which Solomon\nlaid for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after\nthe first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty\ncubits. And the porch that was before the house, the length of it,\naccording to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the\nheight an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure\ngold.\n\nAnd the greater house he ceiled with fir tree, which he overlaid with\nfine gold, and wrought thereon palm trees and chains. And he adorned\nthe house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of\nParvaim. He overlaid also the house, the beams, the thresholds, and\nthe walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved\ncherubim on the walls.\n\nAnd he made the most holy house; the length thereof, according to the\nbreadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof\ntwenty cubits: and he overlaid it {462} with fine gold, amounting to\nsix hundred talents. And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of\ngold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. And in the most\nholy house he made two cherubim of image work; and they overlaid them\nwith gold. And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the\nwing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the\nhouse; and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the\nwing of the other cherub. And the wing of the other cherub was five\ncubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five\ncubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub. The wings of\nthese cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood\non their feet, and their faces were toward the house.\n\nAnd he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen,\nand wrought cherubim thereon. Also he made before the house two\npillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the capital that was on\nthe top of each of them was five cubits. And he made chains in the\noracle, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made an\nhundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. And he set up the\npillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the\nleft; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the\nname of that on the left Boaz.\n\nMoreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof,\nand twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height\nthereof. Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim,\nround in compass, and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line\nof thirty cubits compassed it round about.\n\n{463}{464}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE MOSQUE OF OMAR AND THE ANCIENT TEMPLE AREA\n\n In the background is the Mosque of El Akoa and beyond are the\n Judaean hills, to the south and southeast\n\n Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.\n\n The Mohammedan Mosque of Omar now stands upon the old temple area.\n It is a handsome octagonal building, standing on a platform near the\n center of the area, from which it is elevated by several steps. It\n is said to have been built in 636 by the Caliph Omar. In 1099, when\n the Crusaders captured Jerusalem, ten thousand Arabs were massacred\n in this enclosure. In 1187 the Moslems, under Saladin, again took\n the city, and the mosque has been one of their most sacred places\n ever since.\n[End illustration]\n\n{465}\n\nAnd under it were the images of oxen, which did compass it round\nabout, for ten cubits, compassing the sea round about. The oxen were\nin two rows, cast when it was cast. It stood upon twelve oxen, three\nlooking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three\nlooking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the\nsea was set upon them above, and all their hinder parts were inward.\nAnd it was an handbreadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like\nthe brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held\nthree thousand baths.\n\nHe made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on\nthe left, to wash in them; such things as belonged to the burnt\noffering they washed in them: but the sea was for the priests to wash\nin.\n\nAnd he made the ten candlesticks of gold according to the ordinance\nconcerning them; and he set them in the temple, five on the right\nhand, and five on the left.\n\nHe made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the\nright side, and five on the left. And he made an hundred basins of\ngold.\n\nFurthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and\ndoors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass. And he\nset the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.\nAnd King Solomon made the two pillars, and the bowls, and the two\ncapitals which were on the top of the pillars; and the two networks to\ncover the two bowls of the capitals {466} that were on the top of the\npillars; and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two\nrows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the\ncapitals that were upon the pillars. He made also the bases, and the\nlavers made he upon the bases; one sea, and the twelve oxen under it.\nThe pots also, and the shovels, and the flesh-hooks, and all the\nvessels thereof, did King Solomon make for the house of the Lord of\nbright brass. In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the\nclay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. Thus Solomon made all these\nvessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be\nfound out.\n\nAnd Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God, the\ngolden altar also, and the tables whereon was the showbread; and the\ncandlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn according to the\nordinance before the oracle, of pure gold; and the flowers, and the\nlamps, and the tongs, of gold, and that perfect gold; and the\nsnuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the firepans, of pure\ngold: and as for the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for\nthe most holy place, and the doors of the house, to wit, of the\ntemple, were of gold.\n\nThus all the work that Solomon wrought for the house of the Lord was\nfinished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had\ndedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and all the vessels, and put\nthem in the treasuries of the house of God.\n\n{467}{468}\n\n[Illustration]\n INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF OMAR\n\n Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.\n\n The center of the mosque is occupied by the top of the natural rock,\n shown in the foreground. It is possible that the great altar of\n Solomon's temple was at this place.\n[End illustration]\n\n{469}\n\nSOLOMON'S PALACE.\n\n_Costly and Beautiful_.\n\nAnd Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished\nall his house. For he built the house of the forest of Lebanon; the\nlength thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty\ncubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar\npillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. And it was covered with\ncedar above over the forty and five beams, that were upon the pillars;\nfifteen in a row. And there were three rows of latticed windows. And\nhe made the porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and\nthe breadth thereof thirty cubits; and a porch before them; and\npillars and thick beams before them. And he made the porch of the\nthrone where he was to judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was\ncovered with cedar from floor to floor. And his house where he was to\ndwell, the other court within the porch, was of the like work.\n\nHe made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter (whom Solomon had taken\nto wife), like unto this porch. All these were of costly stones, even\nof hewn stone, according to measure, sawed with saws, within and\nwithout, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the\noutside unto the great court. And the foundation was of costly stones,\neven great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.\nAnd above were costly stones, even hewn stone, according to measure,\nand cedar wood. And the great court round about had three rows of hewn\nstone, {470} and a row of cedar beams; like the inner court of the\nhouse of the Lord, and the porch of the house.\n\n\nTHE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.\n\n_The Great Assembly and Sacrifice_.\n\nThen Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the\ntribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel,\nunto King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of\nthe Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. And they brought up\nthe ark of the Lord, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels\nthat were in the Tent.\n\nAnd King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were\nassembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep\nand oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude. And the\npriests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto its place,\ninto the oracle of the house, to the most holy place. There was\nnothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there\nat Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel,\nwhen they came out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pass, when the\npriests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the\nhouse of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister by\nreason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the\nLord.\n\nThen spoke Solomon, \"The Lord hath said that he would dwell in the\nthick darkness. I have surely built thee an house of habitation, a\nplace for thee to dwell in for ever.\"\n\n{471}\n\nAnd the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation\nof Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood. And he said,\n\"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, which spoke with his mouth\nunto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,\n'Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I\nchose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that\nmy name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people\nIsrael.' Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an house\nfor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. But the Lord said unto\nDavid my father, 'Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house for\nmy name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart: nevertheless thou\nshalt not build the house; but thy son, he shall build the house for\nmy name.' And the Lord hath established his word that he spoke; for I\nam risen up in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of\nIsrael, as the Lord promised, and have built the house for the name of\nthe Lord, the God of Israel. And there have I set a place for the ark,\nwherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers,\nwhen he brought them out of the land of Egypt.\"\n\n\n_The Prayer of the King_.\n\nAnd Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all\nthe congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:\nand he said, \"O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in\nheaven above, or on earth beneath; who keepest covenant and mercy\nwith {472} thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart:\nwho hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou didst\npromise him: yea, thou hast spoken with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled\nit with thine hand, as it is this day.\n\n\"Now therefore, O Lord, the God of Israel, keep with thy servant David\nmy father that which thou hast promised him, saying, 'There shall not\nfail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; if only\nthy children take heed to their way, to walk before me as thou hast\nwalked before me.' Now therefore, O God of Israel, let thy word, I\npray thee, be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David\nmy father. But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold,\nheaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less\nthis house that I have builded!\n\n\"Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his\nsupplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer\nwhich thy servant prayeth before thee this day: that thine eyes may be\nopen toward this house night and day, even toward the place whereof\nthou hast said, 'My name shall be there': to hearken unto the prayer\nwhich thy servant shall pray toward this place. And hearken thou to\nthe supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they\nshall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling\nplace; and when thou hearest, forgive.\n\n{473}{474}\n\n[Illustration]\n JERUSALEM, FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES\n\n From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library and used by kind permission.\n\n The view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives in the days of the\n city's glory, was one of splendor. Of this view in the time of\n Christ a writer says, referring especially to the temple, \"In the\n setting even more than the rising sun, must the vast proportions,\n the symmetry, and the sparkling sheen of this mass of snowy marble\n and gold have stood out gloriously.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{475}\n\n\"If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to\ncause him to swear, and he come and swear before thine altar in this\nhouse: then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants,\ncondemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and\njustifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.\n\n\"When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they\nhave sinned against thee; if they turn again to thee, and confess thy\nname, and pray and make supplication unto thee in this house: then\nhear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and\nbring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.\nWhen heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned\nagainst thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name,\nand turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them: then hear thou\nin heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people\nIsrael, when thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk;\nand send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for\nan inheritance.\n\n\"If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be\nblasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them\nin the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness\nthere be; what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or\nby all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his\nown heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: then hear\nthou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and render\nunto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest\n(for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of\nmen); {476} that they may fear thee all the days that they live in the\nland which thou gavest unto our fathers.\n\n\"Moreover concerning the stranger, that is not of thy people Israel,\nwhen he shall come out of a far country for thy name's sake (for they\nshall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thy\nstretched out arm); when he shall come and pray toward this house:\nhear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that\nthe stranger calleth to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth\nmay know thy name, to fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and that\nthey may know that this house which I have built is called by thy\nname.\n\n\"If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatsoever way\nthou shalt send them, and they pray unto the Lord toward the city\nwhich thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for\nthy name: then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their\nsupplication, and maintain their cause.\n\n\"If they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not), and\nthou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they\ncarry them away captive unto the land of the enemy, far off or near;\nyet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are\ncarried captive, and turn again, and make supplication unto thee in\nthe land of them that carried them captive, saying, 'We have sinned,\nand have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly'; if they return unto\nthee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their\nenemies, which carried them captive, and pray unto thee toward their\nland, which thou {477} gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou\nhast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: then hear\nthou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place,\nand maintain their cause; and forgive thy people which have sinned\nagainst thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have\ntransgressed against thee; and give them compassion before those who\ncarried them captive, that they may have compassion on them: for they\nbe thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out\nof Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: that thine eyes may\nbe open to the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication\nof thy people Israel, to hearken unto them whensoever they cry unto\nthee. For thou didst separate them from among all the peoples of the\nearth, to be thine inheritance, as thou hast spoken by Moses thy\nservant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.\"\n\nAnd it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this\nprayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar\nof the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth\ntoward heaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of\nIsrael with a loud voice, saying, \"Blessed be the Lord, that hath\ngiven rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised:\nthere hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he\npromised by Moses his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was\nwith our fathers: let him not leave us nor forsake us: that he may\nincline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and keep his\n{478} commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he\ncommanded our fathers. And let these my words, wherewith I have made\nsupplication before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord our God day and\nnight, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his\npeople Israel, as every day shall require: that all the peoples of the\nearth may know that the Lord, he is God; there is none else. Let your\nheart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his\nstatutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.\"\n\nAnd the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the\nLord. And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which\nhe offered unto the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred\nand twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel\ndedicated the house of the Lord.\n\n\nA ROYAL PILGRIMAGE.\n\n_The Visit of the Queen of Sheba_.\n\n\nAnd when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning\nthe name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions. And\nshe came to Jerusalem with a very great caravan, with camels that bore\nspices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come\nto Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And\nSolomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from\nthe king which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen\nall the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, and the\nmeat of his table and the seating of his servants, and the attendance\nof his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his\nascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no\nmore spirit in her.\n\n{479}{480}\n\n[Illustration]\n JERUSALEM, FROM THE CITADEL, LOOKING TOWARD THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.\n\n From a picture in the possession of the Forbes Library and used by\n kind permission.\n\n This view reverses the position of the spectator in the previous\n picture Looking from the citadel, the slope of the Mount of Olives\n rises in the east.\n[End illustration]\n\n{481}\n\nAnd she said to the king, \"It was a true report that I heard in mine\nown land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the\nwords, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half\nwas not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I\nheard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand\ncontinually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord\nthy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel:\nbecause the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king,\nto do judgment and justice.\"\n\nAnd she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of\nspices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such\nabundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King\nSolomon.\n\nAnd King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever\nshe asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So\nshe turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.\n\n\nTHE GREATNESS OF SOLOMON'S EMPIRE.\n\n_Gold and Ivory Brought by Ship and Caravan_.\n\n(For forty years Solomon reigned in Jerusalem, and during nearly all\nthis time the land was peaceful and prosperous. The empire of Solomon\nwas greater in extent than the territory {482} ruled over by any king\nwhich came after him. At last the great king died and was buried in\nJerusalem, the city which his father had made the capital.)\n\nAnd King Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside\nElath, at the head of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent\nin the navy his servants, sailors that had knowledge of the sea, with\nthe servants of Solomon. And they came to Ophir, and fetched from\nthence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to King\nSolomon.\n\nAnd the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in\nfrom Ophir great plenty of almug trees and precious stones. And the\nking made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and\nfor the king's house, harps also and psalteries for the singers: there\ncame no such almug trees, nor were seen, unto this day.\n\nNow the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six\nhundred threescore and six talents of gold, beside that which the\ntraders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the\nkings of the mingled people, and of the governors of the country. And\nKing Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold: six hundred\nshekels of gold went to one buckler. And he made three hundred shields\nof beaten gold; three pounds of gold went to one shield: and the king\nput them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.\n\nMoreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with\nthe finest gold. There were six steps to the throne, and the top of\nthe throne was round behind: {483} and there were arms on either side\nof the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. And twelve lions\nstood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there\nwas not the like made in any kingdom. And all King Solomon's drinking\nvessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest\nof Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was nothing\naccounted of in the days of Solomon.\n\nFor the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram:\nonce every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and\nsilver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.\n\nSo King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in\nwisdom. And all the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his\nwisdom, which God had put in his heart. And they brought every man his\npresent, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, and\narmor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.\n\nAnd Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a\nthousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen,\nwhich he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at\nJerusalem. And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and\ncedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland,\nfor abundance.\n\n{484}\n\n{485}\n\nNOTES\n\n{486}\n\n{487}\n\nNOTES.\n\nABRAHAM. HIS JOURNEYS.\n\n_Ur of the Chaldees_ was an ancient city on the great plain of\nBabylon.\n\n_Haran_. A city lying far to the north of Ur, northeast of Palestine,\non the road from the east to the Mediterranean coast.\n\n_Canaan, Palestine, the Land of Israel_, are all names which have been\nused at different times for the same country. Canaan is the oldest\nBiblical name. It means \"the lowlands\" near the Mediterranean, but was\nused for the whole country.\n\n_Shechem_. A city in the middle of Canaan, in a valley between two\nmountains, Ebal and Gerizim.\n\n_Oak of Mamre_. The name suggests an oak that was connected with a\nsacred place. Its exact site is not known, but it must be somewhere\nnear Hebron.\n\n_Beth-el_ was a sacred place, in later times very important. It is on\nthe great road north and south, about twelve miles north of Jerusalem.\n_Ai_ was about two miles east, in the head of a valley which falls\nrapidly toward the Jordan.\n\n_The South_ was used as the name of the country to the south of\nCanaan, as we use \"the South\" and \"the West\" to mean sections of our\nown country.\n\n\nDIVISION OF THE LAND.\n\n_Plain of the Jordan_. The river Jordan runs through a deep valley,\nwhich broadens out in its southern part into a plain. It was warm, rich\nand fertile. Here were situated the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.\n\n_Zoar_. One of the cities of the Plain of the Jordan, perhaps on higher\nground than the others.\n\n{488}\n\n_Hebron_, near which the oaks of Mamre were, lies about twenty miles\nsouth of Jerusalem. It was from very early time regarded as a sacred\ncity. It is still a town of considerable size.\n\n\nTHE FIGHT OF THE FIVE KINGS.\n\n\n_The five kings_ were from Babylonia and the mountain country of Elam\nbeyond Babylonia. As the story stands, the king of Elam had conquered\nBabylonia and the land of Canaan. After a time, part of the land of\nCanaan revolted, and he came, with his Babylonian allies, to punish\nthe rebellious Canaanites.\n\n_Slime pits_. Pits of bitumen, a black, sometimes sticky mineral,\nwhich is found in the valley of Jordan.\n\n_Dan_. A town in the north of Palestine. The story makes Abraham's\nchase of the kings extend all the length of the land afterwards held\nby the Hebrews.\n\n_Hobah_. A town north of Damascus, not mentioned elsewhere in the\nBible.\n\n_Damascus_. A very old city, northeast of Palestine. It is situated in\na beautiful spot, watered by two rivers, and has been the starting\npoint of caravans for the east, west, and south since long before the\ndays of Abraham.\n\n_Melchizedek_. King of Salem. Salem was probably Jerusalem.\nMelchizedek was, like many other ancient kings, also the chief priest\nof his city. As such, it was right that he should bless the returning\nchief in war.\n\n\nA COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND ABRAHAM.\n\n\n_Euphrates_. The greatest river of western Asia. It rises in the\nmountains of Armenia and flows to the Persian gulf. The Bible often\ncalls it simply \"the Great River.\"\n\n_Beer-sheba_. The farthest town to the south in Palestine. \"From Dan\nto Beer-sheba\" was used to mean all the land from the north to the\nsouth.\n\n{489}{490}\n\n[Illustration]\n EN ROGEL, FROM THE SOUTH\n\n From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n A nearer view of the famous old well outside the walls of Jerusalem.\n[End illustration]\n\n{491}\n\n_Wilderness of Paran_. The half desert country lying south\nof Palestine.\n\n\nTESTING OF ABRAHAM.\n\n\n_Land of Moriah_. An unknown region. The Jews later supposed that\nIsaac was sacrificed on the hill at Jerusalem on which Solomon built\nthe temple, but the Bible itself does not affirm it.\n\n_Sacrifices_ were offered on bare rocks or on altars built of stone or\nearth. At first they were a way of expressing fellowship with God. The\npeople ate part of an offering, and the rest of it was burnt, to\nsymbolize that it was God's share. Later the offering was something\ngiven to God. This last is the idea in the story of the sacrifice of\nIsaac.\n\n\nDEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH.\n\n\n_Hittites_ and _children of Heth_ mean the Hittites, one of the tribes\nof peoples in Palestine before the arrival of the Hebrews. There was a\ngreat Hittite empire north of Palestine.\n\n_Shekel_. An amount of money; in early times not a coin but a weight\nof money. In this story Abraham \"weighed\" the silver.\n\n\n\nISAAC AND REBEKAH.\n\n\n_Mesopotamia_ means \"between the rivers,\" the wide land far east between\nthe Euphrates and the Tigris.\n\n_Cave of Machpelah_. In early times caves were often used as burial\nplaces. The present inhabitants of Hebron believe the cave of Machpelah\nis under a building in their city.\n\n\nJACOB.\n\n\n_Pottage._ A sort of stew of lentils, a vegetable like beans.\n\n_Birthright_. In many parts of the world, the oldest child has, by his\nbirth, the right of becoming the head of the family {492} at the death\nof his father, with sometimes other rights and responsibilities.\n\n_Paddan-aram_ or _Padan-aram_. \"The country of Syria,\" lying northeast\nof Palestine, between Damascus and the river Euphrates.\n\n_Pillars of stone_. Standing stones and heaps of stones were often set\nup at places held sacred. Oil was poured on such stones as an offering\nto God, or to express the idea that the places were holy. Such sacred\nplaces are found in almost all lands, and were very common in\nPalestine. The stones are still sometimes found standing.\n\n_Jegar-sahadutha_ and _Galeed_ both mean \"heap of witness,\" one in the\nlanguage of Canaan, the other in that of Mesopotamia.\n\n_Jabbok_. A stream flowing into the Jordan from the east.\n\n_Peniel_. \"Face of God.\" Sometimes spelled Penuel.\n\n_Seir_. A section of country southeast of Palestine. It is high and\nrocky, sometimes called Mt. Seir.\n\n_Succoth_, \"booths.\" Its site is not known.\n\n_Allon-bacuth_, \"the oak of weeping\"\n\n\nJOSEPH.\n\n\n_Dothan_. About ten miles north of Samaria. A story about Elisha is\nalso located at Dothan. _Tales of Old Judea, 148_.\n\n_Caravan_. A train of camels or horses. In the East people traveled\ntogether in caravans for protection against robbers.\n\n_Egypt_. A land where civilization is very ancient. All through the\nOld Testament times it was a powerful kingdom. Its king was called, in\nthe early stories of the Bible, the Pharaoh.\n\n_Divining cup_. The custom of divining, that is, discovering hidden\nsecrets by magic, was widespread in the ancient world. Sometimes cups\nof sacred water were used, and a special cup might be thought to have\nspecial value for divination.\n\n{493}\n\n_Goshen_. A section in the northeast of Egypt, next to the Isthmus of\nSuez.\n\n_Rameses_. A city in the land of Goshen. \"The land of Rameses\" is the\ncountry about this city.\n\n_Embalming_ was a custom in Egypt. These people thought that their\nlife in the next world depended on keeping the body from decay; so\nthey filled the body with certain chemicals which kept it from the\nnatural decay. The preserved body is called a mummy.\n\n\nJOSHUA.\n\n\n_Shittim_. A place on the east of the Jordan. The site is not known.\n\n_Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon_ are all in the\nsouthern part of Palestine, in what was later the kingdom of Judah.\n\n_Book of Jashar_. A collection of poems of ancient heroes, from which\nalso the beautiful lament of David over Saul is taken. _Hero Tales,\n426_.\n\n\nTHE JUDGES.\n\n\n_Hill country of Ephraim_. The mountain ridge in the central part of\nPalestine, which belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.\n\n_Summer room_. A room built on the flat top of a house, to get the\ncool breezes in the hot summer days.\n\n_Philistines_. A people who, like the Hebrews, migrated into the land\nof the Canaanites. They occupied the land along the coast of the\nMediterranean. For a long time they were stronger in war than the\nHebrews, and ruled over them. This name \"Palestine\" comes from\n\"Philistine.\"\n\n_Beating out wheat in the wine press_. Ordinarily in the East, wheat\nis threshed by being trodden out with oxen on a bare, hard piece of\nground. It is usually in a prominent place, to get the wind for\nwinnowing, and so could be easily seen by the {494} enemy. The wine\npress furnished a small, flat place where the little wheat they had\ncould be threshed in secret.\n\n_Angel of the Lord_. Any messenger from God, sometimes thought of in\nearly times as being God himself in the form of a man.\n\n_Ophrah_. A place in northern central Palestine, site not known.\n\n_Baal and Asherah_. The Baals were the gods of the Canaanites. Each\nlocality had its Baal (Lord), with an altar and a stone pillar, on\nsome prominent place (the \"high places\" of the Bible). The asherah was\na sacred tree or post standing near the stone pillar.\n\n_Jezreel_. A beautifully situated town in northern central Palestine.\n\n_Pitchers_. Jars in which were hidden torches. When the jars were\nbroken with a crash, the torches suddenly flamed out in the darkness,\nand the noise and the unexpected light made a panic in the Midianite\narmy.\n\n\nSAUL.\n\n\n_Mizpah_. A town on the east of Jordan. Probably the same place that\nis mentioned in the story of Jacob.\n\n_Ramah_, \"hill.\" A common name of places in Palestine.\n\n_Vial_. A vessel in which was carried a sacred oil. A common way to\nhonor a guest was to pour a little oil on his head. Kings and priests\nwere set apart for their office by anointing with oil.\n\n_Jabesh_. A city east of the Jordan. The people of the city did not\nforget the good deed of Saul. Many years later, when Saul was defeated\nand killed, brave men from this city traveled all night, took his body\nfrom the battlefield, and gave it an honorable funeral at Jabesh.\n\n\n{495}{496}\n\n[Illustration]\n JERUSALEM, FROM THE NORTHEAST\n\n Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.\n\n The view is taken from Mount Scopus, the northward extension of the\n Mount of Olives. The valley between is the head of the Kidron.\n\n This fine picture gives a distinct view of the modern city with its\n walls and towers, and the valley which lies between.\n[End illustration]\n\n{497}\n\n_Ammonites_. A people who lived on the east of the Jordan, with whom\nthe Hebrews had made war.\n\n_Michmash_. A small town about seven miles north of Jerusalem, on the\nedge of a deep ravine going down toward the Jordan.\n\n_Eating with the blood_. The blood was not eaten by the Hebrews. They\nthought of it as the seat of life, and, since life belonged to God,\nman ought not to eat it.\n\n_Familiar Spirit_. \"Familiar\" is here connected with \"family,\"\nhousehold. It means a spirit which is ready to serve one, like one of\nhis servants. The woman with a \"familiar spirit\" was a \"medium,\" who\nwas supposed to be able to summon spirits.\n\n\nDAVID.\n\n\n_Cubit_. See Weights and Measures. Span. The half of a cubit, about\nnine inches.\n\n_Gath_. A Philistine city on the plain west of the hills of Judaea.\n\n_Armor_. The helmet of brass was not uncommon. The \"coat of mail\" was\na close-fitting cloak, covered with brass scales, so as to allow free\nmovement. The greaves were coverings for the shins and the knees. The\narmor of the Bible times was much simpler than that in Europe in the\nmiddle ages.\n\n\nSOLOMON.\n\n\n_Tyre_. A city on the coast of the Mediterranean, north of Palestine,\nfor a long time the center of much commerce between Egypt, Asia,\nGreece, and the lands farther west. Its inhabitants were Phoenicians.\n\n_Zidon_, like Tyre, a Phoenician coast city, rich and commercial.\n\n{498}\n\n_Sheba_. A land in southern Arabia, which got wealth by trading\nbetween Egypt and the countries on the Mediterranean, and the distant\nsouth and east.\n\n_Ophir_. A land about which there have been many opinions. Some have\nthought it in East Africa, some in the far east--India or the Malay\nPeninsula,--some in Southeast Arabia. Perhaps the last opinion is as\nprobable as any.\n\n_Almug_. A wood evidently valued for its rarity and beauty. What the\nwood was is not known, nor where it came from.\n\n_Ezion-Geber_. A town at the head of the Eastern gulf, now called the\nGulf of Akabah, of the Red Sea. In ancient times it was a port of\ncommerce, but now there is no trade anywhere on this gulf.\n\n_Red Sea_. Between Egypt and Arabia. In the time of Solomon there was\ncommerce on it with Southern Arabia, Eastern Africa, and perhaps with\n'Countries still farther away. Part of Solomon's wealth came from his\nshare in this commerce.\n\n{499}\n\nTABLE OF MEASURES.\n\n Palm Span Cubit Value in Inches\nPalm. 1 3\n\nSpan. 3 1 9\n\nCubit 6 2 1 18\n\n\nWEIGHTS.\n\n_A shekel_. The English equivalent of this weight is not known. It\nvaried at different times in the history of Israel. According to our\nestimate a shekel was about 0.3 of an avoirdupois ounce. Probably the\nearliest standard of weight was a grain of wheat and the early\nBabylonian shekel was equal to 180 grains of wheat. According to this\nestimate the weight of Goliath's coat of brass was about 90 pounds and\nthe weight of his spearhead about 10 pounds.\n\n_A mina_. A weight equal to 60 shekels.\n\n_A talent_. A weight equal to 60 minas.\n\n{500}\n\n{501}\n\nMEMORY VERSES\n\n{502}\n\n{503}\n\nMEMORY VERSES.\n\n_One for Each Week of the Year_.\n\nLord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the\nmountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and\nthe world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art\nGod.--_Psalms 90:1,2_.\n\nIf God be for us, who can be against us?--_Romans 8:31_.\n\nWherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to\nwithstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.--_Ephesians\n6:13_.\n\nFight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto\nthou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many\nwitnesses.--_I Timothy 6:12_.\n\nLift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting\ndoors; and the King of glory shall come in.--_Psalms 24:7_.\n\nThe Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles\nbe glad thereof.--_Psalms 97:1_.\n\nThe Lord is my strength and my shield.--_Psalms 28:7_.\n\nOnly be thou strong and very courageous.--_Joshua 1:7_.\n\nThe Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation; he is\nmy God, and I will prepare him an {504} habitation; my father's God,\nand I will exalt him.--_Exodus 15:2_.\n\nBrethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I\ndo, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto\nthose things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize\nof the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.--_Philippians 3:13,14_.\n\nFinally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his\nmight.--_Ephesians 6:10_.\n\nThen said Jesus unto his disciples, \"If any man will come after me,\nlet him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.\"--_Matthew\n16:24_.\n\nKnow ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth\nthe prize? So run, that ye may obtain.--_I Corinthians 9:24_.\n\nHe that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that loseth his life\nfor my sake, shall find it.--_Matthew 10:39_.\n\nFor I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy\nto be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.--_Romans\n8:18_.\n\nThe night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off\nthe works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.--_Romans\n13:12_.\n\nHe that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with\nme scattereth.--_Luke 11:23_.\n\nWe will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of God we will setup\nour banners.--_Psalms 20:5_.\n\n{505}\n\nHis banner over me was love.--_Song of Solomon 2:4_.\n\nAnd every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all\nthings. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an\nincorruptible.--_I Corinthians 9:25_.\n\nWatch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.--_I\nCorinthians 16:13_.\n\nWhosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.--_Matthew\n20:27_.\n\nFor the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.\n--_I Corinthians 4:20_.\n\nGive unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord\nglory and strength.--_I Chronicles 16:28_.\n\nThe Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.\n--_II Samuel 22:2_.\n\nI will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in\nhim will I trust.--_Psalms 91:2_.\n\nI therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that\nbeateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into\nsubjection.--_I Corinthians 9:26, 27_.\n\nWho through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained\npromises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire,\nescaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed\nvaliant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.\n--_Hebrews 11:33,34_.\n\n{506}\n\nThou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus\nChrist.--_II Timothy 2:3_.\n\nBe thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of\nlife.--_Revelations 2:10_.\n\nWalk worthily of God, who calleth you unto his kingdom and glory.\n--_I Thessalonians 2:12_.\n\nHold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is\nfaithful that promised.--_Hebrews 10:23_.\n\nPut on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against\nthe wiles of the devil.--_Ephesians 6:11_.\n\nI can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.\n--_Philippians 4:13_.\n\nBlessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find\nwatching.--_Luke 12:37_.\n\nTake ye heed, watch and pray.--_Mark 13:33_.\n\nHe that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of\nme.--_Matthew 10:38_.\n\nBlessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous\nthings. And blessed be his glorious name forever: and let the whole\nearth be filled with his glory.--_Psalms 72:18,19_.\n\nHe that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth\nhis spirit than he that taketh a city.--_Proverbs 16:32_.\n\nWherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of\nwitnesses, let us lay aside every weight, {507} and the sin which doth\nso easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set\nbefore us.--_Hebrews 12:1_.\n\nLet the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let men say\namong the nations, the Lord reigneth.--_I Chronicles 16:31_.\n\nSing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the\nearth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles,\nand the inhabitants thereof.--_Isaiah 42:10_.\n\nSave thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift\nthem up for ever.--_Psalms 28:9_.\n\nGive us help from trouble; for vain is the help of man.\n--_Psalms 60:11_.\n\nAnd ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.\n--_John 8:32_.\n\nStand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us\nfree, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.--_Galatians\n5:1_.\n\nBut the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their\nstrength in the time of trouble.--_Psalms 37:39_.\n\nThe Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.\n--_Psalms 118:14_.\n\nHe giveth power to the faint: and to them that have no might he\nincreaseth strength.--_Isaiah 40:29_.\n\nWho shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or\ndistress, or persecution, or famine, or {508} nakedness, or sword?\nNay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that\nloved us.--_Romans 8:35,37_.\n\nFear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good\npleasure to give you the kingdom.--_Luke 12:32_.\n\nI have fought a good fight, I have finished my course,\nI have kept the faith.--_II Timothy 4:7_.\n\n\n[End of \"VOLUME TWO: HERO TALES\"]\n\n----------------------------------------------------\n\n[Start of \"VOLUME THREE: TALES OF OLD JUDAEA\"]\n\n\n{1}\n\n{2}\n\n{3}\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY\n\n{4}\n\n{5}\n\n{6}\n\n[Illustration]\n BUILDING THE ARK\n\n \"Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shall thou make in the ark\n and shall cover it within and without with pitch. And this is how\n thou shalt make it; the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the\n breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{7}\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY\n\nVOLUME THREE\n\nTALES OF OLD JUDAEA\n\n\nARRANGED AND EDITED BY\n\nREV. NEWTON MARSHALL HALL, D.D.\n\nMINISTER OF THE NORTH CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS\n\nAND\n\nREV. IRVING FRANCIS WOOD, PH.D.\n\nPROFESSOR OF\nBIBLICAL LITERATURE AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION\nAT SMITH COLLEGE\n\n_Authors of \"The Early Days of Israel\" \"Advanced Bible Studies\" Etc_.\n\nTHE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY\nSPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS\n\nCHICAGO CLEVELAND\n\n{8}\n\nCOPYRIGHT, 1906,\nCOPYRIGHT, 1917,\n\nBY THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY,\nSPRINGFIELD, MASS.\n\n{9}\n\nPREFACE\n\nThis volume contains stories from the Old Testament, not included in\nthe previous volume of this series, \"Hero Tales from the Old\nTestament.\" It tells of brave women and strong men, of marvelous\nadventures and escapes, of gallant struggles for liberty, of good and\nbad kings, of national deliverance and captivity. Some of these\nstories are given in the form of great symbolic poems and stories like\nthe \"Pilgrim's Progress,\" conveying some great truth by means of\npoetic imagery, others are the literal recital of historic facts. All\nare full of the deepest interest and are of profound moral value.\n\n{10}\n\n{11}\n\nCONTENTS\n\nTALES OF THE FAR-OFF DAYS. 13\n The Story of Creation. 15\n A Story of Disobedience and Its Consequences. 19\n The Story of the First Murder. 22\n The Story of the Flood. 24\n The Story of the Tower of Babel. 32\n\nTALES OF BRAVE WOMEN. 33\n Ruth. 35\n Deborah. 51\n Esther. 60\n Judith. 80\n\nTALES OF ELIJAH AND ELISHA. 109\n\nTALES OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE. 163\n Jonah. 165\n Samson. 172\n Daniel. 183\n Nehemiah. 212\n\nTHE STORY OF A DIVIDED KINGDOM. 235\n _The Kingdom of the South_. 237\n\n 1 Rehoboam. 237\n 2 Abijah. 242\n 3 Asa. 247\n 4 Jehoshaphat. 255\n 5 Jehoram. 266\n 6 Ahaziah. 269\n 7 Athaliah. 271\n 8 Joash. 277 {12}\n 9 Amaziah. 281\n 10 Uzziah. 287\n 11 Jotham. 292\n 12 Ahaz. 293\n 13 Hezekiah. 299\n 14 Manasseh. 317\n 15 Amon. 322\n 16 Josiah. 323\n 17 Jehoahaz. 332\n 18 Jehoiakim. 335\n 19 Jehoiachin. 346\n 20 Zedekiah. 348\n\nThe Kingdom of the North 353\n\n 1 Jeroboam. 353\n 2 Nadab. 367\n 3 Baasha. 368\n 4 Elah. 370\n 5 Zimri. 373\n 6 Omri. 374\n 7 Ahab. 377\n 8 Ahaziah. 382\n 9 Joram. 387\n 10 Jehu. 395\n 11 Jehoahaz. 399\n 12 Joash. 400\n 13 Jeroboam II. 401\n 14 Zechariah 402\n 15 Shallum. 403\n 16 Menahem. 404\n 17 Pekahiah. 407\n 18 Pekah. 408\n 19 Hoshea. 411\n\nTALES OF THE MACCABEES. 415\n\nNOTES. 485\n\nMEMORY VERSES 499\n\n{13}\n\nTALES OF THE FAR-OFF DAYS\n\n{14}\n\n[Illustration]\n Map of Palestine in Old Testament times.\n[End illustration]\n\n{15}\n\nTHE STORY OF THE CREATION.\n\n\"_In the Beginning God Created the Heaven and the Earth_.\"\n\nIn the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth\nwas without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep:\nand the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said,\n\"Let there be light\": and there was light. And God saw the light that\nit was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God\ncalled the light \"Day,\" and the darkness he called \"Night.\" And there\nwas evening and there was morning, one day.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,\nand let it divide the waters from the waters.\" And God made the\nfirmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from\nthe waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God\ncalled the firmament \"Heaven.\" And there was evening and there was\nmorning, a second day.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together\nunto one place, and let the dry land appear\": and it was so.\n\nAnd God called the dry land \"Earth\"; and the gathering together of the\nwaters called he \"Seas\": and God saw that it was good. And God said,\n\"Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit tree\nbearing fruit after {16} its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon\nthe earth\": and it was so.\n\nAnd the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind,\nand tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind:\nand God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was\nmorning, a third day.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to\ndivide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for\nseasons, and for days and years: and let them be for lights in the\nfirmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth:\" and it was so.\n\nAnd God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day,\nand the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And\nGod set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the\nearth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the\nlight from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And there was\nevening and there was morning, a fourth day.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures,\nand let the birds fly above the earth in the open firmament of\nheaven.\"\n\nAnd God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that\nmoveth, with which the waters swarmed, after their kinds, and every\nwinged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good. And God\nblessed them, saying, \"Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters\nin the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.\" And there was\nevening and there was morning, a fifth day.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let the earth bring forth living {17} creatures after\ntheir kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after\ntheir kind\": and it was so.\n\nAnd God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle\nafter their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after\nits kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, \"Let us make man\nin our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the\nfish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle,\nand over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth\nupon the earth.\"\n\nAnd God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he\nhim; male and female created he them. And God blessed them: and God\nsaid unto them, \"Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,\nand subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over\nthe birds of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the\nearth.\"\n\nAnd God said, \"Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed,\nwhich is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which\nis the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food: and\nto every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to\neverything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have\ngiven every green herb for food:\" and it was so.\n\nAnd God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very\ngood. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.\n\nAnd the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.\nAnd on the seventh day God finished {18} his work which he had made;\nand he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.\nAnd God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it: because that in it\nhe rested from all his work which he had created and made.\n\n{19}\n\nA STORY OF DISOBEDIENCE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.\n\n_How Adam and Eve Lost Eden_.\n\nNow the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the\nLord God had made. And he said to the woman, \"Yea, hath God said, 'Ye\nshall not eat of any tree of the garden?'\"\n\nAnd the woman said unto the serpent, \"Of the fruit of the trees of the\ngarden we may eat: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst\nof the garden, God hath said, 'Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall\nye touch it, lest ye die.'\"\n\nAnd the serpent said to the woman, \"Ye shall not surely die: for God\ndoth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be\nopened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.\"\n\nAnd when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it\nwas a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make\none wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and ate; and she gave also\nunto her husband with her, and he ate. And the eyes of them both were\nopened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves\ntogether, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the\nLord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and\nhis wife {20} hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst\nthe trees of the garden. And the Lord God called to the man, and said\nunto him, \"Where art thou?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I heard thy voice in the garden, and 1 was afraid,\nbecause I was naked; and I hid myself.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Who told thee that thou wast naked?\n\nHast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou\nshouldest not eat?\"\n\nAnd the man said, \"The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave\nme of the tree, and I did eat.\"\n\nAnd the Lord God said to the woman, \"What is this thou hast done?\"\n\nAnd the woman said, \"The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.\"\n\nAnd the Lord God said unto the serpent, \"Because thou hast done this,\ncursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field;\nupon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of\nthy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and\nbetween thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou\nshalt bruise his heel.\"\n\nAnd to Adam he said, \"Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy\nwife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying,\n'Thou shalt not eat of it': cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil\nshalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and\nthistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of\nthe field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou\nreturn to the ground; for out of it wast thou {21} taken: for dust\nthou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.\"\n\nThen the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the\nground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he\nplaced at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame\nof a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of\nlife.\n\n{22}\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FIRST MURDER.\n\n\"_Am I My Brother's Keeper?_\"\n\n(After Adam and Eve were driven from the garden of Eden, two sons were\nborn to them. They named these sons Cain and Abel.)\n\n\nAnd Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.\nAnd in time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the\nground an offering to the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the\nfirstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had\nrespect to Abel and to his offering: but to Cain and to his offering\nhe had not respect. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.\nAnd the Lord said to Cain, \"Why art thou wroth? and why is thy\ncountenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?\nand if thou doest not well, sin croucheth at the door: and to thee\nshall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up\nagainst Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said to Cain,\n\"Where is Abel thy brother?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I know not: am I my brother's keeper?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood\ncrieth unto me from the ground. And now cursed art thou from the\nground, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood\nfrom thy hand; {23} when thou tillest the ground, it shall not\nhenceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a wanderer\nshalt thou be in the earth.\"\n\nAnd Cain said to the Lord, \"My punishment is greater than I can bear.\nBehold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the ground;\nand from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a\nwanderer in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that whosoever\nfindeth me will slay me.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said to him, \"Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance\nshall be taken on him sevenfold.\" And the Lord appointed a sign for\nCain, lest any finding him should smite him.\n\n{24}\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FLOOD.\n\n_How the First Ship, \"The Ark,\" Weathered the Storm_.\n\n\nTHE WICKEDNESS OF THE WORLD.\n\nThe Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and\nthat every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil\ncontinually. And the Lord repented that he had made man on the earth,\nand it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, \"I will destroy\nman whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and\nbeast, and creeping thing, and birds of the air; for I repent that I\nhave made them.\"\n\nBut Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.\n\n\nTHE BUILDING OF \"THE ARK.\"\n\nNoah was a righteous man, and Noah walked with God. And Noah had three\nsons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And the earth was corrupt before God,\nand the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and,\nbehold, it was corrupt; for all life had corrupted itself upon the\nearth.\n\nAnd God said to Noah, \"The end of all life is come before me; for the\nearth is filled with violence; and, behold, I will destroy life on the\nearth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the\nark, and shalt {25} pitch it within and without with pitch. And this\nis how thou shalt make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits,\nthe breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A\nroof shalt thou make to the ark; and the door of the ark shalt thou\nset in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt\nthou make it. And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the\nearth, to destroy all life from under heaven; everything that is in\nthe earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with thee; and\nthou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and\nthy sons' wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two\nof every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with\nthee; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind,\nand of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the\nground after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep\nthem alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and\ngather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.\"\n\nThus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.\n\n\nTHE GREAT FLOOD.\n\nAnd the Lord said to Noah, \"Come thou and all thy house into the ark;\nfor thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every\nclean beast thou shalt take to thee seven and seven, the male and his\nfemale; and of the beasts that are not clean two, the male and his\nfemale; of the birds also of the air, seven and seven, male {26} and\nfemale: to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet\nseven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and\nforty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy\nfrom off the face of the ground.\"\n\nAnd Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.\n\nAnd Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon\nthe earth. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons'\nwives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of\nclean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of birds and of\neverything that creepeth upon the ground, there went in two and two\nunto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah. And it\ncame to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were\nupon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the\nsecond month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day\nwere all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of\nheaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and\nforty nights.\n\nIn the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the\nsons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with\nthem, into the ark; they, and every beast after its kind, and all the\ncattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon\nthe earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind. And they went\nin with Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the\nbreath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all\nflesh, as God commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.\n\n{27}{28}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE END OF THE FLOOD.\n By Moritz Oppenheim, born at Hanan 1801-died 1882.\n\n \"And the dove came in to him at eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an\n olive leaf plucked off; so Noah knew that the waters were abated\n from off the earth.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{29}\n\nAnd the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased,\nand bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. And the\nwaters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark\nwent upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly\nupon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole\nheaven were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and\nthe mountains were covered. And all life died that moved upon the\nearth, both bird, and cattle, and beast, and every creeping thing that\ncreepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the\nbreath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every\nliving thing was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both\nman, and cattle, and creeping thing, and bird of the heaven; and they\nwere destroyed from the earth: and Noah only was left, and they that\nwere with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an\nhundred and fifty days.\n\n\nTHE DOVE AND THE OLIVE LEAF.\n\nAnd God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle\nthat were with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the\nearth, and the waters assuaged; the fountains also of the deep and the\nwindows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was\nrestrained; and the waters returned from off the earth continually:\nand after the end of an hundred and fifty {30} days the waters\ndecreased. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth\nday of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters\ndecreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on\nthe first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.\n\nAnd it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the\nwindow of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a raven, and it\nwent forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the\nearth. And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were\nabated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for\nthe sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark, for the\nwaters were on the face of the whole earth: and he put forth his hand,\nand took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed\nyet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;\nand the dove came in to him at eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an\nolive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from\noff the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the\ndove; and she returned not again unto him any more. And it came to\npass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first\nday of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and\nNoah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the\nface of the ground was dried. And in the second month, on the seven\nand twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry.\n\nAnd Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives\nwith him: every beast, every creeping {31} thing, and every bird,\nwhatsoever moveth upon the earth, after their families, went forth out\nof the ark.\n\n\nTHE RAINBOW IN THE SKY.\n\nAnd God said, \"I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall\nall life be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall\nthere any more be a flood to destroy the earth. This is the token of\nthe covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature\nthat is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the\ncloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the\nearth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth,\nthat the bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my\ncovenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all\nflesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all\nlife. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that\nI may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living\ncreature of all flesh that is upon the earth. This is the token of the\ncovenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is\nupon the earth.\"\n\n{32}\n\nTHE STORY OF THE TOWER OF BABEL.\n\n_A Foolish Plan and Its Failure_.\n\nAnd the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. And it came\nto pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land\nof Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, \"Come,\nlet us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.\"\n\nAnd they had brick for stone, and pitch had they for mortar. And they\nsaid, \"Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach\nunto heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad\nupon the face of the whole earth.\"\n\nAnd the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the\nchildren of men builded. And the Lord said, \"Behold, they are one\npeople, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to\ndo: and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose\nto do. Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that\nthey may not understand one another's speech.\"\n\nSo the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the\nearth: and they left off building the city. Therefore was the name of\nit called Babel (that is, confusion); because the Lord did there\nconfound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord\nscatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.\n\n{33}\n\nTALES OF BRAVE WOMEN\n\n{34}\n\n{35}\n\nRUTH\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n\n _Naomi, Elimelch_,\n _Hebrews who went to live in Moab_.\n\n _Mahlon, Chilion_,\n _Sons of Naomi and Elimelech_.\n\n _Ruth, Orpah_,\n _Daughters-in-law of Naomi and Elimelech_.\n\n Boaz,\n _A wealthy farmer of Beth-lehem and kinsman of Naomi_.\n\n _Reapers_.\n _Gleaners_.\n _A second kinsman of Naomi_.\n\n\nPLACE OF THE STORY.\n\n _Moab_.\n\n _Beth-lehem of Judah_.\n\n\nRUTH.\n\n(One of the sweetest stories of the Bible is that of Ruth the\nMoabitess. Many of the pages of the Old Testament are filled\nwith the noise and tumult of battle, but this tale breathes only of\npeace and calm, of sunny harvest days when fair Ruth gleaned in,\nthe fields around the old town of Beth-lehem.)\n\n\nAnd it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was\na famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to\nsojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.\nAnd the name {36} of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife\nNaomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, men of\nBeth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and\ncontinued there.\n\nAnd Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two\nsons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the\none was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there\nabout ten years.\n\nAnd Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was bereft of\nher two children and of her husband. Then she arose with her\ndaughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for\nshe had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited his\npeople in giving them bread. And she went forth out of the place where\nshe was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the\nway to return unto the land of Judah.\n\nAnd Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, \"Go, return each of you to\nher mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt\nwith the dead, and with me. The Lord grant you that ye may find rest,\neach of you in the house of her husband.\"\n\nThen she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And\nthey said to her, \"Nay, but we will return with thee to thy people.\"\n\nAnd Naomi said, \"Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me?\nTurn again, my daughters, go your way.\"\n\n{37}{38}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE FAMILY OF ELIMELECH GOING TO MOAB\n By Bida\n\n \"And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the\n country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{39}\n\nAnd they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her\nmother-in-law; but Ruth clave unto her.\n\nAnd she said, \"Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back to her people,\nand to her god: return thou after thy sister-in-law.\"\n\nAnd Ruth said, \"Intreat me not to leave thee, and to return from\nfollowing after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where\nthou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God\nmy God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the\nLord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.\"\n\nAnd when she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, she\nleft off speaking to her. So they two went on to Beth-lehem.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the\ncity was moved about them, and the women said, \"Is this Naomi?\"\n\nAnd she said unto them, \"Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the\nAlmighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the\nLord hath brought me home again empty: why call ye me Naomi, seeing\nthe Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted\nme?\"\n\nSo Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with\nher, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to\nBeth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.\n\nAnd Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a man of great wealth, of\nthe family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess\nsaid to Naomi, \"Let {40} me now go to the field, and glean among the\nears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.\"\n\nAnd she said to her, \"Go, my daughter.\"\n\nAnd she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and\nshe chanced to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who\nwas of the family of Elimelech.\n\nAnd, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said to the reapers, \"The\nLord be with you.\"\n\nAnd they answered him, \"The Lord bless thee.\"\n\nThen said Boaz to his servant that was set over the reapers, \"What\nyoung woman is this?\"\n\nAnd the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, \"It\nis the Moabitish maiden that came back with Naomi out of the country\nof Moab: and she said, 'Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the\nreapers among the sheaves': so she came, and hath continued even from\nthe morning until now, save that she tarried a little in the house.\"\n\nThen said Boaz to Ruth, \"Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to\nglean in another field, neither pass from hence, but abide here fast\nby my maidens. Let thine eyes be on the field that they reap, and go\nthou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not\ntouch thee? and when thou art athirst, go to the vessels, and drink of\nthat which the young men have drawn.\"\n\nThen she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said\nto him, \"Why have I found favor in thy sight that thou shouldest take\nknowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?\"\n\n{41}\n\nAnd Boaz answered and said to her, \"It hath fully been showed me, all\nthat thou hast done to thy mother-in-law since the death of thine\nhusband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the\nland of thy nativity, and art come to a people which thou knewest not\nheretofore. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given\nthee of the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come\nto take refuge.\"\n\nThen she said, \"Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord; because thou\nhast comforted me, and because thou hast spoken kindly unto thine\nhandmaid, though I am a stranger.\"\n\nAnd at mealtime Boaz said unto her, \"Come hither, and eat of the\nbread, and dip thy morsel in the cup.\"\n\nAnd she sat beside the reapers: and they passed her parched grain, and\nshe ate and was satisfied.\n\nAnd when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men,\nsaying, \"Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not.\nAnd also pull out some for her from, the bundles, and leave it, and\nlet her glean, and rebuke her not.\"\n\nSo she gleaned in the field until even; and she beat out what she had\ngleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up, and\nwent into the city: and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned.\n\nAnd she said unto her, \"Where hast thou gleaned today? and where hast\nthou worked? blessed be he that helped thee.\"\n\nAnd she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had {42} worked, and\nsaid, \"The man's name with whom I worked to-day is Boaz.\"\n\nAnd Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, \"Blessed be he of the Lord, who\nhath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. The man\nis nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen.\"\n\nAnd Ruth the Moabitess said, \"Yea, he said unto me, 'Thou shalt keep\nfast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.'\"\n\nAnd Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, \"It is good, my daughter,\nthat thou go out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any\nother field.\"\n\nSo she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean until the end of\nbarley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her\nmother-in-law.\n\nAnd Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, \"My daughter, shall I not\nseek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is there\nnot Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he\nwinnoweth barley to-night in the threshing-floor. Wash thyself\ntherefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and go down\nto the threshing-floor: but make not thyself known to the man, until\nhe shall have done eating and drinking. And it shall be, when he lieth\ndown, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou\nshalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell\nthee what thou shalt do.\"\n\nAnd she said to her, \"All that thou sayest I will do.\"\n\n{43}{44}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUTH IN THE HARVEST FIELDS OF BOAZ\n\n By Brueck-Lajos. Born at Papa, Hungary, November 3, 1846-\n\n \"And she came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and she\n chanced to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz.\"\n\n \"Perhaps the selfsame song that found a path\n Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,\n She stood in tears amid the alien corn.\"\n --_Keats--\"Ode to a Nightingale\"_\n\n{45}\n\nAnd she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all\nthat her mother-in-law bade her.\n\nAnd when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to\nlie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and\nuncovered his feet, and laid her down.\n\nAnd it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned\nhimself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, \"Who art\nthou?\"\n\nAnd she answered, \"I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy robe\nover thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: thou hast\nshowed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch\nas thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my\ndaughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou sayest: for all\nthe city of my people doth know that thou art a worthy woman. And now\nit is true that I am a near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer\nthan I. Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he\nwill perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the\nkinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee,\nthen will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the Lord liveth: lie\ndown until the morning.\"\n\nAnd she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one\ncould discern another.\n\nFor he said, \"Let it not be known that a woman came to the\nthreshing-floor.\"\n\n{46}\n\nAnd he said, \"Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it.\"\n\nAnd she held it: and he measured six measures of barley, and gave it\nto her: and he went into the city.\n\nAnd when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, \"How hast thou\nfared, my daughter?\"\n\nAnd she told her all that the man had done to her. And she said,\n\"These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said, 'Go not empty\nunto thy mother-in-law.'\"\n\nThen said she, \"Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter\nwill fall: for the man will not rest, until he has finished the thing\nthis day.\"\n\nNow Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there: and, behold, the\nnear kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; to whom he said, \"Ho,\nkinsman! turn aside, sit down here.\"\n\nAnd he turned aside, and sat down.\n\nAnd he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, \"Sit ye down\nhere.\"\n\nAnd they sat down.\n\nAnd he said to the near kinsman, \"Naomi, who has come again out of the\ncountry of Moab, selleth the piece of land, which was our brother\nElimelech's: and I thought to inform thee, saying, 'Buy it before\nthem that sit here, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt\nredeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me,\nthat I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am\nafter thee.'\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I will redeem it.\"\n\n{47}\n\nThen said Boaz, \"The day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi,\nthou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to\nraise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.\"\n\nAnd the near kinsman said, \"I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar\nmine own inheritance: take thou my right of redemption on thee; for I\ncannot redeem it.\"\n\n(Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming\nand concerning exchanging, to confirm all things; a man drew off his\nshoe, and gave it to his neighbor: and this was the manner of\nattestation in Israel.)\n\nSo the near kinsman said unto Boaz, \"Buy it for thyself.\" And he drew\noff his shoe.\n\nAnd Boaz said to the elders, and unto all the people, \"Ye are\nwitnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and\nall that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover\nRuth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my\nwife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the\nname of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren: ye are\nwitnesses this day.\"\n\nAnd all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, \"We\nare witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house\nlike Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel:\nand do thou worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Beth-lehem.\"\n\nSo Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife.\n\nAnd a son was born to them.\n\n{48}\n\nAnd Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom,\nand became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbors\ngave it a name, saying, \"There is a son born to Naomi\";\nand they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse,\nthe father of David.\n\n{49}\n\nRUTH\n\n She stood breast high amid the corn,\n Clasped by the golden light of morn,\n Like the sweetheart of the sun,\n Who many a glowing kiss had won.\n\n On her cheek an autumn flush\n Deeply ripened;--such a blush\n In the midst of brown was born,\n Like red poppies grown with corn.\n\n Round her eyes her tresses fell,--\n Which were blackest none could tell;\n But long lashes veiled a light\n That had else been all too bright.\n\n And her hat, with shady brim,\n Made her tressy forehead dim;--\n Thus she stood amid the stooks,\n Praising God with sweetest looks.\n\n Sure, I said, Heaven did not mean\n Where I reap thou shouldst but glean;\n Lay thy sheaf adown and come,\n Share my harvest and my home.\n --_Thomas Hood_.\n\n{50}\n\n{51}\n\nDEBORAH AND JAEL\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n\n _Deborah, the Prophetess.\n Jael, wife of Heber, the Kenite.\n Jabin, King of Canaan.\n Sisera, captain of Jabin's host.\n Heber, the Kenite.\n Barak, leader of the Israelites_.\n\nPLACE OF THE STORY.\n\n \"The Palm Tree of Deborah.\"\n The River Kishon.\n The Tent of Heber, the Kenite.\n\n\nDEBORAH AND JAEL.\n\nTHE STORY OF TWO WOMEN WHO HELPED TO OVERCOME\nAND KILL A MIGHTY WARRIOR.\n\nAnd the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the\nLord. And the Lord gave them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan,\nwho reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera. And the\nchildren of Israel cried to the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots\nof iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of\nIsrael.\n\n{52}\n\nNow Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, judged Israel at\nthat time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah\nand Beth-el in the hill country of Ephraim: and the children of Israel\ncame up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of\nAbinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, \"Hath not the Lord,\nthe God of Israel: commanded, saying, 'Go to Mount Tabor, and take\nwith thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the\nchildren of Zebulun? And I will bring to thee to the river Kishon\nSisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his host;\nand I will deliver him into thine hand.'\"\n\nAnd Barak said to her, \"If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but\nif thou wilt not go with me, I will not go.\"\n\nAnd she said, \"I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey\nthat thou takest shall not be for thine honor; for the Lord will give\nSisera into the hand of a woman.\"\n\nAnd Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. And Barak called the\ntribes of Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and there went up\nten thousand men with him: and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the\nKenite had separated himself from the Kenites, and had pitched his\ntent by an oak near Kedesh. And they told Sisera that Barak the son of\nAbinoam was gone up to Mount Tabor. And Sisera gathered together all\nhis chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people\nthat were with him. And Deborah said unto Barak, \"Up; for this {53} is\nthe day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is\nnot the Lord gone out before thee?\"\n\nSo Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men with him.\nAnd the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his\nhost, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera leaped down\nfrom his chariot and fled away on foot. But Barak pursued after the\nchariots, and after the host: and all the host of Sisera fell by the\nedge of the sword; there was not a man left.\n\nHowbeit Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber\nthe Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and\nthe house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and\nsaid to him, \"Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not.\"\n\nAnd he turned in to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.\nAnd he said to her, \"Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink;\nfor I am thirsty.\"\n\nAnd she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.\nAnd he said to her, \"Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be,\nwhen any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say, 'Is there any man\nhere?' that thou shalt say, 'No.'\"\n\nThen Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent-pin, and took an hammer in her\nhand, and went softly to him, and smote the pin into his temples, and\nit pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep, and\nweary; so he died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out\nto meet him, and said to him, \"Come, and I will show thee the man whom\nthou seekest.\" And he came to her; {54} and, behold, Sisera lay dead\nand the tent-pin was in his temple.\n\nSo God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the\nchildren of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prevailed\nmore and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had\ndestroyed Jabin king of Canaan.\n\nThen sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day,--\n\n\nA SONG OF TRIUMPH.\n\n \"For that the leaders took the lead in Israel,\n For that the people offered themselves willingly,\n Bless ye the Lord.\n\n \"Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes;\n I, even I, will sing unto the Lord;\n I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel.\n Lord, when thou wentest forth out of Seir,\n When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom,\n The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped,\n Yea, the clouds dropped water\n The mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord,\n Even yonder Sinai at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.\n\n \"In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,\n In the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied,\n And the travelers walked through byways.\n The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased,\n Until that I Deborah arose,\n That I arose a mother in Israel.\n\n{55}{56}\n\n[Illustration]\n RIVER KISHON AND MOUNT CARMEL\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n Esdraelon is usually regarded as one plain under one name from sea\n to Jordan. In reality, however, it is not one but several plains,\n more or less divided by the remains of ridges, which once upon a\n time sustained across it the continuity of \"the backbone of\n Palestine.\" Thus, nine miles from the sea, near Tell el Kasis, the\n traditional site of the slaughter of the priests of Baal, a\n promontory of the Galilean hills shoots south to within a hundred\n yards of Carmel, leaving only that space for the Kishon to break\n through. Eight or nine miles farther east, at Lejjun, probably the\n ancient Megiddo, low ridges run out from both north and south, as\n if they had once met, and again leave Kishon but a narrow pass. And\n once more, between Jezreel and a spot west of Shunem, about\n twenty-four miles from the coast, there is a sudden fall of level\n eastwards, which visibly separates Esdraelon proper from the\n narrower valley sloping towards Jordan and is perhaps evidence of a\n former connection between Gilboa and Moreh.\n[End illustration]\n\n{57}\n\n They chose new gods;\n Then was war in the gates:\n Was there a shield or spear seen\n Among forty thousand in Israel?\n My heart is toward the governors of Israel,\n That offered themselves willingly among the people:\n Bless ye the Lord.\n\n \"Tell of it, ye that ride on white asses,\n Ye that sit on rich carpets,\n And ye that walk by the way.\n Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water,\n There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord,\n Even the righteous acts of his rule in Israel.\n Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates.\n\n \"Awake, awake, Deborah;\n Awake, awake, sing a song:\n Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.\n Then came down a remnant of the nobles and the people;\n The Lord came down for me against the mighty.\n Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is in Amalek;\n After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples;\n Out of Machir came down governors,\n And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal's staff.\n And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;\n As was Issachar, so was Barak;\n Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet.\n By the watercourses of Reuben\n There were great resolves of heart.\n Why satest thou among the sheepfolds, {58}\n To hear the pipings for the flocks?\n At the watercourses of Reuben\n There were great searchings of heart.\n Gilead abode beyond Jordan:\n And Dan, why did he remain in ships?\n Asher sat still at the haven of the sea,\n And abode by his creeks.\n Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives to the death,\n And Naphtali, upon the high places of the field.\n\n \"The kings came and fought;\n Then fought the kings of Canaan,\n In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo:\n They took no gain of money.\n They fought from heaven,\n The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.\n The river Kishon swept them away,\n That ancient river, the river Kishon.\n O my soul, march on with strength.\n Then did the horse hoofs stamp\n By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their strong ones.\n\n \"Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord,\n Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof;\n Because they came not to the help of the Lord,\n To the help of the Lord against the mighty.\n\n \"Blessed above women shall Jael be,\n The wife of Heber the Kenite,\n Blessed shall she be above women in the tent.\n He asked water, and she gave him milk; {59}\n She brought him butter in a lordly dish.\n She put her hand to the nail,\n And her right hand to the workmen's hammer;\n And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote through his head,\n Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.\n At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay:\n At her feet he bowed, he fell:\n Where he bowed, there he fell down dead.\n\n \"Through the windows she looked forth, and cried,\n The mother of Sisera cried through the lattice,\n 'Why is his chariot so long in coming?\n Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?'\n Her wise ladies answered her,\n Yea, she returned answer to herself,\n 'Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil?\n A damsel, two damsels to every man;\n To Sisera a spoil of dyed garments,\n A spoil of dyed garments embroidered,\n Of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the spoil?'\n\n \"So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord:\n But let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth\n forth in his might.\"\n\n{60}\n\nESTHER\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n\n _Ahasuerus, King of Persia_.\n\n _Vashti, Queen of Ahasuerus, deposed by him_.\n\n _Esther, Queen of Ahasuerus_.\n\n _Mordecai, an officer of the Court_.\n\n _Courtiers, officers, women of the harem, messengers_.\n\n\nPLACE OF THE STORY.\n\n _The Palace of Ahasuerus_.\n\n\nESTHER.\n\nTHE STORY OF A BRAVE QUEEN WHO SAVED HER PEOPLE\nIN A FOREIGN LAND.\n\nNow it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who\nreigned, from India even to Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and\ntwenty provinces): that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on\nthe throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, in the\nthird year of his reign, he made a feast for all his princes and his\nservants; the mighty men of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes\nof the provinces, being before him: when he showed the riches of his\nglorious kingdom and the honor {61} of his excellent majesty many\ndays, even an hundred and eighty days.\n\nAnd when these days were ended, the king made a\nfeast for all the people that were present in Shushan the\npalace, both great and small, seven days, in the court of\nthe garden of the king's palace; there were hangings of\nwhite cloth, of green, and of blue, fastened with cords of\nfine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble:\nthe couches were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of\nred, and white, and yellow, and black marble. And they\ngave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being\ndifferent one from another,) and royal wine in abundance,\naccording to the bounty of the king.\n\nAlso Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in\nthe royal house who belonged to King Ahasuerus.\n\nOn the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he\ncommanded the seven chamberlains that ministered in the presence of\nAhasuerus the king, to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the\ncrown royal, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty: for she\nwas fair to look on. But the queen Vashti refused to come at the\nking's commandment by the chamberlains: therefore was the king very\nwroth, and his anger burned in him. Then the king said to the wise\nmen, \"What shall we do to the queen Vashti according to law, because\nshe hath not done the bidding of the king Ahasuerus by the\nchamberlains?\"\n\nAnd one of the wise men answered before the king and the princes,\n\"Vashti the queen hath not done wrong {62} to the king only, but also\nto all the princes, and to all the peoples who are in all the\nprovinces of the king Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen will come\nabroad to all women, to make their husbands contemptible in their\neyes, when it shall be reported, 'The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti\nthe queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.' And this day\nwill the princesses of Persia and Media which have heard of the deed\nof the queen say the like unto all the king's princes. So shall there\narise much contempt and wrath. If it please the king, let there go\nforth a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the\nlaws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, that\nVashti come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her\nroyal estate to another who is better than she.\n\n\"And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published\nthroughout all his kingdom, all the wives shall give to their husbands\nhonor, both to great and small.\"\n\nAnd the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did\naccording to the word of the wise men: for he sent letters into all\nthe king's provinces, into every province according to the writing\nthereof, and to every people after their language, that every man\nshould bear rule in his own house, and should publish it according to\nthe language of his people.\n\nAfter these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he\nremembered Vashti and what she had done, and what was decreed against\nher. Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, \"Let\nthere be fair young {63} maidens sought for the king: and let the king\nappoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may\ngather together all the fair young maidens to Shushan the palace, to\nthe house of the women, unto the custody of Hegai the king's\nchamberlain, keeper of the women; and let the maiden which pleaseth\nthe king be queen instead of Vashti.\" And the thing pleased the king;\nand he did so.\n\nThere was a certain Jew in Shushan the palace, whose name was\nMordecai, a Benjamite; who had been carried away from Jerusalem with\nthe captives which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah,\nwhom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. And he\nbrought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she\nhad neither father nor mother, and the maiden was fair and beautiful;\nand when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his\nown daughter. So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his\ndecree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together to\nShushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken\ninto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.\nAnd the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him. Esther\nhad not made known her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had\ncharged her that she should not make it known. And Mordecai walked\nevery day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther\ndid, and what would become of her. Now when the turn of every maiden\nwas come to go in to King Ahasuerus, in this wise came the maiden to\nthe king, whatsoever she desired was given her to go {64} with her out\nof the house of the women to the king's house. In the evening she\nwent, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the\nwomen: she came in to the king no more, except the king delighted in\nher, and that she were called by name.\n\nNow when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of\nMordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in to the\nking, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the\nkeeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favor in the sight\nof all them that looked upon her. So Esther was taken to King\nAhasuerus in to his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month\nTebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther\nabove all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight\nmore than all the maidens, so that he set the royal crown upon her\nhead, and made her queen instead of Vashti.\n\nThen the king made a great feast to all his princes and his servants,\neven Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave\ngifts, according to the bounty of the king. And when the maidens were\ngathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the king's\ngate. Esther had not yet made known her kindred nor her people; as\nMordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai,\njust as when she was brought up with him.\n\nIn those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the\nking's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those who kept the door,\nwere wroth, and sought to lay {65} hands on the king Ahasuerus. And\nthe thing was known to Mordecai, who showed it unto Esther the queen;\nand Esther told the king thereof in Mordecai's name. And when inquiry\nwas made into the matter, and it was found to be so, they were both\nhanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles\nbefore the king.\n\nAfter these things did King Ahasuerus promote Haman and advanced him,\nand set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the\nking's servants, who were in the king's gate, bowed down, and did\nreverence to Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But\nMordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence. Then the king's\nservants, who were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, \"Why\ntransgressest thou the king's commandment?\"\n\nNow it came to pass, when they spoke daily to him, and he hearkened\nnot to them, that they told Haman, to see how Mordecai's case would\nstand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that\nMordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of\nwrath. But he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they\nhad made known to him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought\nto destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of\nAhasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. In the first month, which is\nthe month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur,\nthat is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to\nmonth, to the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.\n\n{66}\n\nAnd Haman said unto King Ahasuerus, \"There is a certain people\nscattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces\nof thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from those of every people;\nneither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's\nprofit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that\nthey be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into\nthe hands of those that have the charge of the king's business, to\nbring it into the king's treasuries.\"\n\nAnd the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman, the\nJew's enemy.\n\nAnd the king said unto Haman, \"The silver is given to thee, the people\nalso, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee.\"\n\nThen were the king's scribes called in the first month, on the\nthirteenth day thereof, and there was written according to all that\nHaman commanded unto the king's satraps, and to the governors that\nwere over every province, and to the princes of every people; to every\nprovince according to the writing thereof, and to every people after\ntheir language; in the name of King Ahasuerus was it written, and it\nwas sealed with the king's ring. And letters were sent by the king's\nmessengers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to slay, and to\ncause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and\nwomen, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month,\nwhich is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. A\ncopy of the writing, that the decree should {67} be given out in every\nprovince, was published to all the peoples, that they should be ready\nat that day. The king's messenger went forth in haste by the king's\ncommandment, and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace: and\nthe king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was\nperplexed.\n\nNow when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes,\nand put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the\ncity, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry: and he came even before\nthe king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed\nwith sackcloth.\n\nAnd in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his\ndecree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and\nweeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. And\nEsther's maidens and her chamberlains came and told it her; and the\nqueen was exceedingly grieved: and she sent raiment to clothe\nMordecai, and to take his sackcloth from off him: but he received it\nnot.\n\nThen called Esther for Hathach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom\nhe had appointed to attend upon her, and charged him to go to\nMordecai, to know what this was, and why it was. So Hathach went forth\nto Mordecai unto the public square of the city, which was before the\nking's gate. And Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him,\nand the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the\nking's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them. Also he gave him the\ncopy of the writing {68} of the decree that was given out in Shushan\nto destroy them, to show it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her;\nand to charge her that she should go in to the king, to make\nsupplication unto him, and to make request before him, for her people.\n\nAnd Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. Then Esther\nspoke to Hathach, and gave him a message unto Mordecai, saying: \"All\nthe king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, know,\nthat whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the\ninner court, who is not called, there is one law for him, that he be\nput to death, except those to whom the king shall hold out the golden\nscepter, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto\nthe king these thirty days.\"\n\nAnd they told to Mordecai Esther's words.\n\nThen Mordecai bade them return answer unto Esther, \"Think not that\nthou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if\nthou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall relief and\ndeliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy\nfather's house shall perish: and who knoweth whether thou art not come\nto the kingdom for such a time as this?\"\n\nThen Esther bade them return answer unto Mordecai, \"Go, gather\ntogether all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me,\nand neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my\nmaidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in to the king,\nwhich is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.\"\n\n{69}\n\nSo Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had\ncommanded him.\n\nNow it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal\napparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over\nagainst the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in\nthe royal house, over against the entrance of the house. And when the\nking saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in\nhis sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was\nin his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the scepter.\nThen said the king to her, \"What wilt thou, Queen Esther? and what is\nthy request? it shall be given thee even to the half of the kingdom.\"\n\nAnd Esther said, \"If it seem good to the king, let the king and Haman\ncome this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him.\"\n\nThen the king said, \"Cause Haman to make haste, that it may be done as\nEsther hath said.\"\n\nSo the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.\nAnd the king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, \"What is thy\npetition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even\nto the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.\"\n\nThen answered Esther, and said, \"My petition and my request is: if I\nhave found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king\nto grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and\nHaman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do\ntomorrow as the king hath said.\"\n\n{70}\n\nThen went Haman forth that day joyful and glad of heart: but when\nHaman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up nor moved\nfor him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. Nevertheless Haman\ncontrolled himself, and went home; and he sent and brought his friends\nand Zeresh his wife. And Haman recounted unto them the glory of his\nriches, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how\nhe had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. Haman\nsaid moreover, \"Yea, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king\nto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to-morrow also am\nI invited by her together with the king. Yet all this availeth me\nnothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's\ngate.\"\n\nThen said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, \"Let a gallows\nbe made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak thou to the king\nthat Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the\nking to the banquet.\" And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the\ngallows to be made.\n\nOn that night the king could not sleep; and he commanded to bring the\nbook of records of the chronicles, and they were read before the king.\nAnd it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthan and\nTeresh, two of the king's chamberlains, of those that kept the door,\nwho had sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus. And the king said,\n\"What honor and dignity hath been bestowed upon Mordecai for this?\"\n\n{71}\n\nThen said the king's servants that ministered unto him, \"There is\nnothing done for him.\"\n\nAnd the king said, \"Who is in the court?\"\n\nNow Haman had come into the outward court of the king's house, to\nspeak to the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared\nfor him.\n\nAnd the king's servants said unto him, \"Behold, Haman standeth in the\ncourt.\"\n\nAnd the king said, \"Let him come in.\"\n\nSo Haman came in. And the king said to him, \"What shall be done unto\nthe man whom the king delighteth to honor?\"\n\nNow Haman said in his heart, \"To whom would the king delight to do\nhonor more than to myself?\"\n\nAnd Haman said to the king, \"For the man whom the king delighteth to\nhonor, let royal apparel be brought which the king is accustomed to\nwear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal\nwhich is set upon his head: and let the apparel and the horse be\ndelivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that\nthey may array the man therewith whom the king delighteth to honor,\nand cause him to ride on horseback through the street of the city, and\nproclaim before him, 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king\ndelighteth to honor.'\"\n\nThen the king said to Haman, \"Make haste, and take the apparel and the\nhorse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that\nsitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast\nspoken.\"\n\n{72}\n\nThen took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and\ncaused him to ride through the street of the city, and proclaimed\nbefore him, 'Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king\ndelighteth to honor.'\"\n\nAnd Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his\nhouse, mourning and having his head covered. And Haman recounted unto\nZeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him.\n\nThen said his wise men, and Zeresh his wife unto him, \"If Mordecai,\nbefore whom thou hast begun to fall, be of the race of the Jews, thou\nshalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.\"\n\nWhile they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains,\nand hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.\n\nSo the king and Haman came to the banquet with Esther the queen. And\nthe king said again to Esther on the second day at the banquet of\nwine, \"What is thy petition, Queen Esther? and it shall be granted\nthee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it\nshall be performed.\"\n\nThen Esther the queen answered and said, \"If I have found favor in thy\nsight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my\npetition, and my people at my request: for we are sold, I and my people,\nto be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for\nbondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace, although the adversary could\nnot have compensated for the king's damage.\"\n\n{73}\n\nThen spoke the king Ahasuerus and said to Esther the queen, \"Who is\nhe, and where is he, that dares presume in his heart to do so?\"\n\nAnd Esther said, \"An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman.\"\n\nThen Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.\n\nAnd the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into\nthe palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to\nEsther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against\nhim by the king. Then the king returned out of the palace garden into\nthe place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the couch\nwhereon Esther was. Then said the king, \"Will he even do harm to the\nqueen before me in the house?\" As the word went out of the king's\nmouth, they covered Haman's face.\n\nThen said Harbonah, one of the chamberlains that were before the king,\n\"Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman hath made for\nMordecai, who spoke good for the king, standeth in the house of\nHaman.\"\n\nAnd the king said, \"Hang him thereon.\"\n\nSo they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.\nThen was the king's wrath pacified.\n\nOn that day the king Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman the Jew's enemy\nto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had\ntold what he was to her. And the king took off his ring, which he had\ntaken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai\nover the house of Haman. And {74} Esther spoke yet again before the\nking, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put\naway the mischief of Haman, and the device that he had devised against\nthe Jews. Then the king held out to Esther the golden scepter.\n\nSo Esther arose, and stood before the king. And she said, \"If it\nplease the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing\nseem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be\nwritten to reverse the letters devised by Haman, which he wrote to\ndestroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces: for how can I\nendure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I\nendure to see the destruction of my kindred?\"\n\nThen the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the\nJew, \"Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they\nhave hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.\nWrite ye also to the Jews, as it pleaseth you, in the king's name, and\nseal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the\nking's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.\"\n\nThen were the king's scribes called at that time, in the third month,\nwhich is the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and\nit was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews,\nand to the satraps, and the governors and princes of the provinces\nwhich are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred and twenty and seven\nprovinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and\nunto every people after {75} their language, and to the Jews according\nto their writing, and according to their language.\n\nAnd he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the\nking's ring, and sent letters by king's messengers on horseback,\nriding on swift steeds that were used in the king's service: wherein\nthe king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather\nthemselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to\nslay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province\nthat would assault them, their little ones and women, and to take the\nspoil of them for a prey, upon one day in all the provinces of King\nAhasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which\nis the month Adar. A copy of the writing, that the decree should be\ngiven out in every province, was published unto all the peoples, and\nthat the Jews should be ready on that day to avenge themselves on\ntheir enemies.\n\nSo the king's messengers that rode upon swift steeds that were used in\nthe king's service went out, being hastened and urged on by the king's\ncommandment; and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace. And\nMordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of\nblue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of\nfine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad.\nThe Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor. And in every\nprovince, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and\nhis decree came, the Jews had gladness and joy, a feast and a good\nday. And many among the peoples of the land {76} became Jews; for the\nfear or the Jews was fallen upon them.\n\nNow in the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, on the thirteenth\nday of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near\nto be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped\nto have rule over them; whereas it was turned to the contrary, that\nthe Jews had rule over them that hated them, the Jews gathered\nthemselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of\nthe king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no\nman could withstand them; for the fear of them was fallen upon all the\npeoples. And all the princes of the provinces, and the satraps, and\nthe governors, and they that did the king's business, helped the Jews;\nbecause the fear of Mordecai was fallen upon them. For Mordecai was\ngreat in the king's house, and his fame went forth throughout all the\nprovinces: for the man Mordecai grew greater and greater. And the Jews\nsmote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword and with great\nslaughter and destruction, and did what they would unto them that\nhated them. And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five\nhundred men. And the ten sons of Haman, the Jews' enemy, they slew;\nbut on the spoil they laid not their hand. On that day the number of\nthose that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the\nking. And the king said unto Esther the queen, \"The Jews have slain\nand destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons\nof Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's {77}\nprovinces! Now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee; or\nwhat is thy request further? and it shall be done.\"\n\nThen said Esther, \"If it please the king, let it be granted to the\nJews which are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according unto this\nday's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.\"\n\nAnd the king commanded it so to be done: and a decree was given out in\nShushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons. And the Jews that were in\nShushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the\nmonth Adar, and slew three hundred men in Shushan; but on the spoil\nthey laid not their hand. And the other Jews that were in the king's\nprovinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and\nhad rest from their enemies, and slew of them that hated them seventy\nand five thousand; but on the spoil they laid not their hand. This was\ndone on the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth\nday of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and\ngladness. But the Jews that were in Shushan assembled together on the\nthirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the\nfifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting\nand gladness. Therefore do the Jews of the villages, that dwell in the\nunwalled towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of\ngladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending gifts one to\nanother.\n\nAnd Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews\nthat were in all the provinces of the king {78} Ahasuerus, both far\nand near, to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth day of\nthe month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, as the days\nwherein the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was\nturned unto them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a\ngood day: that they should make them days of feasting and gladness,\nand of sending presents one to another, and gifts to the poor. And the\nJews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written\nunto them; because Haman, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted\nagainst the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot,\nto consume them, and to destroy them; but when the matter came before\nthe king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had\ndevised against the Jews, should return upon his own head; and that he\nand his sons should be hanged on the gallows. Wherefore they called\nthese days Purim, after the name of Pur. Therefore because of all the\nwords of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this\nmatter, and that which had come unto them, the Jews ordained, and took\nupon them, and upon their race, and upon all such as joined themselves\nunto them, so that it should not fail, that they would keep these two\ndays according to the writing thereof, and according to the appointed\ntime thereof, every year; and that these days should be remembered and\nkept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and\nevery city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among\nthe Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their race. Then Esther\n{79} the queen, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to\nconfirm this second letter of Purim.\n\nAnd he sent letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven\nprovinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,\nto confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times, according as\nMordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they\nhad ordained for themselves and for their race. And the commandment of\nEsther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the\nbook.\n\nAnd the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the\nisles of the sea. And all the acts of his power and of his might, and\nthe full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king\nadvanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of\nthe kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was next unto King\nAhasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of\nhis brethren; seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to\nall his race.\n\n{80}\n\nJUDITH\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n\n _Judith, a widow of Bethulia_.\n _Holofernes, captain of the hosts of Nebuchadnezzar_.\n _Ozias, elder in Bethulia_.\n _Maid of Judith's_.\n _People of Bethulia, soldiers of Holofernes_.\n\nPLACE OF THE STORY.\n\n _Bethulia_.\n _Camp of Holofernes_.\n _Tent of Holofernes_.\n\nJUDITH.\n\n(The story of Judith, and how she delivered Israel by cutting off the\nhead of Holofernes, a great captain of the armies of King\nNebuchadnezzar, is told in the Apocrypha.\n\nAccording to the story, King Nebuchadnezzar made war upon Arphaxad,\nking of the Medes. He summoned all nations to aid him, and having been\nvictorious, he sent an army of 132,000 men to take vengeance upon\nthose nations which refused to come at his call. This great army swept\ndown from the North, destroying everything in its path.)\n\n\n_The March of Holofernes_.\n\nAnd Holofernes went forth from the presence of his lord, and called\nall the governors and the captains and {81} officers of the host of\nAsshur; and he numbered chosen men for the battle, as his lord had\ncommanded him, up to a hundred and twenty thousand, and twelve\nthousand archers on horseback; and he ranged them, as a great army is\nordered for the war. And he took camels and asses and mules for their\nbaggage, an exceeding great multitude; and sheep and oxen and goats\nwithout number for their provision; and great stores of food for every\nman, and exceeding much gold and silver out of the king's house. And\nhe went forth, he and all his host, on their journey, to go before\nKing Nebuchadnezzar, and to cover all the face of the earth westward\nwith their chariots and horsemen and chosen footmen. And a great\ncompany of many nations went forth with them like locusts, and like\nthe sand of the earth: for they could not be numbered by reason of\ntheir multitude.\n\nAnd they went out of Nineveh three days' journey toward the plain of\nBectileth, and encamped from Bectileth near the mountain which is at\nthe left hand of the upper Cilicia. And he took all his host, his\nfootmen and horsemen and chariots, and went away from thence into the\nhill country, and destroyed many peoples.\n\nAnd the fear and the dread of him fell upon them that dwelt on the sea\ncoast, from the north to the south. And they sent to him messengers\nwith words of peace, saying, \"Behold, we the servants of\nNebuchadnezzar the great king lie before thee: use us as it is\npleasing in thy sight. Behold, our dwellings, and all our country, and\nall our fields of wheat, and our flocks and herds, and all the\nsheepcotes {82} of our tents, lie before thy face: use them as it may\nplease thee. Behold, even our cities and they that dwell in them are\nthy servants: come and deal with them as it is good in thine eyes.\"\nAnd the men came to Holofernes, and spoke to him according to these\nwords.\n\nAnd he came down toward the sea coast, he and his host, and set\ngarrisons in the great cities, and took out of them chosen men for\nallies. And they received him, they and all the country round about\nthem, with garlands and dances and timbrels. And he cast down all\ntheir defenses, and cut down their sacred groves: and it had been\ngiven to him to destroy all the gods of the land, that all the nations\nshould worship Nebuchadnezzar only, and that all their tongues and\ntheir tribes should call upon him as god. And he came towards\nEsdraelon near to Dotaea, which is over against the great ridge of\nJudaea. And he encamped between Geba and Scythopolis, and he was there\na whole month, that he might gather together all the baggage of his\nhost.\n\n\n_The Siege of Bethulia_.\n\n(After ravaging the coast, Holofernes pushed up into the hill country\nto attack the cities of Israel.)\n\nBut the next day Holofernes gave command to all his army and to all\nhis people which were come to be his allies, that they should remove\ntheir camp toward Bethulia, and take aforehand the ascents of the hill\ncountry, and make war against the children of Israel. And every mighty\nman of them removed that day, and the host of their men of {83} war\nwas a hundred and seventy thousand footmen, and twelve thousand\nhorsemen, beside the baggage, and the men that were afoot among them,\nan exceeding great multitude. And they encamped in the valley near\nunto Bethulia, by the fountain, and they spread out over all the land.\n\nBut the children of Israel, when they saw the multitude of them, were\ntroubled exceedingly, and said every one to his neighbor, \"Now shall\nthese men lick up the face of all the earth; and neither the high\nmountains, nor the valleys, nor the hills, shall be able to bear their\nweight.\"\n\nAnd every man took up his weapons of war, and when they had kindled\nfires upon their towers, they remained and watched all that night.\n\nBut on the second day Holofernes led out all his horse in the sight\nof the children of Israel which were in Bethulia, and viewed the\nascents to their city, and searched out the fountains of the waters,\nand seized upon them, and set garrisons of men of war over them, and\nhimself departed to his people.\n\nAnd there came to him all the rulers of the children of Esau, and all\nthe leaders of the people of Moab, and the captains of the sea coast,\nand said,--\n\n\"Let our lord now hear a word, that thy host be not overthrown. For\nthis people of the children of Israel do not trust in their spears,\nbut in the height of the mountains wherein they dwell, for it is not\neasy to come up to the tops of their mountains. And now, my lord,\nfight not against them in battle array, and there shall not so much as\none man {84} of thy people perish. Remain in thy camp, and keep safe\nevery man of thy host, and let thy servants get possession of the\nfountain of water, which issueth forth at the foot of the mountain:\nbecause all the inhabitants of Bethulia have their water hence; and\nthirst shall kill them, and they shall give up their city: and we and\nour people will go up to the tops of the mountains that are near, and\nwill encamp upon them, to watch that not one man go out of the city.\nAnd they shall be consumed with famine, they and their wives and their\nchildren, and before the sword come against them they shall be laid\nlow in the streets where they dwell. And thou shalt render them an\nevil reward; because they rebelled, and met thee not in peace.\"\n\nAnd their words were pleasing in the sight of Holofernes and in the\nsight of all his servants; and he commanded to do as they had spoken.\nAnd the army of the children of Ammon removed, and with them five\nthousand of the children of Asshur, and they encamped in the valley,\nand seized upon the waters and the fountains of the waters of the\nchildren of Israel. And the children of Esau went up with the children\nof Ammon, and encamped in the hill country; and the rest of the army\nof the Assyrians encamped in the plain, and covered all the face of\nthe land; and their tents and baggage were pitched upon it, and they\nwere an exceeding great multitude.\n\nAnd the children of Israel cried unto the Lord their God, because\ntheir heart failed, for all their enemies had compassed them round\nabout, and there was no way to escape from among them. And all the\narmy of Asshur {85} remained about them, their footmen and their\nchariots and their horsemen, four and thirty days; and all their\nvessels of water failed all the inhabitants of Bethulia. And the\ncisterns were emptied, and they had not water to drink their fill for\none day: for they gave them drink by measure. And their young children\nwere dying, and the women and the young men fainted for thirst, and\nthey fell down in the streets of the city, and in the passages of the\ngates, and there was no longer any strength in them. And all the\npeople were gathered together against Ozias, and against the rulers of\nthe city, the young men and the women and the children, and they cried\nwith a loud voice, and said before all the elders,--\n\n\"God be judge between you and us: because ye have done us great wrong,\nin that ye have not spoken words of peace with the children of Asshur.\nAnd now we have no helper: but God hath given us into their hands,\nthat we should be laid low before them with thirst and great\ndestruction. And now call them unto you, and deliver up the whole city\nfor a prey to the people of Holofernes, and to all his host. For it is\nbetter for us to be made a spoil for them: for we shall be servants,\nand our souls shall live, and we shall not see the death of our babes\nbefore our eyes, and our wives and our children fainting in death. We\ntake to witness against you the heaven and the earth, and our God and\nthe Lord of our fathers, who punisheth us according to our sins and\nthe sins of our fathers, that he do not according as we have said this\nday.\"\n\nAnd there was great weeping of all with one consent {86} in the midst\nof the assembly; and they cried unto the Lord God with a loud voice.\nAnd Ozias said to them, \"Brethren, be of good courage, let us yet\nendure five days, in the which space the Lord our God may turn his\nmercy toward us; for he will not forsake us utterly. But if these days\npass, and there come no help unto us, I will do according to your\nwords.\"\n\nAnd he dispersed the people, every man to his own camp; and they went\naway unto the walls and towers of their city; and he sent the women\nand children into their houses: and they were brought very low in the\ncity.\n\n_Then there arose a saviour for Israel in the person of\nJudith_.\n\nAnd in those days Judith heard thereof, whose husband was Manasses, of\nher tribe and of her family, and he died in the days of barley\nharvest. For he stood over them that bound sheaves in the field, and\nthe heat came upon his head, and he fell on his bed, and died in his\ncity Bethulia. And Judith was a widow in her house three years and\nfour months. And she made her a tent upon the top of her house, and\nput on sackcloth; and the garments of her widowhood were upon her.\n\nAnd she was of a goodly countenance, and exceeding beautiful to\nbehold: and her husband Manasses had left her gold, and silver, and\nmenservants, and maidservants, and cattle and lands. And there was\nnone that gave her an evil word; for she feared God exceedingly.\n\nAnd she heard the evil words of the people against the governor,\nbecause they fainted for lack of water; and {87} Judith heard all the\nwords that Ozias spoke unto them, how he swore to them that he would\ndeliver the city unto the Assyrians after five days. And she sent her\nmaid, who was over all things that she had, to call Ozias and the\nelders of her city. And they came to her, and she said to them,--\n\n\"Hear me now, O ye rulers of the inhabitants of Bethulia: for your\nword that ye have spoken before the people this day is not right, and\nye have set the oath which ye have pronounced between God and you, and\nhave promised to deliver the city to our enemies, unless within these\ndays the Lord turn to help you. And now who are ye that have tempted\nGod this day, and stand instead of God among the children of men? And\nnow try the Lord Almighty and ye shall never know anything. For ye\ncannot find the depth of the heart of man, and ye cannot perceive the\nthings that he thinketh: and how can ye search out God, which hath\nmade all these things, and know his mind, and comprehend his purpose?\nNay, my brethren, provoke not the Lord our God to anger. For if he be\nnot minded to help us within these five days, he hath power to defend\nus when he will, or to destroy us before the face of our enemies. But\ndo not ye pledge the counsels of the Lord our God: for God is not as\nman, that he should be threatened; neither as the son of man, that he\nshould be turned by intreaty. Wherefore let us wait for the salvation\nthat cometh from him, and call upon him to help us, and he will hear\nour voice, if it please him. For there arose none in our age, neither\nis there any of us to-day, {88} tribe, or kindred, or family, or city,\nwhich worship gods made with hands, as it was in the former days; for\nwhich cause our fathers were given to the sword, and for a spoil, and\nfell with a great fall before our enemies. But we know no other god\nbeside him, wherefore we hope that he will not despise us, nor any of\nour race. For if we be taken so, all Judea shall lie waste, and our\nsanctuary shall be spoiled; and of our blood shall he require the\nprofanation thereof. And the slaughter of our brethren, and the\ncaptivity of the land, and the desolation of our inheritance, shall he\nturn upon our heads among the Gentiles, wheresoever we shall be in\nbondage; and we shall be an offense and a reproach before them that\ntake us for a possession. For our bondage shall bring favor: but the\nLord our God shall turn it to dishonor.\n\n\"And now, brethren, let us show an example to our brethren, because\ntheir soul hangeth upon us, and the sanctuary and the house and the\naltar rest upon us. Besides all this let us give thanks to the Lord\nour God, which trieth us, even as he did our fathers also. Remember\nall the things which he did to Abraham, and all the things in which he\ntried Isaac, and all the things which happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia\nof Syria, when he kept the sheep of Laban his mother's brother. For he\nhath not tried us in the fire, as he did them, to search out their\nhearts, neither hath he taken vengeance on us; but the Lord doth\nscourge them that come near unto him, to admonish them.\"\n\nAnd Ozias said to her, \"All that thou hast spoken hast {89} thou\nspoken with a good heart, and there is none that shall deny thy words.\nFor this is not the first day wherein thy wisdom is manifested; but\nfrom the beginning of thy days all the people have known thine\nunderstanding, because the disposition of thy heart is good. But the\npeople were exceeding thirsty, and compelled us to do as we spoke to\nthem, and to bring an oath upon ourselves, which we will not break.\nAnd now pray thou for us, because thou art a godly woman, and the Lord\nshall send us rain to fill our cisterns, and we shall faint no more.\"\n\nAnd Judith said to them, \"Hear me, and I will do a thing, which shall\ngo down to all generations among the children of our race. Ye shall\nstand at the gate this night, and I will go forth with my maid: and,\nwithin the days after which ye said ye would deliver the city to our\nenemies, the Lord shall visit Israel by my hand. But ye shall not\ninquire of mine act: for I will not declare it unto you, till the\nthings be finished that I do.\"\n\nAnd Ozias and the rulers said unto her, \"Go in peace, and the Lord God\nbe before thee, to take vengeance on our enemies.\" And they returned\nfrom the tent and went to their stations.\n\nBut Judith fell upon her face, and put ashes upon her head, and\nuncovered the sackcloth wherewith she was clothed; and the incense of\nthat evening was now being offered at Jerusalem in the house of God,\nand Judith cried unto the Lord with a loud voice, and said:--\n\n{90}\n\nTHE PRAYER OF JUDITH.\n\n\"O God, O my God, hear me! Behold, the Assyrians are multiplied in\ntheir power; they are exalted with horse and rider; they have gloried\nin the strength of their footmen; they have trusted in shield and\nspear and bow and sling; and they know not that thou art the Lord that\nbreaketh the battles: the Lord is thy name. Dash thou down their\nstrength in thy power, and bring down their force in thy wrath: for\nthey have purposed to profane thy sanctuary, and to defile the\ntabernacle where thy glorious name resteth, and to cast down with the\nsword the horn of thine altar. Look upon their pride, and send thy\nwrath upon their heads: give into my hand, who am a widow, the might\nthat I have conceived. Smite by the deceit of my lips the servant with\nthe prince, and the prince with his servant: break down their\nstateliness by the hand of a woman. For thy power standeth not in\nmultitude, nor thy might in strong men: but thou art a God of the\nafflicted, thou art a helper of the oppressed, an upholder of the\nweak, a protector of the forlorn, a saviour of them that are without\nhope. I pray thee, I pray thee, God of my father, and God of the\ninheritance of Israel, Lord of the heavens and of the earth, Creator\nof the waters, King of every creature, hear thou my prayer: and make\nmy speech and deceit to be their wound and stripe, who have purposed\nhard things against thy covenant, and thy hallowed house, and the top\nof Sion, and the house of the possession of thy children. And make\nevery nation and tribe of thine to know that thou art God, the God of\nall power and might, and that there is none other that protecteth the\nrace of Israel but thou.\"\n\n{91}\n\n_Judith Goes to the Camp of the Enemy_.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when she had ceased to cry to the God of Israel,\nand had made an end of all these words, that she rose up where she had\nfallen down, and called her maid, and went down into the house, in the\nwhich she was wont to abide on the Sabbath days and on her feast days,\nand pulled off her sackcloth which she had put on, and put off the\ngarments of her widowhood, and washed with water, and anointed herself\nwith rich ointment, and braided the hair of her head, and put on her\ngarments of gladness, wherewith she was wont to be clad in the days of\nthe life of Manasses her husband. And she took sandals for her feet,\nand put her chains about her, and her bracelets, and her rings, and\nher earrings, and all her ornaments, and decked herself bravely, to\nbeguile the eyes of all men that should see her. And she gave her maid\na leathern bottle of wine, and a cruse of oil, and filled a bag with\nparched corn and lumps of figs and fine bread; and she packed all her\nvessels together, and laid them upon her.\n\nAnd they went forth to the gate of the city of Bethulia, and found\nstanding thereby Ozias, and the elders of the city. But when they saw\nher, that her countenance was altered, and her apparel was changed,\nthey wondered much at her beauty, and said to her, \"The God of our\nfathers give thee favor, and accomplish thy purposes to the glory of\nthe children of Israel, and to the exaltation of Jerusalem.\"\n\n{92}\n\nAnd she worshiped God, and said to them, \"Command that they open to me\nthe gate of the city, and I will go forth to accomplish the things\nwhereof ye spoke with me.\" And they commanded the young men to open\nunto her, as she had spoken: and they did so.\n\nAnd Judith went out, she, and her handmaid with her; and the men of\nthe city looked after her, until she was gone down the mountain, until\nshe had passed the valley, and they could see her no more. And they\nwent straight onward in the valley: and the outpost of the Assyrians\nmet her; and they took her, and asked her, \"Of what people art thou?\nand whence comest thou? and whither goest thou?\"\n\nAnd she said, \"I am a daughter of the Hebrews, and I flee away from\ntheir presence; because they are about to be given you to be consumed:\nand I am coming into the presence of Holofernes the chief captain of\nyour host, to declare words of truth; and I will show him a way,\nwhereby he shall go, and win all the hill country, without losing one\nof his men.\"\n\nNow when the men heard her words, and beheld her countenance, they\nwondered greatly at her beauty, and they said to her, \"Thou hast saved\nthy life, in that thou hast hasted to come down to the presence of our\nlord: and now come to his tent, and some of us shall conduct thee,\nuntil they shall deliver thee into his hands. But when thou standest\nbefore him, be not afraid in thine heart, but declare unto him\naccording to thy words; and he will treat thee well.\" And they chose\nout of them a hundred men, {93} and appointed them to accompany her\nand her maid; and they brought them to the tent of Holofernes.\n\nAnd there was a concourse throughout all the camp, for her coming was\nnoised among the tents; and they came and gathered about, as she stood\nwithout the tent of Holofernes, until they told him of her. And they\nmarveled at her beauty, and marveled at the children of Israel because\nof her, and each one said to his neighbor, \"Who shall despise this\npeople, that have among them such women? for it is not good that one\nman of them be left, seeing that, if they are let go, they shall be\nable to deceive the whole earth.\"\n\nAnd they that lay near Holofernes, and all his servants, went forth\nand brought her into the tent. And Holofernes was resting upon his bed\nunder the canopy, which was woven with purple and gold and emeralds\nand precious stones. And they told him of her; and he came forth into\nthe space before his tent, with silver lamps going before him. But\nwhen Judith was come before him and his servants, they all marveled at\nthe beauty of her countenance; and she fell down upon her face, and\ndid reverence unto him: and his servants raised her up.\n\nAnd Holofernes said to her, \"Woman, be of good comfort, fear not in\nthy heart: for I never hurt any that hath chosen to serve\nNebuchadnezzar, the king of all the earth. And now, if thy people that\ndwelleth in the hill country had not set light by me, I would not have\nlifted up my spear against them: but they have done these things to\nthemselves. And now tell me wherefore thou didst flee {94} from them\nand earnest unto us: for thou art come to save thyself; be of good\ncomfort, thou shalt live this night, and hereafter: for there is none\nthat shall wrong thee, but all shall treat thee well, as is done unto\nthe servants of King Nebuchadnezzar my lord.\"\n\nAnd Judith said to him, \"Receive the words of thy servant, and let thy\nhandmaid speak in thy presence, and I will declare no lie to my lord\nthis night. And if thou shalt follow the words of thy handmaid, God\nshall bring the thing to pass perfectly with thee; and my lord shall\nnot fail of his purposes. As Nebuchadnezzar king of all the earth\nliveth, and as his power liveth, who hath sent thee for the\npreservation of every living thing, not only do men serve him by thee,\nbut also the beasts of the field and the cattle and the birds of the\nheaven shall live through thy strength, in the time of Nebuchadnezzar\nand of all his house. For we have heard of thy wisdom and the subtle\ndevices of thy soul, and it hath been reported in all the earth, that\nthou only art brave in all the kingdom, and mighty in knowledge, and\nwonderful in feats of war.\n\n\"And now as concerning the matter: our race shall not be punished,\nneither shall the sword prevail against them, except they sin against\ntheir God. And now, that my lord be not defeated and his purpose\nfrustrated, and that death may fall upon them, their sin hath\novertaken them, wherewith they shall provoke their God to anger,\nwhensoever they shall do wickedness. Since their victuals failed them,\nand all their water was scant, they took counsel to lay hands upon\ntheir cattle, and determined to consume all {95} those things, which\nGod charged them by his laws that they should not eat: and they are\nresolved to spend the first fruits of the corn, and the tenths of the\nwine and the oil, which they had sanctified, and reserved for the\npriests that stand before the face of our God in Jerusalem; the which\nthings it is not lawful for any of the people so much as to touch with\ntheir hands.\n\n\"Wherefore I thy servant, knowing all this, fled away from their\npresence; and God sent me to work things with thee, whereat all the\nearth shall be astonished, even as many as shall hear it. For thy\nservant is religious, and serveth the God of heaven day and night: and\nnow, my lord, I will abide with thee, and thy servant will go forth by\nnight into the valley, and I will pray to God, and he shall tell me\nwhen they have committed their sins: and I will come and show it also\nto thee; and thou shalt go forth with all thy host, and there shall be\nnone of them that shall resist thee. And I will lead thee through the\nmidst of Judaea, until thou comest over against Jerusalem; and I will\nset thy seat in the midst thereof; and thou shalt drive them as sheep\nthat have no shepherd, and a dog shall not so much as open his mouth\nbefore thee: for these things were told me according to my\nforeknowledge, and were declared unto me, and I was sent to tell\nthee.\"\n\nAnd her words were pleasing in the sight of Holofernes and of all his\nservants; and they marveled at her wisdom, and said, \"There is not\nsuch a woman from one end of the earth to the other, for beauty of\nface, and wisdom of words.\"\n\n{96}\n\nAnd Holofernes said to her, \"God did well to send thee before the\npeople, that might should be in our hands, and destruction among them\nthat lightly regarded my lord. And now thou art beautiful in thy\ncountenance, and wise in thy words: for if thou shalt do as thou hast\nspoken, thy God shall be my God, and thou shalt dwell in the house of\nKing Nebuchadnezzar, and shalt be renowned through the whole earth.\"\n\nAnd he commanded to bring her in where his silver vessels were set,\nand bade that they should prepare for her of his own meats, and that\nshe should drink of his own wine. And Judith said, \"I will not eat\nthereof, lest there be an offense: but provision shall be made for me\nof the things that are come with me.\"\n\nAnd Holofernes said to her, \"But if thy provisions should fail, whence\nshall we be able to give thee the like? for there is none of thy race\nwith us.\"\n\nAnd Judith said to him, \"As thy soul liveth, my lord, thy servant\nshall not spend those things that be with me, until the Lord work by\nmy hand the things that he hath determined.\"\n\nAnd the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent, and she\nslept till midnight, and she rose up toward the morning watch, and\nsent to Holofernes, saying, \"Let my lord now command that they suffer\nthy servant to go forth to prayer.\"\n\nAnd Holofernes commanded his guards that they should not stay her: and\nshe abode in the camp three days, and went out every night into the\nvalley of Bethulia. {97} and washed herself at the fountain of water\nin the camp. And when she came up, she besought the Lord God of Israel\nto direct her way to the raising up of the children of his people. And\nshe came in, and remained in the tent, until she took her food toward\nevening.\n\n\n_Holofernes Makes a Feast_.\n\nAnd it came to pass on the fourth day, Holofernes made a feast to his\nown servants only, and called none of the officers to the banquet. And\nhe said to his officer who had charge over all that he had, \"Go now,\nand persuade this Hebrew woman which is with thee, that she come to\nus, and eat and drink with us.\"\n\nAnd the officer went from the presence of Holofernes, and came in to\nher, and said, \"Let not this fair damsel fear to come to my lord, and\nto be honored in his presence, and to drink wine and be merry with us,\nand to be made this day as one of the daughters of the children of\nAsshur, which serve in the house of Nebuchadnezzar.\"\n\nAnd Judith said to him, \"And who am I, that I should deny my lord? for\nwhatsoever shall be pleasing in his eyes I will do speedily, and this\nshall be my joy unto the day of my death.\"\n\nAnd she arose, and decked herself with her apparel and all her woman's\nattire; and her servant went and laid rugs of soft skins on the ground\nfor her over against Holofernes, which she had received of the officer\nfor her daily use, that she might sit and eat upon them. And {98}\nJudith came in and sat down, and Holofernes' heart was ravished with\nher, and his soul was moved, and he desired exceedingly her company.\n\nAnd Holofernes said to her, \"Drink now, and be merry with us.\"\n\nAnd Judith said, \"I will drink now, my lord, because my life is\nmagnified in me this day more than all the days since I was born.\"\n\nAnd she ate and drank before him what her servant had prepared. And\nHolofernes took great delight in her, and drank exceedingly much wine,\nmore than he had drunk at any time in one day since he was born.\n\nBut when the evening was come, his servants made haste to depart, and\nhis officer shut the tent without, and dismissed them that waited from\nthe presence of his lord; and they went away to their beds: for they\nwere all weary, because the feast had been long. But Judith was left\nalone in the tent, and Holofernes lying along upon his bed: for he was\ndrunk with wine. And Judith had commanded her servant to stand without\nher bedchamber, and wait for her coming forth, as she did daily: for\nshe said she would go forth to her prayer; and she spoke to the\nofficer according to the same words.\n\n\n_Judith Kills the Great Captain_.\n\nAnd all went away from her presence, and none was left in the\nbedchamber, neither small nor great. And Judith, standing by his bed,\nsaid in her heart, \"O Lord God of all power, look in this hour upon\nthe works of my {99} hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem. For now is\nthe time to help thine inheritance, and to do the thing that I have\npurposed to the destruction of the enemies which are risen up against\nus.\"\n\nAnd she came to the rail of the bed, which was at Holofernes' head,\nand took down his scimitar from thence; and she drew near unto the\nbed, and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, \"Strengthen me,\nO Lord God of Israel, this day.\"\n\nAnd she smote twice upon his neck with all her might, and took away\nhis head from him, and tumbled his body down from the bed, and took\ndown the canopy from the pillars; and after a little while she went\nforth, and gave Holofernes' head to her maid; and she put it in her\nbag of victuals: and they two went forth together unto prayer,\naccording to their custom: and they passed through the camp, and the\nvalley, and went up to the mountain of Bethulia, and came to the gates\nthereof.\n\nAnd Judith said afar off to the watchmen at the gates, \"Open, open now\nthe gate: God is with us, even our God, to shew his power yet in\nIsrael, and his might against the enemy, as he hath done even this\nday.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the men of her city heard her voice, they\nmade haste to go down to the gate of their city, and they called\ntogether the elders of the city. And they ran all together, both small\nand great, for it was strange to them that she was come: and they\nopened the gate, and received them, making a fire to give light, and\ngathered them round about. And she said to them {100} with a loud\nvoice, \"Praise God, praise him: praise God, who hath not taken away\nhis mercy from the house of Israel, but hath destroyed our enemies by\nmy hand this night.\"\n\nAnd she took forth the head out of the bag, and shewed it, and said to\nthem, \"Behold, the head of Holofernes, the chief captain of the host\nof Asshur, and behold, the canopy, wherein he did lie in his\ndrunkenness; and the Lord smote him by the hand of a woman. And as the\nLord liveth, who preserved me in my way that I went, my countenance\ndeceived him to his destruction.\"\n\nAnd all the people were exceedingly amazed, and bowed themselves, and\nworshiped God, and said with one accord, \"Blessed art thou, O our God,\nwho hast this day brought to nought the enemies of thy people.\"\n\nAnd Ozias said to her, \"Blessed art thou, daughter, in the sight of\nthe Most High God, above all the women upon the earth; and blessed is\nthe Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth, who directed thee\nto the smiting of the head of the prince of our enemies. For thy hope\nshall not depart from the heart of men that remember the strength of\nGod for ever. And God turn these things to thee for a perpetual\npraise, to visit thee with good things, because thou didst not spare\nthy life by reason of the affliction of our race, but didst avenge our\nfall, walking a straight way before our God.\" And all the people said,\n\"Amen! Amen!\"\n\n\n{101}{102}\n\n[Illustration]\n PASS OF UPPER BETH-HORON FROM THE SOUTH, THE SCENE OF\n MANY HEBRON VICTORIES\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission\n\n Upper and lower Beth-horon are in the northernmost of the three\n gorges which break through the steep wall of the western front of\n the central ranges of Palestine. A path leads up the ravine to lower\n Beth-horon, which stands on a ridge about 1,240 feet above the sea.\n\n Mounting a long and steep ascent, rocky and rough, but with the rock\n in places cut into steps, the traveler after an hour's climb reaches\n upper Beth-horon, which stands 1,730 feet above the sea, on a\n mountain spur with a deep valley both to north and south. The\n village is small, but exhibits traces of ancient walls and\n foundations, and to the east of it is a reservoir, apparently of\n great antiquity.\n\n So situated, the Beth-horons could not fail to be connected with the\n march and retreat of armies and often hosts swarmed up this avenue\n or swept down it in flight. More than one memorable battle takes its\n name from Beth-horon. Thrice the two towns were fortified, by\n Solomon, by the Syrian general Bacchides, and by the Jews against\n Holofernes. It was by Beth-horon that Certius Gallus advanced in the\n first onset of the Roman armies against Jerusalem, and down its\n gorge he was driven in rout by the insurgent Jews. And Beth-horon\n saw the first Crusaders march to Jerusalem; and saw Richard, the\n third Crusader, in vain try to force a passage by the same route.\n[End illustration]\n\n{103}\n\nAnd Judith said to them, \"Hear me now, my brethren, and take this\nhead, and hang it upon the battlement of your wall. And it shall be,\nso soon as the morning shall appear, and the sun shall come forth upon\nthe earth, ye shall take up everyone his weapons of war, and go forth\nevery valiant man of you out of the city, and ye shall set a captain\nover them, as though ye would go down to the plain toward the outposts\nof the children of Asshur; and ye shall not go down. And these shall\ntake up their armor, and shall go into their camp, and rouse up the\ncaptains of the host of Asshur, and they shall run together to the\ntent of Holofernes, and they shall not find him: and fear shall fall\nupon them, and they shall flee before your face. And ye, and all that\ninhabit every region of Israel, shall pursue them and overthrow them\nas they go.\"\n\n\n_Israel's Victory_.\n\nAnd as soon as the morning arose, they hung the head of Holofernes\nupon the wall, and every man took up his weapons, and they went forth\nby companies unto the passes of the mountain. But when the children of\nAsshur saw them, they sent hither and thither to their leaders. And\nthey came to Holofernes' tent, and said to him that was over all that\nhe had, \"Waken now our lord: for the slaves have been bold to come\ndown against us to battle, that they may be utterly destroyed.\"\n\nAnd the officer went in, and knocked at the outer door of the tent.\nBut when none answered, he opened it, and went into the bedchamber,\nand found him thrown upon the threshold dead, and his head had been\ntaken from him. And he cried with a loud voice, with weeping and {104}\ngroaning and a mighty cry, and rent his garments. And he entered into\nthe tent where Judith lodged: and he found her not, and he leaped out\nto the people, and cried aloud, \"The slaves have dealt treacherously:\none woman of the Hebrews hath brought shame upon the house of King\nNebuchadnezzar; for, behold, Holofernes lieth upon the ground, and his\nhead is not on him.\"\n\nBut when the rulers of the host of Asshur heard the words, they rent\ntheir robes, and their souls were troubled exceedingly, and there was\na cry and an exceeding great noise in the midst of the camp.\n\nAnd when they that were in the tents heard, they were amazed at the\nthing that was come to pass. And trembling and fear fell upon them,\nand no man dared abide any more in the sight of his neighbor, but\nrushing out with one accord, they fled into every way of the plain and\nof the hill country. And they that had encamped in the hill country\nround about Bethulia fled away. And then the children of Israel,\neveryone that was a warrior among them, rushed out upon them, and fell\nupon the camp of Asshur, and spoiled them, and were enriched\nexceedingly. But the children of Israel returned from the slaughter,\nand took possession of that which remained; and the villages and the\ncities, that were in the hill country and in the plain country, took\nmuch spoil: for there was an exceeding great store.\n\nAnd Joakim the high priest, and the elders of Jerusalem came to behold\nthe good things which the Lord had showed to Israel, and to see\nJudith, and to salute her. {105} But when they came unto her, they all\nblessed her with one accord, and said unto her, \"Thou art the\nexaltation of Jerusalem, thou art the great glory of Israel, thou art\nthe great rejoicing of our race: thou hast done all these things by\nthy hand: thou hast done with Israel the things that are good, and God\nis pleased therewith: blessed be thou with the Almighty Lord for\nevermore.\" And all the people said, \"Amen!\"\n\nAnd the people plundered the camp for the space of thirty days: and\nthey gave unto Judith Holofernes' tent, and all his silver cups, and\nhis beds, and his vessels, and all his furniture: and she took them,\nand placed them on her mule, and made ready her wagons, and heaped\nthem thereon.\n\nAnd all the women of Israel ran together to see her; and they blessed\nher, and made a dance among them for her; and she took branches in her\nhand, and gave to the women that were with her. And they made\nthemselves garlands of olive, she and they that were with her, and she\nwent before all the people in the dance, leading all the women: and\nall the men of Israel followed in their armor with garlands, and with\nsongs in their mouths. And Judith began to sing this thanksgiving in\nall Israel, and all the people sang with loud voices this song of\npraise. And Judith sang--\n\n\nTHE SONG OF JUDITH.\n\n \"Begin unto my God with timbrels,\n Sing unto my Lord with cymbals: {106}\n Sing unto him psalm and praise:\n Exalt him, and call upon his name.\n For the Lord is the God that breaketh the battles:\n For in his armies in the midst of the people\n He delivered me out of the hand of them that persecuted me.\n Asshur came out of the mountains from the north,\n He came with ten thousands of his host,\n The multitudes whereof stopped the torrents,\n And their horsemen covered the hills.\n He bragged that he would burn up my borders,\n And kill my young men with the sword,\n And throw my sucking children to the ground,\n And give mine infants for a prey,\n And make my virgins a spoil.\n The Almighty Lord brought them to nought by the hand of a woman.\n For their mighty one did not fall by young men,\n Neither did sons of the Titans smite him,\n Nor did great giants set upon him:\n But Judith the daughter of Merari made him weak with\n the beauty of her countenance.\n For she put off the apparel of her widowhood\n For the exaltation of those that were distressed in Israel,\n She anointed her face with ointment,\n And bound up her hair,\n And took a linen garment to deceive him.\n Her sandal ravished his eye,\n And her beauty took his soul prisoner,\n The scimitar passed through his neck.\n The Persians quaked at her daring,\n And the Medes were daunted at her boldness.\n Then my lowly ones shouted aloud,\n And my weak ones were terrified and crouched for fear: {107}\n They lifted up their voice, and they were turned to flight.\n The sons of damsels pierced them through,\n And wounded them as fugitives' children;\n They perished by the battle of my Lord.\n\n \"I will sing unto my God a new song:\n O Lord, thou art great and glorious,\n Marvelous in strength, invincible.\n Let all thy creation serve thee:\n For thou didst speak, and they were made,\n Thou didst send forth thy spirit, and it builded them.\n And there is none that shall resist thy voice.\n For the mountains shall be moved from their foundations with the waters,\n And the rocks shall melt as wax at thy presence:\n But thou art yet merciful to them that fear thee.\n For all sacrifice is little for a sweet savor,\n And all the fat is very little for a whole burnt offering to thee:\n But he that feareth the Lord is great continually.\n Woe to the nations that rise up against my race:\n The Lord Almighty will take vengeance on them in the day of judgment,\n To put fire and worms in their flesh;\n And they shall weep and feel their pain for ever.\"\n\n{108}\n\n{109}\n\nTALES OF ELIJAH AND ELISHA\n\n{110}\n\n{111}\n\nELIJAH AND ELISHA\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n\n _Elijah, Elisha,. Prophets_.\n _Ahab, King of Israel_.\n _Jezebel, his wife_.\n _Joram, son of Ahab_.\n _A widow in Zarephath, her son_.\n _Obadiah, an officer of the king_.\n _Naboth, a Jezreelite_.\n _A woman of Shunem, her husband and son_.\n _Naaman, captain of the hosts of Syria_.\n _A little Hebrew captive maiden_.\n _Gehazi, servant of Elisha_.\n _Ben-hadad, King of Syria_.\n _A King of Israel_.\n _An officer of the King_.\n _Jehu, a captain of the Hebrew army, afterward king_.\n _Priests of Baal, courtiers, soldiers, servants_.\n\nPLACES OF THE STORY.\n\n _Samaria, the brook Cherith, Zarephath, Mount Carmel, Mount Horeb,\n the Jordan, Shunem, Damascus_.\n\n{112}\n\n[Illustration]\n Map showing Elijah's Travels,\n by E. R. Hooker.\n[End illustration]\n\n{113}\n\nELIJAH AND ELISHA.\n\nSTORIES OF THE WONDERFUL DEEDS PERFORMED BY TWO\nMEN OF GOD WHO LIVED IN ISRAEL.\n\n_How Elijah Pronounced the Doom of Drouth. How He Was Entertained by a\nPoor Widow, and How He Paid for His Hospitality_.\n\n(In the Northern kingdom of Israel, a very wicked king named Ahab came\nto the throne. This very wicked king married a woman named Jezebel,\nwho was even more wicked than himself, and they both did continually\nthat which was evil in the sight of God. They worshiped idols, and\nthey cruelly put to death those who worshiped God. Then there arose a\nprophet named Elijah, and one day he came to the court of the wicked\nking and queen, and spoke these words):--\n\n\"As the Lord, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there\nshall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.\"\n\nThis made the king very angry, and he would have killed Elijah, but he\nescaped, for the word of the Lord came to him, saying, \"Get thee\nhence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith,\nthat is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the\nbrook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.\"\n\nSo he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: {114} for he\nwent and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the\nravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh\nin the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a\nwhile, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.\n\n\nAnd the word of the Lord came to him, saying, \"Arise, get thee to\nZarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have\ncommanded a widow there to sustain thee.\"\n\nSo he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the\ncity, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to\nher, and said, \"Bring me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel,\nthat I may drink.\"\n\nAnd as she was going to bring it, he called to her, and said, \"Bring\nme, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.\"\n\nAnd she said, \"As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an\nhandful of meal in the barrel, and a little oil in the cruse: and,\nbehold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for\nme and my son, that we may eat it, and die.\"\n\nAnd Elijah said unto her, \"Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but\nmake me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and\nafterward make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord, the\nGod of Israel, 'The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the\ncruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the\nearth.'\"\n\n{115}\n\nAnd she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and\nhe, and her house, did eat many days. The barrel of meal wasted not,\nneither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord,\nwhich he spoke by Elijah.\n\nAnd it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the\nmistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that\nthere was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, \"What have I\nto do with thee, O thou man of God? thou art come unto me to bring my\nsin to remembrance, and to slay my son!\"\n\nAnd he said to her, \"Give me thy son.\"\n\nAnd he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the chamber,\nwhere he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried to the\nLord, and said, \"O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the\nwidow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?\"\n\nAnd he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried to the\nLord, and said, \"O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul\ncome into him again.\"\n\nAnd the Lord hearkened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the\nchild came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child,\nand brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered\nhim to his mother: and Elijah said, \"See, thy son liveth.\"\n\nAnd the woman said to Elijah, \"Now I know that thou\nart a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy\nmouth is truth.\"\n\n{116}\n\n_How the Prophets of Baal Were Tested, and Failed-- How the Lord\nAnswered Elijah in Fire--How the Great Drought Was at Last Broken_.\n\n\nAnd it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to\nElijah, in the third year, saying, \"Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I\nwill send rain upon the earth.\"\n\nAnd Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And the famine was sore in\nSamaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now\nObadiah feared the Lord greatly: for, when Jezebel cut off the\nprophets of the Lord, Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them\nby fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said\nto Obadiah, \"Go through the land, to all the fountains of water, and\nto all the brooks: perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and\nmules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.\"\n\nSo they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went\none way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. And as\nObadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and\nfell on his face, and said, \"Is it thou, my lord Elijah?\"\n\nAnd he answered him, \"It is I: go, tell thy lord, 'Behold, Elijah is\nhere.'\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Wherein have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy\nservant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? As the Lord thy God liveth,\nthere is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek\nthee: and when they said, 'He is not here,' he took an oath of the\nkingdom and nation, that they found thee not.\n\n{117}{118}\n\n[Illustration]\nROCK OF ELIJAH'S ALTAR ON MOUNT CARMEL AND OUTLOOK\nNORTH OVER PLAIN OF ESDRAELON.\n\nCopyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\nBut it is as sanctuary that the long hill of Carmel is best remembered\nin history. In its separation from other hills, its position on the\nsea, its visibleness from all quarters of the country; in its\nuselessness for war or traffic; in its profusion of flowers, its high\nplatforms and groves with their glorious prospects of land and sea,\nCarmel must have been a place of retreat and of worship from the\nearliest times. It was claimed for Baal; but, even before Elijah's\nday, an altar had stood upon it for Jehovah. About this altar--as on a\nspot whose sanctity they equally felt--the rival faiths met in that\ncontest, in which for most of us all the history of Carmel consists.\nIt is not without interest to know that the awful debate, whether\nJehovah or Baal was supreme lord of the elements, was fought out for a\nfull day in face of one of the most sublime prospects of earth and sea\nand heaven. Before him, who stands on Carmel, nature rises in a series\nof great stages from sea to Alp: the Mediterranean, the long coast to\nnorth and south, with its hot sands and palms; Esdraelon covered with\nwheat, Tabor and the lower hills of Galilee with their oaks,--then,\nover the barer peaks of Upper Galilee and the haze that is about them,\nthe clear snow of Hermon, hanging like an only cloud in the sky. It\nwas in face of that miniature universe that the Deity who was\nCharacter was vindicated as Lord against the deity who was not. It was\nover all that realm that the rain swept up at the call of the same God\nwho exposed the injustice of the tyrant and avenged the wrongs of\nNaboth.\n[End illustration]\n\n{119}\n\n\"And now thou sayest, 'Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.' And\nit shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the spirit\nof the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come\nand tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy\nservant fear the Lord from my youth. Was it not told my lord what I\ndid when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred\nmen of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread\nand water? And now thou sayest, 'Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is\nhere': and he shall slay me.\"\n\nAnd Elijah said, \"As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I\nwill surely show myself to him to-day.\"\n\nSo Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet\nElijah. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to\nhim, \"Is it thou, thou troubler of Israel?\"\n\nAnd he answered, \"I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy\nfather's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord,\nand thou hast followed Baal. Now therefore send, and gather to me all\nIsrael to Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and\nfifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, who eat at\nJezebel's table.\"\n\nSo Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets\ntogether to Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people, and\nsaid, \"How long halt ye {120} between two opinions? if the Lord be\nGod, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.\" And the people\nanswered him not a word.\n\nThen said Elijah to the people, \"I, even I only, am left a prophet of\nthe Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them\ntherefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for\nthemselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no\nfire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the\nwood, and put no fire under. And call ye on the name of your god, and\nI will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by\nfire, let him be God.\"\n\nAnd all the people answered and said, \"It is well spoken.\"\n\nAnd Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, \"Choose you one bullock for\nyourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name\nof your god, but put no fire under.\"\n\nAnd they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it\nand called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying,\n\"O Baal, hear us.\"\n\nBut there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about\nthe altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah\nmocked them, and said, \"Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is\nmusing, or he is gone aside, or he is in a journey, or perhaps he\nsleepeth, and must be awaked.\"\n\nAnd they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with\nknives and lances, till the blood gushed out {121} upon them. And when\nmidday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the\nevening sacrifice; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor\nany that regarded.\n\nAnd Elijah said unto all the people, \"Come near unto me\"; and all the\npeople came near unto him.\n\nAnd he repaired the altar of the Lord that was thrown down. And Elijah\ntook twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons\nof Jacob. And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the\nLord; and he made a trench about the altar. And he put the wood in\norder, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he\nsaid, \"Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt\noffering, and on the wood.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Do it the second time\"; and they did it the second time.\n\nAnd he said, \"Do it the third time\"; and they did it the third time.\n\nAnd the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also\nwith water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the\nevening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, \"O\nLord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known\nthis day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and\nthat I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear\nme, that this people may know that thou, Lord, art God, and that thou\nhast turned their heart back again.\"\n\nThen the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt {122} offering,\nand the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water\nthat was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on\ntheir faces: and they said, \"The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is\nGod.\"\n\nAnd Elijah said to them, \"Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of\nthem escape.\" And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the\nbrook Kishon, and slew them there. And Elijah said unto Ahab, \"Get\nthee up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.';\n\nSo Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of\nCarmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face\nbetween his knees. And he said to his servant, \"Go up now, look toward\nthe sea.\"\n\nAnd he went up and looked; and said, \"There is nothing.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Go again seven times.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, \"Behold, there\nariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man's hand.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Go up, say to Ahab, 'Make ready thy chariot, and get\nthee down, that the rain stop thee not.'\"\n\nAnd it came to pass in a little while, that the heaven grew black with\nclouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went\nto Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up\nhis loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.\n\n{123}\n\n_How Elijah, Threatened by Queen Jezebel, Lost Courage.\nHow He Made a Long Journey to Hear God Speak_.\n\n\nAnd Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had slain\nall the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto\nElijah, saying, \"So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make\nnot thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time.\"\n\nAnd when he heard this, he arose, and fled for his life, and came to\nBeer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But\nhe himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat\ndown under a juniper tree: and he prayed that he might die; and said,\n\"It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better\nthan my fathers.\"\n\nAnd he lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, an angel\ntouched him, and said unto him, \"Arise and eat.\"\n\nAnd he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the\ncoals, and a cruse of water. And he ate and drank, and laid him down\nagain. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and\ntouched him, and said, \"Arise and eat; because the journey is too\ngreat for thee.\"\n\nAnd he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food\nforty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. And he came\nthither to a cave and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord\ncame to him, and he said to him, \"What doest thou here, Elijah?\"\n\n{124}\n\nAnd he said, \"I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts;\nfor the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down\nthine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and I, even I\nonly, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Go forth; and stand upon the mount before the Lord.\"\n\nAnd, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the\nmountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord\nwas not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord\nwas not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the\nLord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And,\nwhen Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out,\nand stood at the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice\nunto him, and said, \"What doest thou here, Elijah?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts;\nfor the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down\nthine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I\nonly, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said to him, \"Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of\nDamascus: and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king\nover Syria: and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king\nover Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou\nanoint to be prophet in thy stead.\n\n{125}{126}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE WILDERNESS OF THE BROOK CHERITH\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n It was in this wild country that Elijah stayed while the drought was\n wasting the land. The exact location of the \"brook Cherith\" is not\n known.\n\n Of this region the following description tells: \"When you realize\n that this howling waste came within reach of nearly every Jewish\n child; when you climb the Mount of Olives, or any hill about\n Bethlehem, or the hill of Tekoa, and, looking east, see those\n fifteen miles of chaos, sinking to a stretch of the Dead Sea, you\n begin to understand the influence of the desert on Jewish\n imagination and literature. It gave the ancient natives of Judaea, as\n it gives the mere visitor of to-day, the sense of living next door\n to doom; the sense of how narrow is the border between life and\n death; the awe of the power of God, who can make contiguous regions\n so opposite in character. 'He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and\n water springs into a thirsty ground.' The desert is always in the\n face of the prophets, and its howling of beasts and its dry sand\n blow mournfully across their pages the foreboding of judgment.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{127}\n\n\"And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth from the sword of\nHazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu\nshall Elisha slay. Yet will I leave me seven thousand in Israel, all\nthe knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath\nnot kissed him.\"\n\nSo he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was\nplowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth:\nand Elijah passed over unto him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he\nleft the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, \"Let me, I pray thee,\nkiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee.\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"Go back again; for what have I done to thee?\"\n\nAnd he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and\nslew them, and made a feast of their flesh, and gave to the people,\nand they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered\nunto him.\n\n\n_How the Wicked King and Queen Did an Evil Deed, and\nHow They Were Rebuked by Elijah_.\n\nAnd it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a\nvineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of\nSamaria. And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, \"Give me thy vineyard, that I\nmay have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near to my house; and I\nwill give thee for it a better vineyard than it: or, if it seem good to\nthee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.\"\n\n{128}\n\nAnd Naboth said to Ahab, \"The Lord forbid it, that I should give the\ninheritance of my fathers to thee.\"\n\nAnd Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word\nwhich Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, \"I\nwill not give thee the inheritance of my fathers.\"\n\nAnd he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would\neat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, \"Why\nis thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?\"\n\nAnd he said to her, \"Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and\nsaid to him, 'Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please\nthee, I will give thee another vineyard for it': and he answered, 'I\nwill not give thee my vineyard.'\"\n\nAnd Jezebel his wife said unto him, \"Dost thou now govern the kingdom\nof Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will\ngive thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.\"\n\nSo she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal,\nand sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles that were in his\ncity, and that dwelt with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters,\nsaying, \"Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: and\nset two men, base fellows, before him, and let them bear witness\nagainst him, saying, 'Thou didst curse God and the king.' And then\ncarry him out, and stone him to death.\"\n\nAnd the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in\nhis city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, {129} according as it was\nwritten in the letters which she had sent to them. They proclaimed a\nfast, and set Naboth on high among the people. And the two base\nfellows came in and sat before him: and bore witness against him, even\nagainst Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, \"Naboth cursed\nGod and the king.\"\n\nThen they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him to death.\nThen they sent to Jezebel, saying, \"Naboth is stoned, and is dead.\"\nAnd it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and\nwas dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, \"Arise, take possession of the\nvineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for\nmoney: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab\nrose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take\npossession of it.\n\nAnd the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, \"Arise,\ngo down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwelleth in Samaria: behold,\nhe is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to take\npossession of it. And thou shalt speak to him, saying, 'Thus saith the\nLord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?' and thou shalt\nspeak unto him, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs\nlicked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.'\"\n\nAnd Ahab said to Elijah, \"Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?\"\n\nAnd he answered, \"I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to\ndo that which is evil in the sight of {130} the Lord. Behold, I will\nbring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away: and I will\nmake thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like\nthe house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith\nthou hast provoked me to anger, and hast made Israel to sin.\"\n\nAnd of Jezebel also spoke the Lord, saying, \"The dogs shall eat\nJezebel by the rampart of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city\nthe dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the birds of\nthe air eat.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his\nclothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in\nsackcloth, and humbled himself. And the word of the Lord came to\nElijah the Tishbite, saying, \"Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself\nbefore me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the\nevil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his\nhouse.\"\n\n\n_How God Took Elijah in a Chariot of Fire_.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah by a whirlwind\ninto heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said\nto Elisha, \"Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me as far\nas Beth-el.\"\n\nAnd Elisha said, \"As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will\nnot leave thee.\"\n\n{131}{132}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE GREAT ROAD GOING DOWN FROM JERUSALEM TO JERICHO.\n\n From a photograph taken by Prof. David G. Lyon of Harvard\n University, and used by his kind permission.\n\n This road is the shortest from Jericho to Jerusalem, and therefore\n the usual pilgrim route in both directions. Pereans and Galileans\n came up to the temple by it; it was the path of our Lord and his\n disciples, \"when he set his face steadfastly toward Jerusalem\"; and\n from then till now it has been trodden in the opposite direction by\n pilgrims from all lands to the scene of his baptism. When taken\n upwards a more hot and heavy way it is impossible to\n conceive--between blistered limestone rocks, and in front the bare\n hills piled high without shadow or verdure. There is no water from\n Jericho till you reach the roots of the Mount of Olives.\n[End illustration]\n\n{133}\n\nSo they went down to Beth-el. And the sons of the prophets who were at\nBeth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, \"Knowest thou that\nthe Lord will take away thy master from thee to-day?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.\" And Elijah said to\nhim, \"Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to\nJericho.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not\nleave thee.\"\n\nSo they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at\nJericho came near to Elisha, and said to him, \"Knowest thou that the\nLord will take away thy master from thee to-day?\"\n\nAnd he answered, \"Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.\" And Elijah said\nunto him, \"Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to\nJordan.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not\nleave thee.\"\n\nAnd they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went,\nand stood over against them afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.\nAnd Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the\nwaters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two\nwent over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone\nover, that Elijah said unto Elisha, \"Ask what I shall do for thee,\nbefore I be taken from thee.\"\n\nAnd Elisha said, \"I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be\nupon me.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see\nme when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee: but if not, it\nshall not be so.\"\n\n{134}\n\nAnd it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold,\nthere appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted\nthem both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And\nElisha saw it, and he cried, \"My father, my father, the chariots of\nIsrael and the horsemen thereof!\"\n\nAnd he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent\nthem in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell\nfrom him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan. And he took\nthe mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and\nsaid, \"Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?\" and when he also had\nsmitten the waters, they were divided hither and thither: and Elisha\nwent over.\n\nAnd when the sons of the prophets which were at Jericho over against\nhim saw him, they said, \"The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha.\"\nAnd they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before\nhim. And they said to him, \"Behold now, there be with thy servants\nfifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest\nperhaps the spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon\nsome mountain, or into some valley.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Ye shall not send.\"\n\nAnd when they urged him till he was wearied, he said, \"Send.\" They\nsent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him\nnot.\n\nAnd they came back to him, while he tarried at Jericho; and he said\nunto them, \"Did I not say unto you, 'Go not'?\"\n\n{135}{136}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE VILLAGE OF SHUNEM\n\n The little village of Shunem nestled on the slopes of one of the\n hills which surround the plain of Esdraelon, the scene of so much\n stirring life and so many battles. Looking across the plain one sees\n Mount Gilboa, where the great disaster befell the army of Israel\n when King Saul and sons went down in the tide of defeat which rolled\n over the host. It is supposed that the Philistine army was encamped\n at Shunem before the battle. The town was very familiar to Elijah,\n who often visited it on his travels\n[End illustration]\n\n{137}\n\n_How Elisha Healed the Waters_.\n\nAnd the men of the city said to Elisha, \"Behold, we pray thee, the\nsituation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is\nbad, and the land is unfruitful.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Bring me a new jar, and put salt therein.\" And they\nbrought it to him. And he went forth to the spring of the waters, and\ncast salt therein, and said, \"Thus saith the Lord, 'I have healed\nthese waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or\nunfruitfulness.'\"\n\nSo the waters were healed unto this day, according to the word of\nElisha which he spoke.\n\n\n_How Elisha Helped a Poor Woman to Pay a Debt_.\n\nNow there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the\nprophets to Elisha, saying, \"Thy servant my husband is dead: and thou\nknowest that thy servant feared the Lord: and the creditor is come to\ntake my two children to be bondmen.\"\n\nAnd Elisha said to her, \"What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast\nthou in the house?\"\n\nAnd she said, \"Thine handmaid hath nothing in the house, save a jar of\noil.\"\n\nThen he said, \"Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors,\neven empty vessels; borrow not a few. And thou shalt go in, and shut\nthe door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those\nvessels; and thou shalt set aside that which is full.\"\n\nSo she went from him, and shut the door upon her {138} and upon her\nsons; they brought the vessels to her and she poured out. And it came\nto pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, \"Bring\nme yet a vessel.\"\n\nAnd he said to her, \"There is not a vessel more.\" And the oil stayed.\n\nThen she came and told the man of God. And he said, \"Go, sell the oil,\nand pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons upon the rest.\"\n\n\n_How Elisha Brought to Life a Boy Who Had Died_.\n\nAnd it happened one day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a\nwoman of wealth; and she persuaded him to eat bread. And so, as often\nas he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said to\nher husband, \"Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God,\nwho passeth by us continually. Let us make, I pray thee, a little\nchamber on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table,\nand a seat, and a candlestick: and, when he cometh to us, then will he\nturn in thither.\"\n\nAnd it happened one day, that he came thither, and he turned into the\nchamber and lay there. And he said to Gehazi his servant, \"Call this\nShunammite.\"\n\nAnd when he had called her, she stood before him.\n\nAnd he said to him, \"Say now to her, 'Behold, thou hast been careful\nfor us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou\nbe spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host?'\"\n\nAnd she answered, \"I dwell among mine own people.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"What then is to be done for her?\"\n\n{139}{140}\n\n[Illustration]\n ELISHA RAISES THE SHUNAMMITE'S SON.\n\n One of the most touching stories of the Old Testament is that of the\n rich woman of Shunem, who made a little chamber for the stern\n prophet Elisha, with a \"bed and a table and a seat and a\n candlestick.\" Richly did the good man repay this hospitality, when\n he gave the dear little lad, the mother's only child, who was\n sunstruck in the hot sunshine of the harvest days, alive and well\n again back to her arms.\n[End illustration]\n\n{141}\n\nAnd Gehazi answered, \"Verily she hath no son.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Call her.\"\n\nAnd when he had called her, she stood in the door. And he said, \"At\nthis season, when the time cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son.\"\n\nAnd she said, \"Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie to thine\nhandmaid.\" But, as Elisha had said to her, a son was born.\n\nAnd when the child was grown, it happened one day, that he went out to\nhis father to the reapers. And he said to his father, \"My head! my\nhead!\"\n\nAnd he said to his servant, \"Carry him to his mother.\" And when he had\ntaken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till\nnoon, and then died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the\nman of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. And she called\nto her husband, and said, \"Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants,\nand one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come\nagain.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day? it is neither new\nmoon nor Sabbath.\"\n\nAnd she said, \"It shall be well.\"\n\nThen she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, \"Drive, and go\nforward; slacken not the riding, except I bid thee.\"\n\nSo she went, and came to the man of God to Mount Carmel. And it came\nto pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi\nhis servant, \"Behold, yonder is the Shunammite: run, I pray thee, now\nto meet {142} her, and say to her, 'Is it well with thee? is it well\nwith thy husband? is it well with the child?'\"\n\nAnd she answered, \"It is well.\"\n\nAnd when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of\nhis feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God\nsaid, \"Let her alone: for her soul is vexed within her; and the Lord\nhath hid it from me, and hath not told me.\"\n\nThen she said, \"Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, 'Do not\ndeceive me'?\"\n\nThen he said to Gehazi, \"Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine\nhand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any\nsalute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of\nthe child.\"\n\nAnd the mother of the child said, \"As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul\nliveth, I will not leave thee.\"\n\nAnd he arose, and followed her. And Gehazi passed on before them, and\nlaid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither\nvoice, nor hearing.\n\nWherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, \"The child is\nnot awaked.\"\n\nAnd when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead,\nand laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door, and\nprayed to the Lord. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put\nhis mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands\nupon his hands: and he stretched himself upon him; and the flesh of\nthe child became warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house once\nto and fro; and went up and {143} stretched himself upon him: and the\nchild sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.\n\nAnd he called Gehazi, and said, \"Call this Shunammite.\"\n\nSo he called her. And when she was come to him, he said, \"Take up thy\nson.\"\n\nThen she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the\nground; and she took up her son, and went out.\n\n\n_How a Great Soldier Was Healed of Leprosy_.\n\nNow Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man\nwith his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given\nvictory to Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a\nleper. And the Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away\ncaptive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on\nNaaman's wife.\n\nAnd she said to her mistress, \"Would God my lord were with the prophet\nthat is in Samaria! then would he heal him of his leprosy.\"\n\nAnd one went in, and told his lord, saying, \"Thus and thus said the\nmaid that is of the land of Israel.\"\n\nAnd the king of Syria said, \"Go now, go, and I will send a letter to\nthe king of Israel.\"\n\nAnd he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six\nthousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought\nthe letter to the king of Israel, saying, \"And now when this letter is\ncome to thee, behold, {144} I have sent Naaman my servant to thee,\nthat thou mayest heal him of his leprosy.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that\nhe rent his clothes, and said, \"Am I God, to kill and to make alive,\nthat this man doth send to me to recover a man of his leprosy? but\nconsider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.\"\n\nAnd, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent\nhis clothes, he sent to the king, saying, \"Wherefore hast thou rent\nthy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a\nprophet in Israel.\"\n\nSo Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the\ndoor of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger to him,\nsaying, \"Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come\nagain to thee, and thou shalt be clean.\"\n\nBut Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, \"Behold, I thought, 'He\nwill surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the\nLord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leper.'\nAre not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all\nthe waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean?\" So he\nturned and went away in a rage.\n\nAnd his servants came near, and spoke to him, and said, \"My father, if\nthe prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have\ndone it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, 'Wash, and be\nclean?'\"\n\n{145}{146}\n\n[Illustration]\n SHUNAMMITE BOY\n\n Photograph taken by Mrs. Frank L. Goodspeed of Springfield, Mass.,\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n This is a charming picture of a modern Shunammite boy. Just so must\n have looked the son of the wealthy Shunammite of Elisha's day as he\n left her in the morning to follow his father in the harvest fields.\n[End illustration]\n\n{147}\n\nThen went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according\nto the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like the\nflesh of a little child, and he was clean. And he returned to the man\nof God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he\nsaid, \"Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but\nin Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a present from thy\nservant.\"\n\nBut he said, \"As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive\nnone.\" And he urged him to take it; but he refused.\n\nAnd Naaman said, \"If not, yet I pray thee let there be given to thy\nservant two mules' burden of earth; for thy servant will henceforth\noffer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but to the\nLord. In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant; when my master goeth\ninto the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand,\nand I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the\nhouse of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing.\"\n\nAnd he said to him, \"Go in peace.\" So he departed from him a little\nway.\n\nBut Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, \"Behold, my\nmaster hath spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at his\nhands that which he brought: as the Lord liveth, I will run after him,\nand take something from him.\"\n\nSo Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw one running after\nhim, he alighted from the chariot to meet him, and said, \"Is all\nwell?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"All is well. My master hath sent me, {148} saying,\n'Behold, even now there are come to me from the hill country of Ephraim\ntwo young men of the sons of the prophets; give them, I pray thee, a\ntalent of silver, and two changes of raiment.'\"\n\nAnd Naaman said, \"Be pleased to take two talents.\"\n\nAnd he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two\nchanges of raiment, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they\nbore them before him.\n\nAnd when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and stowed\nthem in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed. But he went\nin, and stood before his master.\n\nAnd Elisha said to him, \"Whence comest thou, Gehazi?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Thy servant went nowhere.\"\n\nAnd he said to him, \"Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned\nagain from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and\nto receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen,\nand menservants and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall\ncleave to thee, and unto thy seed for ever.\"\n\nAnd he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.\n\n\n_How Elisha Returned Good for Evil_.\n\nNow the king of Syria warred against Israel; and he took counsel with\nhis servants, saying, \"In such and such a place shall be my camp.\"\n\nAnd the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying,\n\"Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are\ncoming down.\"\n\n{149}{150}\n\n[Illustration]\n LEPERS AT THE LEPER HOSPITAL, JERUSALEM\n From a picture by Prof. D. G. Lyon and used by his kind permission\n\n Leprosy was one of the terrible diseases in the days of the Old\n Testament. It was much more prevalent then than now, and it spared\n neither king nor commoner. \"To be a leper was to be treated as dead--to\n be excluded from the city as a corpse: to be spoken to by the best\n beloved and most loving only at a distance: to dwell with none but\n lepers; to be utterly unprivileged: to be denied the rites of the\n temple and the synagogue: to go about with rent garments and covered\n mouth, except when crying 'Unclean! unclean!' to find home in the\n wilderness or in abandoned tombs; afraid to die, yet without hope\n except in death.\"--_Gen. Lew Wallace in \"Ben Hur\"_\n[End illustration]\n\n{151}\n\nAnd the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him\nand warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice. And\nthe heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he\ncalled his servants, and said to them, \"Will ye not show me which of us\nis for the king of Israel?\"\n\nAnd one of his servants said, \"Nay, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the\nprophet who is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou\nspeakest in thy bedchamber.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him.\"\n\nAnd it was told him, saying, \"Behold, he is in Dothan.\" Therefore sent\nhe thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by\nnight, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of\nGod was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host with horses and\nchariots was round about the city. And his servant said to him, \"Alas,\nmy master! what shall we do?\"\n\nAnd he answered, \"Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they\nthat be with them.\"\n\nAnd Elisha prayed, and said, \"Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he\nmay see.\"\n\nAnd the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold,\nthe mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.\nAnd when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said,\n\"Smite {152} this people, I pray thee, with blindness.\" And he smote\nthem with blindness according to the word of Elisha.\n\nAnd Elisha said to them, \"This is not the way, neither is this the city:\nfollow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek.\" And he led\nthem to Samaria.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said,\n\"Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see.\"\n\nAnd the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in\nthe midst of Samaria. And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw\nthem, \"My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?\"\n\nAnd he answered, \"Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those\nwhom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread\nand water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their\nmaster.\"\n\nAnd he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and\ndrunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands\nof Syria came no more into the land of Israel.\n\n\n_How the City of Samaria Was Sorely Besieged, and How\nIt Was Wonderfully Delivered_.\n\nAnd it came to pass that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host,\nand went up, and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in\nSamaria: and after they had besieged it for a long time, so that the\ncity was in desperate straits, Elisha said, \"Hear ye the word of the\nLord: thus saith the Lord, 'To-morrow about this time shall a{153}\nmeasure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley\nfor a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.'\"\n\nThen the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God,\nand said, \"Behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might this\nthing be?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not\neat thereof.\"\n\nNow there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate: and they\nsaid one to another, \"Why sit we here until we die? If we say, 'We will\nenter into the city,' then the famine is in the city, and we shall die\nthere: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and\nlet us go over to the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we\nshall live; but if they kill us, we shall but die.\"\n\nAnd they rose up in the twilight, to go to the camp of the Syrians: and\nwhen they were come to the outermost part of the camp of the Syrians,\nbehold, there was no man there. For the Lord had made the host of the\nSyrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the\nnoise of a great host: and they said one to another, \"Lo, the king of\nIsrael hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of\nthe Egyptians, to come upon us.\"\n\nWherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and\ntheir horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for\ntheir life. And when these lepers came to the outermost part of the\ncamp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence\nsilver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and they came back,\nand entered into another tent, and {154} carried thence also, and went\nand hid it. Then they said one to another, \"We do not well: this day is\na day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the\nmorning light, punishment will overtake us: now therefore come, let us\ngo and tell the king's household.\"\n\nSo they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them,\nsaying, \"We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no\nman there, neither voice of man, but the horses tied, and the asses\ntied, and the tents as they were.\"\n\nAnd he called the porters; and they told it to the king's household\nwithin. And the king arose in the night, and said to his servants, \"I\nwill now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we\nare hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves\nin the field, saying, 'When they come out of the city, we shall take\nthem alive, and get into the city.'\"\n\nAnd one of his servants answered and said, \"Let some take, I pray thee,\nfive of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, and let us\nsend and see.\"\n\nThey took therefore two chariots with horses; and the king sent after\nthe host of the Syrians, saying, \"Go and see.\"\n\nAnd they went after them as far as Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full\nof garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste.\nAnd the messengers returned, and told the king.\n\n\n{155}{156}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF SAMARIA\n\n Samaria was splendidly situated to resist assault. On a hill 300 to\n 400 feet above the broad fertile valley, its battlements were beyond\n bowshot of archers who might be stationed on near-by hills, and on no\n side could catapults or towers be advanced. But the best situated\n fortress may be starved out, and Samaria was in terrible distress when\n one of those blind, unreasoning panics fell upon Ben-hadad's army, and\n it fled away in the night with the city almost in its power.\n[End illustration]\n\n{157}\n\nAnd the people went out, and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a\nmeasure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley\nfor a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. And the king appointed\nthe captain on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and\nthe people trampled upon him in the gate, and he died as the man of God\nhad said, who spoke when the king came down to him. And it came to pass,\nas the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, \"Two measures of\nbarley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be\nto-morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria\"; and that captain\nanswered the man of God, and said, \"Now, behold, if the Lord should make\nwindows in heaven, might such a thing be?\" and he said, \"Behold, thou\nshalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof\": it came to\npass even so upon him; for the people trampled upon him in the gate, and\nhe died.\n\n\n_How Elisha Anointed a New King in Israel, and How a Terrible Fate\nOvertook the Wicked House of Ahab_.\n\n(Ahab the wicked king died, but his son Joram, who was just as wicked as\nhis father, reigned in his stead, and he was helped on in his wicked\ndeeds by the wicked old queen mother Jezebel. But no matter how\nprosperous and powerful evil men may be, there always comes a time of\nretribution. Vengeance was now following fast on the footsteps of the\nwicked members of the house of Ahab. King Joram lay dying of a wound he\nhad received in battle. Elisha saw that the time had come. He anointed\nprivately as king, Jehu, a brave, headstrong young general of the army.\nJehu did not wait for Joram to die, but made a bold dash for the throne.\nThis story tells of the wild ride he took (we say, \"he drives like\nJehu,\" to the present day), of the way in which he beat down all\nobstacles in his path, and of the terrible fate which came to the house\nof Ahab.)\n\n{158}\n\nAnd Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said\nunto him, \"Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thine hand,\nand go to Ramoth-gilead. And when thou comest thither, look out there\nJehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him\narise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber.\nThen take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, 'Thus saith\nthe Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel.' Then open the door, and\nflee, and tarry not.\"\n\nSo the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.\nAnd when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he\nsaid, \"I have an errand to thee, O captain.\"\n\nAnd Jehu said, \"Unto which of us?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"To thee, O captain.\"\n\nAnd he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his\nhead, and said to him, \"Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 'I have\nanointed thee king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel. And\nthou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the\nblood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of\nthe Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall\nperish. And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the\nson of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. And the\ndogs shall eat Jezebel in the rampart of Jezreel, and there shall be\nnone to bury her.'\"\n\n{159}\n\nAnd he opened the door, and fled. Then Jehu came forth to the servants\nof his lord: and one said unto him, \"Is all well? wherefore came this\nmad fellow to thee?\"\n\nAnd he said to them, \"Ye know the man and what his talk was.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"It is false; tell us now.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Thus and thus spoke he to me, saying, 'Thus saith the\nLord. I have anointed thee king over Israel.'\"\n\nThen they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him\non the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, \"Jehu is king.\"\n\nSo Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against\nJoram. ( Now Joram kept Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of\nHazael king of Syria: but King Joram was returned to be healed in\nJezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought\nwith Hazael king of Syria.)\n\nAnd Jehu said, \"If this be your mind, then let none escape and go forth\nout of the city, to go to tell it in Jezreel.\"\n\nSo Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And\nAhaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. Now the watchman stood\non the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came,\nand said, \"I see a company.\"\n\nAnd Joram said, \"Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him\nsay, 'Is it peace?'\"\n\nSo there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, \"Thus saith the\nking, 'Is it peace?'\"\n\n{160}\n\nAnd Jehu said, \"What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.\"\n\nAnd the watchman told, saying, \"The messenger came to them, but he\ncometh not again.\"\n\nThen he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said,\n\"Thus saith the king, 'Is it peace?'\" And Jehu answered, \"What hast thou\nto do with peace? turn thee behind me.\"\n\nAnd the watchman told, saying, \"He came even up to them, and cometh not\nagain: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi;\nfor he driveth furiously.\"\n\nAnd Joram said, \"Make ready.\" And they made ready his chariot.\n\nAnd Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his\nchariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and found him in the field\nwhich had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came to pass, when\nJoram saw Jehu, that he said, \"Is it peace, Jehu?\"\n\nAnd he answered, \"What peace, so long as the evil deeds of thy mother\nJezebel and her witch crafts are so many?\"\n\nAnd Joram turned his hands and fled, and said to Ahaziah, \"There is\ntreachery, O Ahaziah.\"\n\nAnd Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and smote Joram between\nhis arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his\nchariot.\n\nThen said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, \"Take him up, and cast him into\nthe field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for {161} remember how, when I and\nthou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord laid this burden upon\nhim; 'Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of\nhis sons,' saith the Lord; 'and I will requite thee in this field,'\nsaith the Lord. Now therefore cast him into this piece of ground,\naccording to the word of the Lord.\"\n\nBut when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the\ngarden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, \"Smite him also in\nthe chariot\": and they smote him on the way. And he fled to Megiddo, and\ndied there. And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and\nburied him in his sepulcher with his fathers in the city of David.\n\nAnd when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted\nher eyelids, and adorned her head, and looked out at the window. And as\nJehu entered in at the gate, she said, \"Is it peace, thou Zimri, thy\nmaster's murderer?\"\n\nAnd he lifted up his face to the window, and said, \"Who is on my side?\nwho?\" And there looked out to him two or three servants.\n\nAnd he said, \"Throw her down.\"\n\nSo they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall,\nand on the horses: and he trampled her under foot. And when he was come\nin, he ate and drank; and he said, \"See now to this cursed woman, and\nbury her: for she is a king's daughter.\"\n\nAnd they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull,\nand the feet, and the palms of her {162} hands. Wherefore they came\nagain and told him. And he said, \"This is the word of the Lord, which he\nspoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'In the rampart of\nJezreel shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel.'\"\n\n\n_How Elisha Had a Last Talk with the King_.\n\nNow after many days Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he\ndied: and Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over\nhim, and said, \"My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the\nhorsemen thereof!\"\n\nAnd Elisha said to him, \"Take bow and arrows\": and he took unto him bow\nand arrows.\n\nAnd he said to the king of Israel, \"Put thine hand upon the bow\": and he\nput his hand upon it.\n\nAnd Elisha laid his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, \"Open the\nwindow eastward\": and he opened it.\n\nThen Elisha said, \"Shoot\": and he shot.\n\nAnd he said, \"The Lord's arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory\nover Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have\nconsumed them.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Take the arrows\": and he took them. And he said to the\nking of Israel, \"Smite upon the ground\": and he smote thrice, and\nstopped.\n\nAnd the man of God was wroth with him, and said, \"Thou shouldest have\nsmitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst\nconsumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.\"\n\nAnd Elisha died, and they buried him.\n\n{163}\n\nTALES OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE\n\n{164}\n\n{165}\n\nTHE STORY OF JONAH.\n\nTHE STORY OF A PROPHET TO WHOM GOD TAUGHT IN A WONDERFUL WAY THE LESSON\nOF OBEDIENCE.\n\n_How Jonah Reluctantly Brought a Message of Repentance and Salvation to\nNineveh_.\n\nNow the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,\n\"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their\nwickedness is come up before me.\"\n\nBut Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord; and\nhe went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid\nhis fare and went aboard, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence\nof the Lord.\n\nBut the Lord sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty\ntempest on the sea, so that the ship was likely to be wrecked. Then the\nsailors were afraid, and cried every man to his god; and they cast forth\nthe cargo of the ship into the sea, to lighten it. But Jonah was gone\nbelow: and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him, and\nsaid to him, \"What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if\nso be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.\"\n\n{166}\n\nAnd they said, everyone to his fellow, \"Come, and let us cast lots, that\nwe may know for whose cause this evil is upon us.\"\n\nSo they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him,\n\"Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; what is\nthine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of\nwhat people art thou?\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of\nheaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land.\"\n\nThen were the men exceedingly afraid, and said to him, \"What is this\nthat thou hast done?\"\n\nFor the men knew that he had fled from the presence of the Lord, because\nhe had told them. Then said they to him, \"What shall we do to thee, that\nthe sea may be calm?\" for the sea grew more and more tempestuous.\n\nAnd he said to them, \"Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so\nshall the sea be calm; for I know that for my sake this great tempest is\nupon you.\"\n\nNevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they\ncould not: for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.\n\nWherefore they cried to the Lord, and said, \"We beseech thee, O Lord, we\nbeseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us\ninnocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.\"\n\n\n{167}{168}\n\n[Illustration]\n JAFFA, THE ANCIENT JOPPA, LOOKING FROM THE SEA.\n From a photograph belonging to Dr. W. J. Moulton\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n The city did not look just like this when Jonah came down to its\n wharfs to escape from the command of the Lord. But it was a great\n seaport, bustling with commerce in the days when the prophet found a\n \"ship\" (about as large probably as a good-sized modern fishing boat)\n bound to Tarshish, and \"paid his fare\" and took passage. Jaffa has the\n only inside harbor between Egypt and Mount Carmel. At best the space\n for shipping is very small. The entrance is very narrow and in high\n seas very dangerous to enter.\n[End illustration]\n\n{169}\n\nSo they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea\nceased its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly; and they\noffered a sacrifice to the Lord, and made vows. And the Lord prepared a\ngreat fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish\nthree days and three nights.\n\nThen Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly. And he\nsaid,--\n\n \"I called by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord,\n And he answered me;\n Out of the belly of hell cried I,\n And thou heardest my voice.\n For thou didst cast me into the depth, in the heart of the seas,\n And the flood was round about me;\n All thy waves and thy billows passed over me.\n And I said, I am cast out from before thine eyes;\n Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.\n The waters compassed me about, even to the soul;\n The deep was round about me;\n The weeds were wrapped about my head.\n I went down to the bottoms of the mountains;\n The earth with her bars closed upon me for ever:\n Yet hast thou brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.\n When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord:\n And my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.\n They that regard lying vanities\n Forsake their own mercy.\n But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving;\n I will pay that which I have vowed.\n Salvation is of the Lord.\"\n\nAnd the Lord spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry\nland.\n\n{170}\n\nAnd the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, \"Arise,\ngo to Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I\nbid thee.\"\n\nSo Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.\nNow Nineveh was an exceeding great city, of three days' journey. And\nJonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and\nsaid, \"Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.\"\n\nAnd the people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and\nput on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.\nAnd the tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his\nthrone, and laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth and\nsat in ashes. And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh by\nthe decree of the king and his nobles.\n\nA PROCLAMATION.\n\n _Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything: let them\n not feed nor drink water: but let them be covered with sackcloth, both\n man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn\n everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their\n hands. Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away\n from his fierce anger, that we perish not?_\n\nAnd God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God\nrepented of the evil, which he said he would do unto them; and he did it\nnot.\n\nBut it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.\n\nAnd he prayed to the Lord, and said, \"I pray thee, O Lord, {171} was not\nthis my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee\nto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and full of\ncompassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and repentest thee of\nthe evil. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me;\nfor it is better for me to die than to live.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said, \"Doest thou well to be angry?\" Then Jonah went out of\nthe city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a\nshelter, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would\nbecome of the city. And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to\ncome up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head. So Jonah\nwas exceeding glad because of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when\nthe morning rose the next day, and it ate the gourd, that it withered.\nAnd it came to pass, when the sun arose, that God prepared a sultry east\nwind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and\nrequested for himself that he might die, and said, \"It is better for me\nto die than to live.\"\n\nAnd God said to Jonah, \"Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I do well to be angry even unto death.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said, \"Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou\nhast not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night,\nand perished in a night: and should not I have pity on Nineveh, that\ngreat city; wherein are more than sixty thousand persons that cannot\ndiscern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much\ncattle?\"\n\n{172}\n\nSAMSON.\n\nTHE STORY OF A MAN WITH A STRONG BODY, WHO OFTEN YIELDED TO TEMPTATION,\nAND WHO FELL BECAUSE HE WAS NOT STRONG IN SPIRIT.\n\n_How Samson Slew a Lion and Made a Riddle_.\n\n(There was a man of the tribe of Dan, whose name was Manoah, and he and\nhis wife had a son whose name was Samson, and Samson had strength of\nbody above all other men of his time.)\n\nAnd Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the\ndaughters of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his\nmother, and said, \"I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the\nPhilistines: now therefore get her for me to be my wife.\"\n\nThen his father and his mother said to him, \"Is there not a woman among\nthe daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest\nto take a wife of the Philistines?\"\n\nAnd Samson said to his father, \"Get her for me; for she pleaseth me\nwell.\"\n\nBut his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord; for he\nsought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the\nPhilistines had rule over Israel.\n\nThen went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and\ncame to the vineyards of Timnah: {173} and, behold, a young lion roared\nagainst him. And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he\ntore him as he would have torn a kid, and he had nothing in his hand:\nbut he told not his father or his mother what he had done. And he went\ndown and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. And after a\nwhile he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of\nthe lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the\nlion, and honey. And he took it into his hands, and went on, eating as\nhe went, and he came to his father and mother, and gave unto them, and\nthey did eat: but he told them not that he had taken the honey out of\nthe body of the lion.\n\nAnd his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast;\nfor so used the young men to do. And it came to pass, when they saw him,\nthat they brought thirty companions to be with him. And Samson said to\nthem, \"Let me now put forth a riddle for you: if ye can declare it unto\nme within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give\nyou thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment: but if ye\ncannot declare it to me, then shall ye give me thirty linen garments and\nthirty changes of raiment.\"\n\nAnd they said to him, \"Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.\" And\nhe said to them,--\n\n \"Out of the eater came forth food,\n And out of the strong came forth sweetness.\"\n\nAnd they could not in three days declare the riddle.\n\n{174}\n\nAnd it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said to Samson's\nwife, \"Entice thy husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, lest\nwe burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to\nimpoverish us?\"\n\nAnd Samson's wife wept before him, and said, \"Thou dost but hate me,\nand lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of\nmy people, and hast not told it me.\"\n\nAnd he said to her, \"Behold, I have not told it to my father nor my\nmother, and shall I tell it to thee?\"\n\nAnd she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and\nit came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she\npressed him sore: and she told the riddle to the children of her\npeople.\n\nAnd the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun\nwent down, \"What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a\nlion?\" And he said unto them,--\n\n \"If ye had not plowed with my heifer,\n Ye had not found out my riddle.\"\n\nAnd the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he went down to\nAshkelon, and smote thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave\nthe changes of raiment unto them that declared the riddle. And his\nanger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.\n\n\n{175}\n\n_How Samson Burned the Cornfield and Slew His Enemies_.\n\nAt another time, Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took\nfirebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst\nbetween every two tails. And when he had set the brands on fire, he\nlet them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up\nboth the shocks and the standing corn, and also the oliveyards.\n\nThen the Philistines went up, and camped in Judah, and spread\nthemselves in Lehi. And the men of Judah said, \"Why are ye come up\nagainst us?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath\ndone to us.\"\n\nThen three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of\nEtam, and said to Samson, \"Knowest thou not that the Philistines are\nrulers over us? what then is this that thou hast done to us?\"\n\nAnd he said to them, \"As they did to me, so have I done to them.\"\n\nAnd they said to him, \"We are come down to bind thee, that we may\ndeliver thee into the hand of the Philistines.\"\n\nAnd Samson said unto them, \"Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon\nme yourselves.\"\n\nAnd they spoke unto him, saying, \"No; but we will bind thee fast, and\ndeliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee.\"\n\nAnd they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the\nrock. When he came unto Lehi, the {176} Philistines shouted as they\nmet him: and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the\nropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire,\nand his bands dropped from off his hands.\n\nAnd he found a fresh jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and\ntook it, and smote a thousand men therewith. And Samson said,--\n\n \"With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps,\n With the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men.\"\n\n\n_How Samson Carried Off the Gates of Gaza_.\n\nAnd Samson went to Gaza. And it was told the Gazites, saying, \"Samson\nis come hither.\" And they surrounded him, and laid wait for him all\nnight in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying,\n\"Let be till morning light, then we will kill him.\"\n\nAnd Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of\nthe doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them\nup, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up\nto the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.\n\n\n_How Samson Was Betrayed by His Own Weakness Into\nthe Hands of His Enemies_.\n\nAnd it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of\nSorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came\nup to her, and said unto her, {177} \"Entice him, and see wherein his\ngreat strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him,\nthat we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee everyone of\nus eleven hundred pieces of silver.\"\n\nAnd Delilah said to Samson, \"Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great\nstrength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.\"\n\nAnd Samson said to her, \"If they bind me with seven green withes that\nwere never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.\"\n\nThen the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes\nwhich had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now she had men\nlying in wait abiding in the inner chamber. And she said unto him,\n\"The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.\"\n\nAnd he broke the withes, as a string of tow is broken when it toucheth\nthe fire. So his strength was not known.\n\nAnd Delilah said to Samson, \"Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me\nlies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.\"\n\nAnd he said to her, \"If they only bind me with new ropes wherewith no\nwork hath been done, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.\"\n\n\nSo Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him,\n\"The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.\"\n\nAnd the men who were lying in wait were abiding in the inner chamber.\nAnd he broke them from off his arms like a thread.\n\nAnd Delilah said to Samson, \"Hitherto thou hast {178} mocked me, and\ntold me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound.\"\n\nAnd he said to her, \"If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with\nthe web in the loom.\" And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto\nhim, \"The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.\" And he awaked out of his\nsleep, and plucked away the pin of the beam, and the web.\n\nAnd she said to him, \"How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine\nheart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast\nnot told me wherein thy great strength lieth.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and\nurged him, that his soul was sorely vexed.\n\nAnd he told her all his heart, and said to her, \"There hath not come a\nrazor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazirite unto God from my\nbirth: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall\nbecome weak, and be like any other man.\"\n\nAnd when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and\ncalled for the lords of the Philistines, saying, \"Come up this once,\nfor he hath told me all his heart.\"\n\nThen the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the\nmoney in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she\ncalled for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and his\nstrength went from him.\n\nAnd she said, \"The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.\"\n\n\n{179}{180}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE VALLEY OF SOREK\n\n From a photograph taken by Prof. D. G. Lyon\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n The valley of Sorek, a narrow gorge at its upper end, broadens out\n into the lowlands of Judah at its lower end, and here in the\n foothills overlooking the Philistine country was the home of Samson.\n It was up this valley that the Philistines often made their\n frequent raids against Jerusalem and the highlands of Judah. It was\n here that the battle was fought when Israel was defeated under the\n leadership of Eli's wicked sons, and \"the ark of God was taken.\" The\n modern railway from Jaffa to Jerusalem follows this valley.\n[End illustration]\n\n{181}\n\nAnd he awoke out of his sleep, and said, \"I will go out as at other\ntimes, and shake myself free.\"\n\nBut he knew not that the Lord was departed from him. And the\nPhilistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought\nhim down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and they made\nhim grind in the mill in the prison house. Howbeit the hair of his\nhead began to grow again after he was shaven.\n\n\n_How Samson Had His Revenge_.\n\nAnd the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great\nsacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, \"Our\ngod hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.\"\n\nAnd when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said,\n\"Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of\nour country, which hath slain many of us.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said,\n\"Call for Samson, that he may make us sport.\" And they called for\nSamson out of the prison house; and he made sport before them: and\nthey set him between the pillars.\n\nAnd Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, \"Suffer me\nthat I may feel the pillars whereupon the house resteth, that I may\nlean upon them.\"\n\nNow the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the\nPhilistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three\nthousand men and women, that {182} beheld while Samson made sport. And\nSamson called unto the Lord, and said, \"O Lord God, remember me, I\npray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that\nI may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.\"\n\nAnd Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house\nrested, and leaned upon them, the one with his right hand, and the\nother with his left.\n\nAnd Samson said, \"Let me die with the Philistines.\" And he bowed\nhimself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and\nupon all the people that were therein.\n\nSo the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he\nslew in his life.\n\n{183}\n\nDANIEL.\n\nSTORIES OF THE MAN WHO WOULD RATHER DIE THAN DO WRONG.\n\nDaniel is the great Jewish hero of that long period of exile\nwhen the nation was captive in a strange land. This was the\ngloomiest and most distressful time in the nation's history, and\nafterward in other dark days these stories were told to cheer the\npeople and give them courage.\n\n\n_How Daniel and His Three Friends Refused to Eat the Food of Princes_.\n\nIn the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came\nNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the\nLord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the\nvessels of the house of God. And the king spoke to Ashpenaz, that he\nshould bring in certain of the children of Israel, even of the royal\nfamily and of the nobles; youths in whom was no blemish, but well\nfavored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and\nsuch as had ability to stand in the king's palace; and that he should\nteach them the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.\n\nAnd the king appointed for them a daily portion of the king's food,\nand of the wine which he drank, and that {184} they should be\nnourished three years; that at the end thereof they might stand before\nthe king. Now among these were, of the children of Judah, Daniel,\nHananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. And the king's officer gave names unto\nthem: unto Daniel he gave the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah,\nof Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego.\nBut Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with\nthe king's food, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he\nrequested of the king's officer that he might not defile himself. Now\nGod made Daniel to find favor and compassion in the sight of the\nking's officer. And he said to Daniel, \"I fear my lord the king, who\nhath appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your\nfaces worse looking than the youths which are of your own age? so\nshould ye endanger my head with the king.\"\n\nThen said Daniel to the steward, whom the king's officer had appointed\nover Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: \"Test thy servants, I\nbeseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water\nto drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and\nthe countenances of the youths that eat of the king's food; and as\nthou seest, deal with thy servants.\"\n\nSo he hearkened to them in this matter, and tested them ten days. And\nat the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer, and they\nwere fatter in flesh, than all the youths which did eat of the king's\nfood. So the steward took away their food, and the wine that they\nshould drink, and gave them pulse. Now as for these four {185} youths,\nGod gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and\nDaniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. And at the end of\nthe days which the king had appointed for bringing them in, the king's\nofficer brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed\nwith them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah,\nMishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in\nevery matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king\ninquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the\nmagicians and enchanters that were in all his realm.\n\n\n_How Daniel Made Known and Interpreted the King's Dream_.\n\nAnd in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar\ndreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep was broken.\nThen the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and\nthe sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they\ncame in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, \"I have\ndreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.\"\n\nThen spoke the Chaldeans to the king, \"O king, live for ever: tell thy\nservants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.\"\n\nThe king answered and said to the Chaldeans, \"The thing is gone from\nme: if ye make not known unto me the dream and the interpretation\nthereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a\ndunghill. But if {186} ye show the dream and the interpretation\nthereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor:\ntherefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof.\"\n\nThey answered the second time and said, \"Let the king tell his\nservants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.\"\n\nThe king answered and said, \"I know of a certainty that ye would gain\ntime, because ye see the thing is gone from me. But if ye make not\nknown unto me the dream, there is but one law for you: for ye have\nprepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be\nchanged: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can\nshow me the interpretation thereof.\"\n\nThe Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, \"There is not a man\nupon the earth that can show the king's matter: forasmuch as no king,\nlord, nor ruler, hath asked such a thing of any magician, or\nenchanter, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king\nrequireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king,\nexcept the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.\"\n\nFor this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to\ndestroy all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree went forth, and the\nwise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions\nto slay them. Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to\nArioch the captain of the king's guard, who had gone forth to slay the\nwise men of Babylon; he answered and said to Arioch the king's\ncaptain, \"Wherefore is the decree so urgent from the king?\"\n\n{187}\n\nThen Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. And Daniel went in, and\ndesired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show\nthe king the interpretation.\n\nThen Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah,\nMishael, and Azariah, his companions: that they would desire mercies\nof the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his\ncompanions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.\nThen was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night.\nThen Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said,\n\"Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might\nare his: and he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings,\nand setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to\nthem that know understanding: he revealeth the deep and secret things:\nhe knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I\nthank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given\nme wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired\nof thee: for thou hast made known unto us the king's matter.\"\n\nTherefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to\ndestroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him:\n\"Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and\nI will show unto the king the interpretation.\"\n\nThen Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus\nunto him, \"I have found a man of the {188} children of the captivity\nof Judah, who will make known unto the king the interpretation.\"\n\nThe king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,\n\"Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and\nthe interpretation thereof?\"\n\nDaniel answered before the king, and said, \"The secret which the king\nhath demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor\nsoothsayers, show unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that\nrevealeth secrets, and he hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar\nwhat shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy\nhead upon thy bed, are these: as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came\ninto thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he\nthat revealeth secrets hath made known to thee what shall come to\npass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom\nthat I have more than any living, but to, the intent that the\ninterpretation may be made known to the king, and that thou mayest\nknow the thoughts of thy heart. Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a\ngreat image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was\nexcellent, stood before thee; and the appearance thereof was terrible.\nAs for this image, his head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms\nof silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his\nfeet part of iron, and part of clay.\n\n\"While thou wast looking a stone was cut out without hands, which\nsmote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke\nthem in pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver,\nand the gold, broken {189} in pieces together, and became like the\nchaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away,\nthat no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image\nbecame a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.\n\n\"This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof unto\nthe king. Thou, O king, art king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven\nhath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;\nand wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and\nthe fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made\nthee to rule over them all: thou art the head of gold. And after thee\nshall arise another kingdom inferior to thee; and another third\nkingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the\nfourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in\npieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that crusheth all these,\nshall it break in pieces and crush. And whereas thou sawest the feet\nand toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a\ndivided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron,\nforasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with clay. And as the toes of\nthe feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be\npartly strong, and partly weak. And in the days of those kings shall\nthe God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed,\nnor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it\nshall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall\nstand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out\n{190} of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the\niron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God\nhath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the\ndream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.\"\n\nThen the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshiped Daniel,\nand commanded that they should offer sacrifice and sweet odors to him.\n\nThe king answered Daniel, and said, \"Of a truth your God is the God of\ngods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou\nhast been able to reveal this secret.\"\n\nThen the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made\nhim to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor\nover all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel requested of the king, and\nhe appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the\nprovince of Babylon: but Daniel was in the gate of the king.\n\n\n_How Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego Refused to Bow Down and Worship\nbefore the Image of the King, and How They Were Cast Into the Burning\nFiery Furnace_.\n\nNebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was\nthreescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in\nthe plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the\nking sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, and the\ngovernors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs,\nand all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the\nimage which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.\n\n{191}{192}\n\n[Illustration]\n MEN PRAYING ON A HOUSETOP\n\n From a photograph taken by Prof. D. G. Lyon\n and used by his kind permission\n\n In the East the time and posture of prayers by the faithful are\n strictly prescribed. In Daniel's day the form was a part of a duty\n to be performed, and was as important as the words, but Jesus taught\n us to regard the thought and attitude of the soul rather than the\n posture of the body\n[End illustration]\n\n{193}\n\nThen the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the\ntreasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the\nprovinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image\nthat Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the\nimage that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.\n\nThen the herald cried aloud, \"To you it is commanded, O peoples,\nnations, and languages, that when ye hear the sound of the cornet,\nflute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye\nfall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king\nhath set up: and whoso falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same\nhour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.\"\n\nTherefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the\ncornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all\nthe peoples, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshiped\nthe golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Wherefore at\nthat time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against\nthe Jews. They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, \"O king,\nlive for ever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that\nshall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery,\nand dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the\ngolden image: and whoso falleth not down and {194} worshipeth, shall\nbe cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain\nJews whom thou hast appointed over the affairs of the province of\nBabylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not\nregarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image\nwhich thou hast set up.\"\n\nThen Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach,\nMeshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.\nNebuchadnezzar answered and said unto them, \"Is it of purpose, O\nShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that ye serve not my god, nor\nworship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye are ready when\nye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and\ndulcimer, and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image\nwhich I have made, well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the\nsame hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that\ngod that shall deliver you out of my hands?\"\n\nShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, \"O\nNebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer thee in this matter. If it\nbe so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning\nfiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But\nif he does not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve\nthy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.\"\n\nThen was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and his face hardened against\nShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: {195} therefore he spoke, and\ncommanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than was\nusual to heat it. And he commanded certain mighty men that were in his\narmy to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them in to\nthe burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in all their\ngarments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.\n\nTherefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace\nexceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up\nShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And these three men, Shadrach,\nMeshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning\nfiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose\nup in haste: he spoke and said unto his counselors, \"Did not we cast\nthree men bound into the midst of the fire?\"\n\nThey answered and said unto the king, \"True, O king.\" He answered and\nsaid, \"Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and\nthey have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is like a son of the\ngods.\"\n\nThen Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery\nfurnace: he spoke and said, \"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye\nservants of the Most High God, come forth, and come hither.\"\n\nThen Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth out of the midst of\nthe fire. And the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, and the\nking's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the\nfire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head\n{196} singed, neither were their garments burned, nor had the smell of\nfire come on them.\n\nNebuchadnezzar spoke and said, \"Blessed be the God of Shadrach,\nMeshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his\nservants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and\nhave yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any\ngod, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that every\npeople, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the\nGod of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and\ntheir houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other god\nthat is able to deliver in this way.\"\n\nThen the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the\nprovince of Babylon.\n\n\n_How Daniel Interpreted Another Dream of King Nebuchadnezzar_.\n\n\"Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and languages,\nthat dwell in all the earth; peace be multiplied unto you. It hath\nseemed good unto me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High\nGod hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs! and how mighty\nare his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his\ndominion is from generation to generation.\n\n\"I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my\npalace. I saw a dream which made me afraid; and the thoughts upon my\nbed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore made I a decree\nto bring {197} in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they\nmight make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. Then came in\nthe magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and\nI told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the\ninterpretation thereof. But at the last Daniel came in before me,\nwhose name was Belteshazzar, and in whom is the spirit of the holy\ngods: and I told the dream before him, saying, 'O Belteshazzar, master\nof the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is\nin thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream\nthat I have seen, and the interpretation thereof. Thus were the\nvisions of my head upon my bed: I saw, and behold a tree in the midst\nof the earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree grew, and was\nstrong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight\nthereof to the end of all the earth. The leaves thereof were fair, and\nthe fruit thereof much, and in it was food for all: the beasts of the\nfield had shadow under it, and the birds of the heaven dwelt in the\nbranches thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. I saw in the visions of\nmy head upon my bed, and, behold, a holy messenger came down from\nheaven. He cried aloud, and said thus. Hew down the tree, and cut off\nits branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit: let the\nbeasts get away from under it, and the birds from its branches.\nNevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a\nband of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it\nbe wet with the dew of heaven, and let its portion be with the beasts\nin the grass of the earth: let its {198} heart be changed from man's,\nand let a beast's heart be given unto it; and let seven times pass\nover it. The sentence is by the decree of the holy messenger: that the\nliving may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and\ngiveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the lowest of\nmen. This dream I King Nebuchadnezzar have seen: and thou, O\nBelteshazzar, declare the interpretation, forasmuch as all the wise\nmen of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the\ninterpretation; but thou art able, for the spirit of the holy gods is\nin thee.'\"\n\nThen Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was perplexed for a while,\nand his thoughts troubled him. The king answered and said,\n\"Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation, trouble\nthee.\"\n\nBelteshazzar answered and said, \"My lord, the dream be to them that\nhate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine adversaries. The\ntree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height\nreached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; whose\nleaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was food for\nall; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose\nbranches the birds of the heaven had their habitation: it is thou, O\nking, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown,\nand reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.\nAnd whereas the king saw a holy messenger coming down from heaven, and\nsaying, 'Hew down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless leave the\nstump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with {199} a band of\niron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet\nwith the dew of heaven, and let its portion be with the beasts of the\nfield, till seven times pass over it'; this is the interpretation, O\nking, and it is the decree of the Most High, which is come upon my\nlord the king: that thou shalt be driven from men, and thy dwelling\nshall be with the beasts of the field, and thou shalt be made to eat\ngrass as oxen, and shalt be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven\ntimes shall pass over thee; till thou know that the Most High ruleth\nin the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And\nwhereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy\nkingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that\nthe heavens do rule. Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable\nunto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine\niniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if there may be a lengthening\nof thy tranquillity.\"\n\nAll this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve\nmonths he was walking in the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke\nand said, \"Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal\ndwelling place, by the might of my power and for the glory of my\nmajesty?\"\n\nWhile the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from\nheaven, saying, \"O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: the\nkingdom is departed from thee. And thou shalt be driven from men, and\nthy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; thou shalt be made\nto eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee; until\n{200} thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and\ngiveth it to whomsoever he will.\"\n\nThe same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was\ndriven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with\nthe dew of heaven, till his hair was grown like eagle's feathers, and\nhis nails like birds' claws.\n\n\"And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto\nheaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the\nMost High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever; for his\ndominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation\nto generation: and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as\nnothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and\namong the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say\nunto him, 'What doest thou?' At the same time mine understanding\nreturned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and\nbrightness returned unto me; and my counselors and my lords sought\nunto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent greatness\nwas added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the\nKing of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways judgment:\nand those that walk in pride he is able to abase.\"\n\n\n{201}\n\n_How Daniel Read the Writing on the Wall at Belshazzar's Feast_.\n\nBelshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and\ndrank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine,\ncommanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar\nhis father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that\nthe king and his lords, and the women of his palace, might drink\ntherein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of\nthe temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king\nand his lords, and the women of his palace, drank in them. They drank\nwine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron,\nof wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth the fingers of a\nman's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of\nthe wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand\nthat wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed in him, and his\nthoughts troubled him; he trembled, and his knees smote together. The\nking cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the\nsoothsayers. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon,\n\"Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation\nthereof, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about\nhis neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.\"\n\nThen came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the\nwriting, nor make known to the king the interpretation. Then was King\nBelshazzar greatly troubled, {202} and his countenance was changed,\nand his lords were perplexed. Now the queen by reason of the words of\nthe king and his lords came into the banquet house: the queen spoke\nand said, \"O king, live for ever; let not thy thoughts trouble thee,\nnor let thy countenance be changed: there is a man in thy kingdom, in\nwhom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father\nlight and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was\nfound in him: and the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say,\nthy father, made him master of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans,\nand soothsayers; forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and\nunderstanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of dark sentences,\nand dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king\nnamed Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the\ninterpretation.\"\n\nThen was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to\nDaniel, \"Art thou that Daniel, who art of the children of the\ncaptivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah? I\nhave heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that\nlight and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now\nthe wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that\nthey should read this writing, and make known unto me the\ninterpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of\nthe thing. But I have heard of thee, that thou canst give\ninterpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the\nwriting, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt\nbe clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and\nshalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.\"\n\n{203}{204}\n\n[Illustration]\n DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN\n By Vernet\n[End illustration]\n\n{205}\n\nThen Daniel answered and said before the king, \"Keep thy gifts to\nthyself, and give thy rewards to another; nevertheless I will read the\nwriting unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. O\nthou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father the\nkingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty: and because of the\ngreatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages\ntrembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he\nwould he kept alive; and whom he would he raised up, and whom he would\nhe put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was\nhardened that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne,\nand they took his glory from him: and he was driven from the sons of\nmen; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with\nthe wild asses; he was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet\nwith the dew of heaven: until he knew that the Most High God\nruleth in the kingdom of men, and that he setteth up over\nit whomsoever he will.\n\n\"And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though\nthou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of\nheaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee,\nand thou and thy lords, and the women of thy palace, have drunk wine\nin them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass,\niron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God\nin whose hand thy breath is, and {206} whose are all thy ways, hast\nthou not glorified: therefore the part of the hand was sent by God,\nand this inscription was written. And this is the inscription which\nwas written:--\n\n _Mene, Mene, Tekel, Apharsin_\n\n\"This is the interpretation of the thing:--\n\n_Mene_, God hath numbered thy kingdom, and brought it to an end.\n\n_Tekel_, Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.\n\n_Peres_, Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.\"\n\nThen commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and\nput a chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning\nhim, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night\nBelshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. And Darius the Mede received\nthe kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.\n\n\n_How Daniel Was Cast into the Lions' Den_.\n\nIt pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty\nsatraps, which should be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them\nthree presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these satraps might\ngive account unto them, and that the king should have no loss. Then\nthis Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps,\nbecause an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set\nhim over the whole realm. Then the presidents and {207} the satraps\nsought to find occasion against Daniel in regard to the kingdom; but\nthey could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful,\nneither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these\nmen, \"We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we\nfind it against him concerning the law of his God.\"\n\nThen these presidents and satraps assembled together to the king, and\nsaid thus unto him: \"King Darius, live for ever. All the presidents of\nthe kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counselors and the\ngovernors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and\nto make a strong decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any\ngod or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast\ninto the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the\nwriting, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and\nPersians, which altereth not.\"\n\nWherefore King Darius signed the writing and the decree. And when\nDaniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now\nhis windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem); and he kneeled\nupon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before\nhis God, as he did before. Then these men assembled together, and\nfound Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. Then\nthey came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king's\ndecree; \"Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall make\npetition unto any god or man within thirty days, save unto thee, O\nking, shall be cast into the den of lions?\"\n\n{208}\n\nThe king answered and said, \"The thing is true, according to the law\nof the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.\"\n\nThen answered they and said before the king, \"That Daniel, which is of\nthe children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king,\nnor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three\ntimes a day.\"\n\nThen the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased, and set\nhis heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he labored till the going down\nof the sun to rescue him. Then these men assembled together unto the\nking, and said unto the king, \"Know, O king, that it is a law of the\nMedes and Persians, that no decree nor statute which the king\nestablisheth may be changed.\"\n\nThen the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into\nthe den of lions. Now the king spoke and said unto Daniel, \"Thy God\nwhom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.\"\n\nAnd a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the\nking sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords;\nthat nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to\nhis palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of\nmusic brought before him: and his sleep fled from him. Then the king\narose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of\nlions. And when he came near unto the den to Daniel, he cried with a\nlamentable voice: the king spoke and said to Daniel, \"O Daniel,\nservant of the living {209} God, is thy God, whom thou servest\ncontinually, able to deliver thee from the lions?\"\n\nThen said Daniel unto the king, \"O king, live for ever. My God hath\nsent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, and they have not\nhurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also\nbefore thee, O king, have I done no harm.\"\n\nThen was the king exceeding glad, and commanded that they should take\nDaniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and\nno manner of hurt was found upon him, because he had trusted in his\nGod. And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had\naccused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their\nchildren, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and\nbroke all their bones in pieces, before they came at the bottom of the\nden.\n\nThen King Darius wrote unto all the peoples, nations, and languages,\nthat dwell in all the earth; \"Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a\ndecree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear\nbefore the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast for\never, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his\ndominion shall be even unto the end: he delivereth and rescueth, and\nhe worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth; who hath\ndelivered Daniel from the power of the lions.\"\n\nSo this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of\nCyrus the Persian.\n\n\n{210}\n\nBABYLON\n\n Pause in this desert! Here, men say, of old\n Belshazzar reigned, and drank from cups of gold;\n Here, to his hideous idols, bowed the slave,\n And here--God struck him dead!\n . . . . Where lies his grave?\n 'T is lost!--His brazen gates? his soaring towers,\n From whose dark tops men watched the starry hours?\n All to the dust gone down! The desert bare\n Scarce yields an echo when we question \"Where?\"\n The lonely herdsman seeks in vain the spot;\n And the black wandering Arab knows it not.\n No brick, no fragment, lingers now, to tell\n Where Babylon (mighty city!) rose--and fell!\n\n O City, vast and old!\n Where, where is thy grandeur fled?\n The stream that around thee rolled\n Still rolls in its ancient bed!\n But where, oh, where art thou gone?\n O Babylon! O Babylon!\n\n The giant, when he dies,\n Still leaveth his bones behind,\n To shrink in the winter skies,\n And whiten beneath the wind!\n But where, oh, where art thou gone?\n O Babylon! O Babylon!\n\n Thou liv'st!--for thy name still glows,\n A light in the desert skies;\n As the fame of the hero grows\n Thrice trebled because he dies!\n But where, oh, where art thou gone?\n O Babylon! O Babylon!\n\n\n{211}\n\nBELSHAZZAR\n\n Belshazzar is king! Belshazzar is lord!\n And a thousand dark nobles all bend at his board:\n Fruits glisten, flowers blossom, meats steam, and a flood\n Of the wine that man loveth runs redder than blood:\n Wild dancers are there, and a riot of mirth,\n And the beauty that maddens the passions of earth;\n And the crowds all shout,\n Till the vast roofs ring,--\n \"All praise to Belshazzar, Belshazzar the king!\"\n\n \"Bring forth,\" cries the monarch, \"the vessels of gold,\n Which my father tore down from the temples of old;--\n Bring forth, and we'll drink, while the trumpets are blown,\n To the gods of bright silver, of gold, and of stone;\n Bring forth!\"--and before him the vessels all shine,\n And he bows unto Baal, and he drinks the dark wine;\n Whilst the trumpets bray,\n And the cymbals ring,--\n \"Praise, praise to Belshazzar, Belshazzar the king!\"\n\n Now what cometh--look, look!--without menace, or call?\n Who writes, with the lightning's bright hand, on the wall?\n What pierceth the king, like the point of a dart?\n What drives the bold blood from his cheek to his heart?\n \"Chaldeans! Magicians! the letters expound!\"\n They are read,--and Belshazzar is dead on the ground!\n Hark!--the Persian is come\n On a conqueror's wing;\n And a Mede's on the throne of Belshazzar the king!\n --_Barry Cornwall_.\n\n\n{212}\n\nNEHEMIAH.\n\nTHE STORY OF THE BRAVE MAN WHO PREFERRED HARDSHIPS IN HIS NATIVE LAND,\nTO PLEASURE AND PLENTY IN THE KING'S PALACE.\n\n\n(Nehemiah is one of the finest characters of which we are told in the\nOld Testament. He was a true patriot, brave, patient, persevering,\nfearing God, and not man. He had an important and profitable position\nin the royal court, but when he heard how his countrymen were\nsuffering, how the walls of the city of his fathers were in ruins, he\ndid not hesitate, but gaining the permission of the king, he set out\nto serve his country in its sore distress. How he heard of the need of\nthe city, how he went to its relief, and how the people under his\nsplendid leadership took courage and rebuilt the walls, he himself has\ntold in these words:)--\n\n\n_The Need and the Man_.\n\n\"Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I\nwas in Shushan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he\nand certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews\nthat had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning\nJerusalem. And they said unto me, 'The remnant that are left of the\ncaptivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach:\nthe wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are\nburned with fire.'\n\n\"And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that {213} I sat down\nand wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the\nGod of heaven, and said, 'I beseech thee, O Lord, the God of heaven,\nthe great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy with them\nthat love him and keep his commandments: let thine ear now be\nattentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the\nprayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and\nnight, for the children of Israel thy servants, while I confess the\nsins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee:\nyea, I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly\nagainst thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes,\nnor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. Remember,\nI beseech thee, the words that thou commandedst thy servant Moses,\nsaying, If ye trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples:\nbut if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do them, though\nyour outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I\ngather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I\nhave chosen to cause my name to dwell there. Now these are thy\nservants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power,\nand by thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be\nattentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy\nservants, who delight to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy\nservant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.' (Now\nI was cupbearer to the king.)\n\n{214}\n\n\"And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of\nArtaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the\nwine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in\nhis presence. And the king said to me, 'Why is thy countenance sad,\nseeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.'\n\n\"Then I was very sore afraid. And I said to the king, 'Let the king\nlive for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city,\nthe place of my fathers' sepulchers, lieth waste, and the gates\nthereof are consumed with fire?'\n\n\"Then the king said unto me, 'For what dost thou make request?' So I\nprayed to the God of heaven.\n\n\"And I said unto the king, 'If it please the king, and if thy servant\nhave found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah,\nunto the city of my fathers' sepulchers, that I may build it.'\n\n\"And the king said to me (the queen also sitting by him), 'For how\nlong shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return?'\n\n\"So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Moreover I\nsaid to the king, 'If it please the king, let letters be given me to\nthe governors beyond the river, that they may let me pass through till\nI come unto Judah; and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's\nforest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the\ncastle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city,\nand for the house that I shall enter into.'\n\n\"And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon\nme. Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the\nking's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and\nhorsemen.\n\n{215}{216}\n\n[Illustration]\n OUTSIDE EAST WALL OF JERUSALEM, GOLDEN GATE AT LEFT\n\n This is on the east side of the city and overlooking it. There were\n many gates in the wall of Jerusalem to allow the coming and going of\n trade. Some were used for special branches of trade, which would\n center there in booths for the merchants. Some of the gates in\n ancient times were, \"The Fish Gate,\" \"The Horse Gate,\" \"The Sheep\n Gate,\" \"The Gate of Potsherds,\" \"The Gate of the Spring,\" \"The Water\n Gate,\" \"The Gate of the Guard.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{217}\n\n\"And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the\nAmmonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because there was\ncome a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. So I came to\nJerusalem, and was there three days.\"\n\n\n_The Right Man in the Right Place_.\n\n\"And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I\nany man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem: neither was\nthere any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. And I went\nout by night by the valley gate, even toward the dragon's well, and to\nthe dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken\ndown, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to\nthe fountain gate and to the king's pool: but there was no place for\nthe beast that was under me to pass. Then went I up in the night by\nthe brook, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the\nvalley gate, and so returned. And the rulers knew not whither I went,\nor what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the\npriests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that\ndid the work. Then said I to them, 'Ye see the evil fortune that we\nare in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned\nwith fire: come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be\nno more a reproach.'\n\n{218}\n\n\"And I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also\nof the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, 'Let us\nrise up and build.'\n\n\"So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when\nSanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and\nGeshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised\nus, and said, 'What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against\nthe king?'\n\n\"Then answered I them, and said unto them, 'The God of heaven, he will\nprosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye\nhave no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.'\"\n\n\n_Enemies Threaten_.\n\n\"But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we builded the\nwall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.\nAnd he spoke, before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said,\n'What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they\nsacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones\nout of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?'\n\n\"Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, 'Even that which\nthey build, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall.'\n\n\"Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach\nupon their own head, and give them up to spoiling in a land of\ncaptivity: and cover not their iniquity, {219} and let not their sin\nbe blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger\nbefore the builders.\n\n\"So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto\nhalf the height thereof: for the people had a mind to work.\n\n\"But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the\nArabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the\nrepairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the\nbreaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth; and they\nconspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem,\nand to cause confusion therein. But we made our prayer unto our God,\nand set a watch against them day and night, because of them. And Judah\nsaid, 'The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is\nmuch rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.'\n\n\"And our adversaries said, 'They shall not know, neither see, till we\ncome into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to\ncease.'\n\n\"And it came to pass that, when the Jews which dwell by them came,\nthey said unto us ten times from all places, 'Ye must return unto\nus.'\"\n\n\n_Watchful and Ready_.\n\n\"Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in\nthe open places, I even set the people after their families with their\nswords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and\nsaid to the nobles, {220} and to the rulers, and to the rest of the\npeople, 'Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and\nterrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters,\nyour wives and your houses.'\n\n\"And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto\nus, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all\nof us to the wall, everyone unto his work. And it came to pass from\nthat time forth, that half of my servants wrought in the work, and\nhalf of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats\nof mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They that\nbuilded the wall and they that bare burdens laded themselves, everyone\nwith one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his\nweapon; and the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side,\nand so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.\n\n\"And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the\npeople, 'The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the\nwall, one far from another: in what place soever ye hear the sound of\nthe trumpet, resort ye thither unto us; our God shall fight for us.'\n\n\"So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the\nrising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same time\nsaid I unto the people, 'Let everyone with his servant lodge within\nJerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in\nthe day.'\n\n\"So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the {221} men of\nthe guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, everyone\nwent with his weapon to the water.\"\n\n\n_Statesman as Well as Soldier_.\n\n\"Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against\ntheir brethren the Jews. For there were that said, 'We, our sons and\nour daughters, are many: let us get corn, that we may eat and live.'\nSome also there were that said, 'We are mortgaging our fields, and our\nvineyards, and our houses: let us get corn, because of the dearth.'\n\n\"There were also that said, 'We have borrowed money for the king's\ntribute upon our fields and our vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the\nflesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we\nbring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some\nof our daughters are brought into bondage already: neither is it in\nour power to help it; for other men have our fields and our\nvineyards.'\n\n\"And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. Then I\nconsulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers,\nand said unto them, 'Ye exact usury, everyone of his brother.'\n\n\"And I held a great assembly against them. And I said to them, 'We\nafter our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold\nunto the heathen; and would ye even sell your brethren, and should\nthey be sold unto us?'\n\n{222}\n\n\"Then held they their peace, and found never a word. Also I said, 'The\nthing that ye do is not good: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our\nGod, because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? And I\nlikewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and corn on\nusury. I pray you, let us leave off this usury. Restore, I pray you,\nto them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their\noliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money,\nand of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.'\n\n\"Then said they, 'We will restore them, and will require nothing of\nthem; so will we do, even as thou sayest.'\n\n\"Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should\ndo according to this promise. Also I shook out my lap, and said, 'So\nGod shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that\nperformeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied.'\nAnd all the congregation said, 'Amen,' and praised the Lord.\n\n\"And the people did according to this promise. Moreover from the time\nthat I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from\nthe twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes\nthe king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the\nbread of the governor. But the former governors that were before me\nwere chargeable unto the people, and took of them bread and wine,\nbeside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bore rule\nover the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.\n\n{223}{224}\n\n[Illustration]\n JERUSALEM, A PART OF THE WALL AND THE MOSQUE OF OMAR.\n\n Jerusalem, like all ancient cities, was protected by walls. The\n first of these walls was built by David and Solomon and the later\n kings. This wall was broken down and overthrown when the people of\n the city were carried into captivity, and was rebuilt again by\n Nehemiah. In the time of Josephus, three walls encircled the city,\n the oldest being the ancient wall and the others additions\n necessitated by the enlargement of the boundaries. Parts of these\n walls have been traced, and some portions still exist. These\n existing portions are in places 150 feet high, and the ancient\n towers at the corners were probably 250 feet high. They were built\n of immense stones very solidly put together to resist the attack of\n battering rams in times of war.\n[End illustration]\n\n{225}\n\nYea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any\nland: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.\nMoreover there were at my table of the Jews and the rulers an hundred\nand fifty men, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen\nthat were round about us. Now that which was prepared for one day was\none ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once\nin ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I demanded\nnot the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this\npeople. Remember unto me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for\nthis people.\"\n\n\n_In Spite of Foes, the Walls Are Built_.\n\n\"Now it came to pass, when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah,\nand to Geshem the Arabian, and unto the rest of our enemies, that I\nhad builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein\n(though even unto that time I had not set up the doors in the gates);\nthat Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, 'Come, let us meet\ntogether in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.'\n\n\"But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers to them,\nsaying, 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why\nshould the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?'\n\n\"And they sent to me four times after this sort; and I answered them\nafter the same manner. Then sent Sanballat his servant to me in like\nmanner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand; wherein was\nwritten, 'It is {226} reported among the nations, and Gashmu saith it,\nthat thou and the Jews think to rebel; for which cause thou buildest\nthe wall: and thou wouldest be their king, according to these words.\nAnd thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem,\nsaying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the\nking according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take\ncounsel together.'\n\n\"Then I sent to him, saying, 'There are no such things done as thou\nsayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.'\n\n\"For they all would have made us afraid, saying, 'Their hands shall be\nweakened from the work, that it be not done.' But now, O God,\nstrengthen thou my hands.\n\n\"And I went to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of\nMehetabel, who was shut up; and he said, 'Let us meet together in the\nhouse of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the\ntemple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they\ncome to slay thee.'\n\n\"And I said, 'Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that,\nbeing such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not\ngo in.'\n\n\"And I discerned, and, lo, God had not sent him: but he pronounced\nthis prophecy against me: and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For\nthis cause was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin,\nand that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might\nreproach me. Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat {227} according\nto these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of\nthe prophets that would have put me in fear.\n\n\"So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month\nElul, in fifty and two days. And it came to pass, when all our enemies\nheard thereof, that all the heathen that were about us feared, and\nwere much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this\nwork was wrought of our God.\"\n\n\n_The People Celebrate the Great Event_.\n\n\"And when the seventh month was come, the children of Israel were in\ntheir cities. And all the people gathered themselves together as one\nman into the broad place that was before the water gate; and they\nspoke unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses,\nwhich the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought\nthe law before the congregation, both men and women, and all that\ncould hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh\nmonth. And he read therein before the broad place that was before the\nwater gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men\nand the women, and of those that could understand; and the ears of all\nthe people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the\nscribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the\npurpose.\n\n\"And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was\nabove all the people); and when he {228} opened it, all the people\nstood up: and Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people\nanswered, 'Amen, Amen,' with the lifting up of their hands: and they\nbowed their heads, and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the\nground. And the Levites caused the people to understand the law: and\nthe people stood in their place. And they read in the book, in the law\nof God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood\nthe reading. And Nehemiah, which was the Tirshatha, and Ezra the\npriest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said to all\nthe people, 'This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor\nweep.' For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.\n\n\"Then he said unto them, 'Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the\nsweet, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared: for\nthis day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye grieved; for the joy of\nthe Lord is your strength.'\n\n\"So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, 'Hold your peace, for\nthe day is holy; neither be ye grieved.' \"And all the people went\ntheir way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make\ngreat mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared\nto them.\n\n\"And on the second day were gathered together the heads of fathers'\nhouses of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the\nscribe, even to give attention to the words of the law. And they found\nwritten in the law, how the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the\nchildren of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh\nmonth: and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities,\nand in Jerusalem, saying, 'Go forth to the mount, and fetch olive\nbranches, and branches of wild olive, and myrtle branches, and palm\nbranches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is\nwritten.'\n\n{229}{230}\n\n[Illustration]\n JERUSALEM\n\n This view shows the city from the Mount of Olives. The present wall\n surrounding the city can be plainly seen. Very differently it\n looked when Nehemiah saw it, with broken walls and ruined houses,\n swept by the fierce tides of war. The modern city of Jerusalem,\n connected with the coast by a railroad, is growing very rapidly in\n size and importance\n[End illustration]\n\n{231}\n\n\"So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves\nbooths, everyone upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and\nin the courts of the house of God, and in the broad place of the water\ngate, and in the broad place of the gate of Ephraim. And all the\ncongregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made\nbooths, and dwelt in the booths: for since the days of Joshua the son\nof Nun until that day had not the children of Israel done so. And\nthere was very great gladness.\n\n\"Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the\nbook of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the\neighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the ordinance.\"\n\n\n_The Vows of the People and the Dedication Ceremonies_.\n\n\"The people entered into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was\ngiven by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the\ncommandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes.\n\n\"And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the\nLevites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep\nthe dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with\nsinging, with cymbals, psalteries, {232} and with harps. And the sons\nof the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain\nround about Jerusalem, and from the villages. Then I brought up the\nprinces of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies that\ngave thanks and went in procession; with the musical instruments of\nDavid the man of God; and Ezra the scribe was before them: and by the\nfountain gate, and straight before them, they went up by the stairs of\nthe city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of\nDavid, even unto the water gate eastward. And the other company of\nthem that gave thanks went to meet them, and I after them, with the\nhalf of the people, upon the wall, above the tower of the furnaces,\neven unto the broad wall.\n\n\"So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of\nGod, and I, and the half of the rulers with me: and the priests with\ntrumpets. And the singers sang loud. And they offered great sacrifices\nthat day, and rejoiced; for God had made them rejoice with great joy;\nand the women also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of\nJerusalem was heard even afar off.\"\n\n\n_How Nehemiah Enforced the Law_.\n\n(After the walls were built, and the city brought into a state of law\nand order, Nehemiah went back to his post in the Persian court. After\nhe went away, trouble arose. The people began to disobey the laws.\nNehemiah knew that law abiding people are as necessary to national\ngreatness as stout walls and great armies, so he came back, and\nenforced the laws with a strong {233} hand. How he made the people\nkeep the Sabbath, he tells as follows:)--\n\n\n\"In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses on the\nSabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses therewith; as also\nwine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought\ninto Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I testified against them in the\nday wherein they sold victuals.\n\n\"There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought in fish, and all\nmanner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath to the children of Judah and\nin Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to\nthem, 'What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath\nday? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this\nevil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel\nby profaning the Sabbath.'\n\n\"And it came to pass that, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be\ndark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut,\nand commanded that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath:\nand some of my servants set I over the gates, that there should no\nburden be brought in on the Sabbath day. So the merchants and sellers\nof all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.\n\n\"Then I testified against them, and said to them, 'Why lodge ye about\nthe wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you.'\n\n\"From that time forth came they no more on the Sabbath. And I\ncommanded the Levites that they should {234} purify themselves, and\nthat they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.\n\n\"Remember unto me, O my God, this also, and spare me according to the\ngreatness of thy mercy.\"\n\n\n\n(The story of Nehemiah's life, told by himself, breaks off abruptly,\nbut we know that he lived and died in high honor. Josephus, the Jewish\nhistorian, says of him, \"He was a man of good and righteous character,\nand very ambitious to make his nation happy; and he hath left the\nwalls of Jerusalem as an eternal monument of himself.\")\n\n{235}\n\nTHE STORY OF A DIVIDED KINGDOM\n\n{236}\n\nTHE KINGS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH\n\n SAUL, 1037 B. C. 20 years\n\n DAVID, 40 years\n\n SOLOMON, 40 years\n\n\n JUDAH 937 B. C. ISRAEL\n\nKing Length of Reign King Length of Reign Prophet\n\nREHOBOAM, 17 years JEROBOAM, 22 years\n\nABIJAH, 3 years\n\nASA, 41 years\n\n NADAB, 2 years\n\n BAASHA, 24 years\n\n ELAH, 2 years\n\n ZIMRI, 7 days\n\n OMRI, 12 years\n\n AHAB, 22 years ELIJAH\n\nJEHOSHAPHAT, 25 years\n\n AHAZIAH, 2 years\n\n JORAM, 11 years\n\nJEHORAM, 8 years\n\nAHAZIAH, 1 year\n\nATHALIAH, 7 years JEHU, 28 years ELISHA\n\nJOASH, 40 years\n\n JEHOAHAZ, 17 years\n\n JOASH, 16 years\n\nAMAZIAH, 29 years\n\nUZZIAH, 52 years JEROBOAM II., 41 years AMOS\n\n ZECHARIAH, 6 months\n\n SHALLUM, 1 month\n\n MENAHEM, 10 years\n\nJOTHAM, 16 years HOSEA\n\nAHAZ, 16 years PEKAHIAH, 2 years\n\n PEKAH, 20 years\n\n HOSHEA, 9 years\n\nHEZEKIAH, 29 years CAPTIVITY. 721 B. C. ISAIAH\n\nMANASSEH, 55 years MICAH\n\nAMON, 2 years\n\nJOSIAH, 31 years\n\nJEHOAHAZ, 3 months\n\nJEHOIAKIM, 11 years\n\nJEHOIACHIN, 3 months\n\nFIRST CAPTIVITY. 597 B. C.\n\nZEDEKIAH (regent), 11 years\n\n_Destruction of Jerusalem and_\nSECOND CAPTIVITY. 586 B. C.\n\nThe dates given in this table are only approximate. It is impossible\nto give the exact dates of many of the events in Bible history. In\nmany cases no date is given in the Bible itself, and many times the\ndate is in round numbers or is obscure. Accuracy in the matter of\ndates was not thought to be so necessary in those days as it is now.\n\n\n{237}\n\nTHE KINGDOM OF THE SOUTH.\n\nREHOBOAM.\n\n_How a Foolish Young King Lost the Best Part of His Kingdom_.\n\n(Under the great King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel rose to the\nzenith of its power and glory. Its territory stretched from sea to\nsea, its commerce was world-wide. Jerusalem with its great temple and\nits luxurious palaces became a magnificent city. But even during the\nreign of Solomon there began to be mutterings of discontent. Solomon\nwas a great king, but his very magnificence laid heavy burdens upon\nthe people. Taxes must be raised, very burdensome taxes, and a great\nnumber of servants and slaves must be kept. Solomon was strong enough\nto prevent an open rebellion in his own day, but as soon as he died\nthe smoldering fire burst into flame. His son Rehoboam was an arrogant\nand very foolish young man. The people petitioned for a redress of\ntheir grievances and a lightening of their burdens. The elders whom\nthe king consulted advised him to listen to these reasonable requests.\nBut he gave heed instead to the advice of young men as willful and as\ninexperienced as himself, and replied that he would lay heavier\nburdens yet upon the people.\n\nThen the old cry of protest, \"To your tents, O Israel,\" was raised.\nThe people of the North seceded, and under the leadership of a man\nnamed Jeroboam, set up a kingdom of their own. This division became\npermanent, and was the source of endless war. Even in the time of\nChrist, the Samaritans, who were the {238} descendants of the people\nof the old Northern kingdom, and the people of the South hated each\nother, and had no dealings with each other.)\n\nAfter the death of Solomon, Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel\nwere come to Shechem to make him king. And Jeroboam and all the\nassembly of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, \"Thy father\nmade our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service\nof thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and\nwe will serve thee.\" And he said unto them, \"Go away for three days,\nthen come again to me.\" And the people departed.\n\nAnd King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before\nSolomon his father while he yet lived, saying, \"What counsel give ye\nme to return answer to this people?\" And they spoke to him, saying,\n\"If thou wilt be a servant to this people this day, and wilt serve\nthem, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be\nthy servants for ever.\"\n\nBut he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him,\nand took counsel with the young men that were grown up with him, that\nstood before him. And he said unto them, \"What counsel give ye, that\nwe may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying,\n'Make the yoke that thy father did put upon us lighter'?\"\n\nAnd the young men that were grown up with him spoke to him, saying,\n\"Thus shalt thou say to this people that spoke to thee, saying, 'Thy\nfather made our yoke heavy, {239} but make thou it lighter unto us';\nthus shalt thou speak unto them, 'My little finger is thicker than my\nfather's loins. And now whereas my father did load you with a heavy\nyoke, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but\nI will chastise you with scorpions.'\"\n\nSo Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the\nking bade, saying, \"Come to me again the third day.\" And the king\nanswered the people roughly, and forsook the counsel of the old men\nwhich they had given him; and spoke to them after the counsel of the\nyoung men, saying, \"My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to\nyour yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you\nwith scorpions.\"\n\nSo the king hearkened not unto the people. And when all Israel saw\nthat the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king,\nsaying, \"What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in\nthe son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house,\nDavid.\" So Israel departed unto their tents.\n\nBut as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah,\nRehoboam reigned over them. Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was\nthe taxgatherer; and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam\nmade haste to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So\nIsrael rebelled against the house of David, unto this day. And it came\nto pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was returned, that they\nsent and called him unto the assembly, and made him king over all\nIsrael: {240} there was none that followed the house of David, but the\ntribe of Judah only.\n\nAnd when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of\nJudah, and the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand\nchosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel,\nto bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. But the\nword of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, \"Speak unto\nRehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of\nJudah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 'Thus saith\nthe Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the\nchildren of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is\nof me.'\"\n\nSo they hearkened to the word of the Lord, and returned and went their\nway, according to the word of the Lord.\n\nAnd Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty\nand one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen\nyears in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the\ntribes of Israel. And Judah did that which was evil in the sight of\nthe Lord; and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they\ncommitted, above all that their fathers had done.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak\nking of Egypt came up against Jerusalem: and he took away the\ntreasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's\nhouse; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold\nwhich Solomon {241} had made. And King Rehoboam made in their stead\nshields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of\nthe guard, who kept the door of the king's house. And it was so, that\nas often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard bore\nthem, and brought them back into the guard chamber. And there was war\nbetween Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. And Rehoboam died, and was\nburied with his fathers in the city of David.\n\n\n{242}\n\nABIJAH.\n\n_How the Second King of Judah Won a Great Victory over Jeroboam_.\n\n(For many years the two rival kings, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, fought\nwithout either gaining a decided advantage, but Rehoboam died and his\nfavorite son, Abijah, came to the throne, who enlisted a great army\nand fought a decisive battle with the older king, overwhelming him in\nbattle and taking away several cities.)\n\n\nAnd Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, the\nprince among his brethren: for he intended to make him king. And he\ndealt wisely, and scattered all his sons throughout all the lands of\nJudah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city.\n\nIn the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over\nJudah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was\nMaacah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.\n\nAnd there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. And Abijah joined\nbattle with an army of valiant men of war: and Jeroboam set the battle\nin array against him with a great host of many thousands of those who\nwere mighty men of valor.\n\n\n\n{243}{244}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE JEWS' WAILING PLACE, JERUSALEM.\n\n Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.\n\n The lower courses of great stones belonged to the ancient temple,\n and the Jews gathered there every Friday afternoon to mourn over the\n fall of their city. Some of these stones are 30 feet long, 8 feet\n wide, and 3-1/2 feet high, weighing over 80 tons\n[End illustration]\n\n{245}\n\nAnd Abijah stood up upon Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country\nof Ephraim, and said, \"Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel; ought ye\nnot to know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over\nIsrael to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of\nsalt? Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of\nDavid, rose up, and rebelled against his lord. And there were gathered\nto him vain men, who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son\nof Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could not\nwithstand them. And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord\nin the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and\nthere are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods.\nHave ye not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and\nthe Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the peoples\nof other lands? But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not\nforsaken him; and we have priests ministering unto the Lord, the sons\nof Aaron, and the Levites in their work: and they burn unto the Lord\nevery morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet incense: the\nshowbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the\ncandlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for\nwe keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have forsaken him. And,\nbehold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets\nof alarm to sound an alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye\nnot against the Lord, the God of your fathers; for ye shall not\nprosper.\"\n\nBut Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about {246} behind them: so\nthey were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them. And when\nJudah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them: and\nthey cried unto the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.\nThen the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted,\nit came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah\nand Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God\ndelivered them into their hand. And Abijah and his people slew them\nwith a great slaughter.\n\nThus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the\nchildren of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord, the\nGod of their fathers. And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took\ncities from him, Beth-el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the\ntowns thereof, and Ephron with the towns thereof.\n\n\n{247}\n\nASA.\n\n_A Good King of Judah. He Makes a League with Syria Against the\nNorthern Kingdom_.\n\n\n(With the good king Asa came a time of prosperity to Judah. He\nfortified the cities and destroyed the idols, and won a great victory\nover the host of the Ethiopians. But he made one serious mistake. An\nenterprising king named Baasha had come to the throne in the northern\nkingdom, and he began to make advances against Judah. He built a fort\nat Ramah in a position which commanded the roads to the south. Then\nAsa in his fear made a league with the king of Syria. This was the\nbeginning of those entanglements and leagues with foreign nations\nwhich finally brought disaster to both kingdoms.)\n\n\nSo Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of\nDavid, and Asa his son reigned in his stead: in his days the land was\nquiet ten years.\n\nAnd Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his\nGod: for he took away the strange altars, and the high places, and broke\ndown the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim; and commanded Judah to\nseek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the\ncommandment. Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high\nplaces and the sun-images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. And he\nbuilt fenced cities in Judah: for the land was quiet, and he had no war\nin those years; because the Lord had given him rest.\n\n{248}\n\nFor he said unto Judah, \"Let us build these cities, and make about\nthem walls, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is yet before us,\nbecause we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought him, and he\nhath given us rest on every side.\" So they built and prospered.\n\nAnd Asa had an army of spearmen and bowmen many thousand, and all\nthese were mighty men of valor. And there came out against them Zerah\nthe Ethiopian with a mighty host; and he came unto Mareshah.\n\nThen Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the\nvalley of Zephathah at Mareshah. And Asa cried unto the Lord his God,\nand said, \"Lord, there is none beside thee to help, between the mighty\nand him that hath no strength: help us, O Lord our God; for we rely on\nthee, and in thy name are we come against this multitude. O Lord, thou\nart our God; let not man prevail against thee.\"\n\nSo the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the\nEthiopians fled. And Asa and the people that were with him pursued\nthem unto Gerar: and there fell of the Ethiopians so many that they\ncould not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the Lord,\nand before his host; and they carried away very much booty. And they\nsmote all the cities round about Gerar, for the fear of the Lord came\nupon them: and they sacked all the cities; for there was much spoil in\nthem. They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep in\nabundance and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.\n\nAnd the spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of {249} Oded: and he\nwent out to meet Asa, and said unto him, \"Hear ye me, Asa, and all\nJudah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if\nye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will\nforsake you. Now for long seasons Israel hath been without the true\nGod, and without a teaching priest, and without law: but when in their\ndistress they turned unto the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him,\nhe was found by them. And in those times there was no peace to him\nthat went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon\nall the inhabitants of the lands. And they were broken in pieces,\nnation against nation, and city against city: for God did vex them\nwith all adversity. But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack:\nfor your work shall be rewarded.\"\n\nAnd when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet,\nhe took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of\nJudah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the\nhill country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of the Lord, that\nwas before the porch of the Lord. And he gathered all Judah and\nBenjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and\nManasseh, and out of Simeon: for they came to him out of Israel in\nabundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. So they\ngathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the\nfifteenth year of the reign of Asa. And they sacrificed unto the Lord\nin that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen\nand seven {250} thousand sheep. And they entered into the covenant to\nseek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with\nall their soul; and that whosoever would not seek the Lord, the God of\nIsrael, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or\nwoman. And they swore unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with\nshouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.\n\nAnd all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their\nheart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found by\nthem: and the Lord gave them rest round about. And also Maacah the\nmother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she\nhad made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her\nimage, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. But the\nhigh places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart\nof Asa was perfect all his days. And he brought into the house of God\nthe things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had\ndedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels. And there was no more war\nunto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.\n\nIn the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of\nIsrael went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not allow\nany to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.\n\nThen Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house\nof the Lord and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of\nSyria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, \"There is a league between me\nand thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I\nhave sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king\nof Israel, that he may depart from me.\"\n\n{251}{252}\n\n[Illustration]\n LOOKING UP THE VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT, OR THE VALLEY\n OF KIDRON, FROM THE SOUTH.\n\n Jerusalem on the left, the foot of the Mount of Olives on the right.\n The cultivated land immediately in front was perhaps the place of\n \"the king's gardens\"\n\n This valley, which separates the temple mount from the Mount of\n Olives, was not known as the valley of Jehoshaphat in the Bible\n (except in Joel 3:12, though probably another locality is there\n intended), but it has always been so called in later days. Perhaps\n it was given the name of the king because of the great victory he\n won over the allied forces of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, in a\n valley which is near the Kidron as it turns toward the Dead Sea.\n[End illustration]\n\n{253}\n\nAnd Ben-hadad hearkened unto King Asa, and sent the captains of his\narmies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and\nAbel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. And it came to pass,\nwhen Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and let\nhis work cease.\n\nThen Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of\nRamah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and he\nbuilt therewith Geba and Mizpah. And at that time Hanani the seer came\nto Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, \"Because thou hast relied on\nthe king of Syria, and hast not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore\nis the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not\nthe Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen\nexceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered\nthem into thine hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro\nthroughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of\nthem whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done\nfoolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars.\"\n\nThen Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in the prison house; for\nhe was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed\nsome of the people the same time. And in the thirty and ninth year of\nhis reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding\n{254} great: yet in his disease he went not to the Lord, but to the\nphysicians.\n\nAnd Asa died in the one and fortieth year of his reign. And they\nburied him in his own sepulchers, which he had hewn out for himself in\nthe city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet\nodors and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art:\nand they made a very great burning for him.\n\n\n{255}\n\nJEHOSHAPHAT.\n\n_The Story of a Good King Who Feared God and Served the Nation Well_.\n\n\n(Jehoshaphat was one of the wisest and best of the kings of Judah. He\nincreased the territory of the nation greatly. He conquered Edom so\nthat it was governed by a vassal king. By conquering this country he\ngained a seaport, and it is interesting to note that he fitted out a\nfleet of ships and attempted to revive the trade of Solomon for the\ngold of Ophir. The ships, however, never reached their destination.\nThey were wrecked when starting on their first voyage, and he did not\nhave the courage to repeat the attempt. For the first time since the\nreign of Solomon, there was peace between Judah and Israel. A treaty\nwas made between the two kings, and Jehoram, heir to the throne of\nJudah, was married to Athaliah, daughter of King Ahab of Israel.\nThrough this alliance it was hoped no doubt to join the two kingdoms\nand restore the lost glory of the past. The attempt ended in failure.\nAthaliah was wicked, like all the race of Ahab and Jezebel, and\nbrought only disaster to Judah.)\n\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat the son of Asa reigned in his stead, and strengthened\nhimself against Israel. And he placed forces in all the fenced cities\nof Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of\nEphraim, which Asa his father had taken; and Jehoshaphat made peace\nwith the king of Israel. And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he\nwalked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not the idols\nof Baal; but sought the God of {256} his father, and walked in his\ncommandments, and not after the doings of Israel. Therefore the Lord\nestablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to\nJehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honor in abundance.\n\nAlso in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even\nBen-hail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to\nteach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites; and with them\nElishama and Jehoram, the priests. And they taught in Judah, having\nthe book of the law of the Lord with them; and they went about\nthroughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people. And\nthe fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were\nround about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat. And\nsome of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver for\ntribute; the Arabians also brought him flocks, seven thousand and\nseven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he-goats.\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles\nand cities of store. And he had many works in the cities of Judah; and\nmen of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem.\n\n(Jehoshaphat made a league with Ahab king of Israel and they fought\ntogether a battle in which Ahab was struck by an arrow from an\narcher's bow and was killed.)\n\nBut Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to\nJerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him,\nand said to King Jehoshaphat, \"Shouldest thou help the wicked, and\nlove them that hate the {257} Lord? for this thing wrath is upon thee\nfrom before the Lord. Nevertheless there are good things found in\nthee, in that thou hast put away the Asheroth out of the land, and\nhast set thine heart to seek God.\"\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again among the\npeople from Beer-sheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought\nthem back unto the Lord, the God of their fathers. And he set judges\nin the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,\nand said to the judges, \"Consider what ye do: for ye judge not for\nman, but for the Lord; and he is with you in the judgment. Now\ntherefore let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it:\nfor there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of\npersons, nor taking of gifts.\"\n\nMoreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set the Levites and the priests,\nand the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel, for the judgment of\nthe Lord, and for controversies, And they returned to Jerusalem. And\nhe charged them, saying, \"Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord,\nfaithfully, and with a perfect heart. And whensoever any controversy\nshall come to you from your brethren that dwell in their cities,\nbetween blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and\njudgments, ye shall warn them, that they be not guilty towards the\nLord, and so wrath come upon you and upon your brethren: this do, and\nye shall not be guilty.\n\n\"And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of\nthe Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, {258} the ruler of the\nhouse of Judah, in all the king's matters: also the Levites shall be\nofficers before you. Deal courageously, and the Lord be with the\ngood.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass after this, that the men of Moab, and the men of\nAmmon, and with them some of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat\nto battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat saying, \"There\ncometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea from Syria.\"\n\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek unto the Lord; and he\nproclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves\ntogether, to seek help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of\nJudah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the\ncongregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before\nthe new court; and he said, \"O Lord, the God of our fathers, art not\nthou God in heaven? and art not thou ruler over all the kingdoms of\nthe nations? and in thine hand is power and might, so that none is\nable to withstand thee. Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the\ninhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to\nthe seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and\nhave built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 'If evil\ncome upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will\nstand before this house, and before thee (for thy name is in this\nhouse), and cry unto thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and\nsave.'\n\n{259}{260}\n\n[Illustration]\n TOMBS IN THE VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT.\n Mount of Olives in the background.\n\n In the valley of Jehoshaphat there are many ancient tombs, and there\n are thousands of modern graves here also. The devout Jew earnestly\n desires to be buried here, as he believes that Messiah will descend\n on the Mount of Olives at the last day and pass through the valley\n on the way to his throne in the city.\n[End illustration]\n\n{261}\n\nAnd now, behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom thou\nwouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of\nEgypt, but they turned aside from them, and destroyed them not;\nbehold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession,\nwhich thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge\nthem? for we have no might against this great company that cometh\nagainst us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.\"\n\nAnd all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their\nwives, and their children. Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah\ncame the spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation; and he\nsaid, \"Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and\nthou King Jehoshaphat: thus saith the Lord unto you, 'Fear not ye,\nneither be dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle\nis not yours, but God's. To-morrow go ye down against them: behold,\nthey come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end\nof the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to\nfight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the\nsalvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor\nbe dismayed: to-morrow go out against them; for the Lord is with\nyou.'\"\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all\nJudah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord,\nworshiping the Lord.\n\nAnd they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness\nof Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, \"Hear\nme, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; believe in the Lord your\nGod, {262} so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall\nye prosper.\"\n\nAnd when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed them that\nshould sing unto the Lord, and praise the beauty of holiness, as they\nwent out before the army, and say, \"Give thanks unto the Lord; for his\nmercy endureth for ever.\"\n\nAnd when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set liers in wait\nagainst the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who were come against\nJudah; and they were smitten. For the men of Ammon and Moab stood up\nagainst the inhabitants of Mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy\nthem: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir,\neveryone helped to destroy another. And when Judah came to the\nwatch-tower of the wilderness, they looked upon the multitude; and,\nbehold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none\nthat escaped.\n\nAnd when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them,\nthey found among them in abundance both riches, and garments, and\nprecious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than\nthey could carry away: and they were three days in taking of the\nspoil, it was so much. And on the fourth day they assembled themselves\nin the valley of Beracah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore\nthe name of that place was called The valley of Beracah, unto this\nday.\n\n{263}{264}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT FROM THE NORTH.\n Road to Bethany over the Mount of Olives in the center.\n\n This is a view of the valley from a different point of view. The\n road to Bethany is in the center, and the old Jerusalem-Jericho\n road passes the head of the valley. It was in this direction that\n David fled from the city at the time of the revolt of Absalom.\n[End illustration]\n\n{265}\n\nThen they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat\nin the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the\nLord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. And they came to\nJerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the\nLord. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries,\nwhen they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel. So\nthe realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round\nabout.\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old\nwhen he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in\nJerusalem: and his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.\nAnd he walked in the way of Asa his father, and turned not aside from\nit, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. Howbeit the\nhigh places were not taken away; neither as yet had the people set\ntheir hearts unto the God of their fathers.\n\nAnd there was no king in Edom: a deputy of Jehoshaphat was king.\n\nJehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they\nwent not; for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.\n\nThen said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, \"Let my servants go\nwith thy servants in the ships.\" But Jehoshaphat would not. And\nJehoshaphat died and was buried with his fathers in the city of David\nhis father; and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.\n\n [Footnote: The story of a disastrous battle which Jehoshaphat\n fought in company with Ahab as ally is told in connection with the\n Story of Ahab.]\n\n\n{266}\n\nJEHORAM.\n\n_The Evil Son of a Good Father_.\n\n(Jehoram began his reign by murdering all his brothers, a not uncommon\ncustom in those bloody days. He was completely under the influence of\nhis wife Athaliah, daughter of that evil house of Ahab and Jezebel,\nfrom which no good ever came. He lost the kingdom of Edom which his\nfathers had won, and died at last a miserable death, no one wishing\nhim to live any longer.)\n\nJehoram the son of Jehoshaphat reigned in his stead. And he had\nbrethren the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah,\nand Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah: all these were the sons of\nJehoshaphat king of Israel. And their father gave them great gifts, of\nsilver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fenced cities in\nJudah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he was the\nfirstborn. Now when Jehoram was risen up over the kingdom of his\nfather, and had strengthened himself, he slew all his brethren with\nthe sword, and others also of the princes of Israel. Jehoram was\nthirty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eight\nyears in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel,\nas did the house of Ahab: for his wife was the daughter of Ahab: and\nhe did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.\n\nHowbeit the Lord would not destroy the house of David, {267} because\nof the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to\ngive a lamp to him and to his children alway. In his days Edom\nrevolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over\nthemselves. Then Jehoram passed over with his captains, and all his\nchariots with him: and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites\nwhich compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots. So Edom\nrevolted from under the hand of Judah, unto this day: then did Libnah\nrevolt at the same time from under his hand: because he had forsaken\nthe Lord, the God of his fathers. Moreover he made high places in the\nmountains of Judah, and led Judah astray. And there came a writing to\nhim from Elijah the prophet, saying, \"Thus saith the Lord, the God of\nDavid thy father, 'Because thou hast not walked in the ways of\nJehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah; but hast\nwalked in the way of the kings of Israel; and also hast slain thy\nbrethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself:\nbehold, the Lord will smite with a great plague thy people, and thy\nchildren, and thy wives, and all thy substance: and thou shalt have\ngreat sickness.'\"\n\nAnd the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines,\nand of the Arabians which are beside the Ethiopians: and they came up\nagainst Judah, and raided, and carried away all the substance that was\nfound in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that\nthere was never a son left him, save Ahaziah, the youngest of his\nsons. And after all this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an\nincurable disease. And he died of sore {268} diseases. And his people\nmade no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers. Thirty and\ntwo years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in\nJerusalem eight years: and he departed without being desired; and they\nburied him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchers of the\nkings.\n\n\n{269}\n\nAHAZIAH.\n\n(Ahaziah, the youngest son of Jehoram, next came to the throne, for it\nseems that a marauding band of Arabians had actually raided Jerusalem\nand had slain the older children of the king. Ahaziah was a poor weak\nking who ruled weakly, and was killed, while on a visit to the king of\nIsrael, by Jehu, the usurper of the throne.)\n\nAnd the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in\nhis stead: for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp\nhad slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah\nreigned. Twenty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign;\nand he reigned one year in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was\nAthaliah the daughter of Ahab.\n\nHe also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was\nhis counselor to do wickedly. And he did that which was evil in the\nsight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab: for they were his\ncounselors after the death of his father, to his destruction. He\nwalked also after their counsel, and went with Joram the son of Ahab\nking of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead:\nand the Syrians wounded Joram. And he returned to be healed in Jezreel\nof the wounds which they had given him at Ramah, when he fought\nagainst Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Joram king of\nJudah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, {270} because\nhe was sick. Now the destruction of Ahaziah was of God, in that he\nwent unto Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Joram against\nJehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to cut off the\nhouse of Ahab. And the fate of Joram overtook him also, for he was\nslain by the hand of Jehu.\n\nAnd the house of Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom.\n\n\n{271}\n\nATHALIAH.\n\n_How a Queen Reigned in Judah and How Jehoiada the Priest Conspired\nAgainst Her_.\n\n\n(In addition to her share of downright wickedness, Athaliah possessed\nthe fierce tiger-like courage and ferocity of the race of Ahab. When\nshe heard that her son was dead she determined immediately to murder\nall her unfortunate little grandchildren! She was a lovely\ngrandmother, indeed! She carried out her determination, and killed all\nbut one, whom she failed to find. Perhaps since she was so busy she\ndid not miss the little fellow! At any rate his good aunt Jehosheba\ntook little baby Joash and hid him and his nurse in a bedchamber. He\nwas kept concealed for six years, while the ugly old grandmother ruled\nthe nation with a rod of iron, and did all the bad and abominable\nthings she could think of. But by and by a priest named Jehoiada\nthought a change would be most desirable. So he conspired against her.\nHe took the guard secretly into the palace and showed them little\nJoash, who was now seven years old, and told them that he was their\ntrue king, and they all swore allegiance to him. Then, next Sabbath\nwhile the people were at worship, the guard surrounded the city with\nthe old weapons in their hands which had been King David's, and which\nthey had found hidden in the house of the Lord. And the priest brought\nout little Joash and put a crown on his head, and all the people and\nthe soldiers clapped their hands and shouted, \"God save the king!\" And\nthe wicked old queen was there, angry enough, you may be sure, and she\ntore her garments, and shouted shrilly, \"Treason! Treason!\" But the\nsoldiers only drove her to her palace, and there they killed her, and\nthat was the end of the evil woman, and nobody cared when she died.)\n\n\n{272}\n\nNow when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she\narose and destroyed all the sons of the king.\n\nBut Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took\nJoash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's\nsons that were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in the\nbedchamber; and they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.\nAnd he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years: and\nAthaliah reigned over the land.\n\nAnd in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains over\nhundreds, and of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of\nthe Lord; and he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them\nin the house of the Lord, and showed them the king's son.\n\nAnd he commanded them, saying, \"This is the thing that ye shall do: a\nthird part of you, that come in on the Sabbath, shall be keepers of\nthe watch of the king's house; and a third part shall be at the gate\nSur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep\nthe watch of the house, and be a barrier. And the two companies of\nyou, even all that go forth on the Sabbath, shall keep the watch of\nthe house of the Lord about the king. And ye shall compass the king\nround about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and he that\ncometh within the ranks, let him be slain: and be ye with the king\nwhen he goeth out, and when he cometh in.\"\n\n{273}{274}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE VALLEY OF THE KIDRON, LOOKING FROM JERUSALEM INTO THE WILDERNESS\n OF JUDEA. ON THE LEFT IS THE VILLAGE OF SILOAM.\n\n Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.\n\n This is a very different view of the valley of the Kidron or the\n valley of Jehoshaphat from those previously shown. The village of\n Siloam, at the base of the Mount of Olives, is on the left and\n Jerusalem is out of view on the right. There is now no water in the\n ravine except in a very rainy season, but no doubt there was a\n stream in ancient times. There is a spring which rises in the\n valley, and which perhaps once flowed through it, but was diverted\n to flow through the remarkable tunnel, built probably by Hezekiah,\n through the ridge of the southern part of the temple hill. A very\n ancient inscription found at the mouth of the tunnel in 1880\n confirms this view.\n[End illustration]\n\n{275}\n\nAnd the captains over hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the\npriest commanded: and they took every man his men, those that were to\ncome in on the Sabbath, with those that were to go out on the Sabbath,\nand came to Jehoiada the priest. And the priest delivered to the\ncaptains over hundreds the spears and shields that had been King\nDavid's, which were in the house of the Lord.\n\nAnd the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the\nright side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the\naltar and the house, by the king round about.\n\nThen he brought out the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and\ngave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and\nthey clapped their hands, and said, \"God save the king!\"\n\nAnd when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she\ncame to the people into the house of the Lord: and she looked, and,\nbehold, the king stood by the pillar, as the manner was, and the\ncaptains and the trumpets by the king; and all the people of the land\nrejoiced, and blew with trumpets.\n\nThen Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, \"Treason, treason!\"\n\nAnd Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds that were\nset over the host, and said unto them, \"Take her forth between the\nranks; and him that followeth her slay with the sword\" (for the priest\nsaid, \"Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord\").\n\nSo they made way for her; and she went by the way of the horses' entry\nto the king's house: and there was she slain.\n\n{276}\n\nAnd Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the\npeople, that they should be the Lord's people; between the king also\nand the people.\n\nAnd all the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and broke it\ndown; his altars and his images broke they in pieces thoroughly, and\nslew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest\nappointed officers over the house of the Lord. And he took the\ncaptains over hundreds, and the guard, and all the people of the land;\nand they brought down the king from the house of the Lord, and came by\nthe way of the gate of the guard unto the king's house. And he sat on\nthe throne of the kings. So all the people of the land rejoiced, and\nthe city was quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword at the\nking's house.\n\n\n{277}\n\nJOASH.\n\n_A King Who Failed to Continue in Well-Doing_.\n\n\n(For a while Joash was a very good king, but at last the wise priest\nJehoiada, who had made him king, died. As soon as this restraint was\nremoved Joash listened to the counsel of wild young princes, and so\nfar forgot the debt of gratitude he owed to Jehoiada that he killed\nthe son of the priest when he also reproved him for his evil deeds. In\nthe latter part of his reign, disasters came thick and fast. The\nSyrians came down and swept Judah with fire and sword. They did not\nkill Joash, but they left him at the end of his long reign of forty\nyears, a helpless sufferer from disease. Then the very servants of his\nhousehold conspired against him and murdered him in his bed.)\n\n\nJoash was seven years old when he began to reign; and he reigned forty\nyears in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.\nAnd Joash did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord all the\ndays of Jehoiada the priest.\n\nAnd it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to restore the\nhouse of the Lord. And he gathered together the priests and the\nLevites, and said to them, \"Go out unto the cities of Judah, and\ngather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year\nto year, and see that ye hasten the matter.\" Howbeit the Levites\nhastened it not.\n\nAnd the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said {278} unto him,\n\"Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah\nand out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of the Lord, and of\nthe congregation of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?\" For the\nsons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God;\nand also all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord did they\nbestow upon the idols of Baal.\n\nSo the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it without at\nthe gate of the house of the Lord. And they made a proclamation\nthrough Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for the Lord the tax that\nMoses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness. And all\nthe princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into\nthe chest, until they had made an end. And it was so, that at what\ntime the chest was brought unto the king's office by the hand of the\nLevites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's\nscribe and the chief priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and\ntook it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day,\nand gathered money in abundance.\n\nAnd the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the\nservice of the house of the Lord; and they hired masons and carpenters\nto restore the house of the Lord, and also such as wrought iron and\nbrass to repair the house of the Lord. So the workmen wrought, and the\nwork was perfected by them, and they set up the house of God in its\nstate, and strengthened it. And when they had made an end, they\nbrought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof\nwere made vessels for the {279} house of the Lord, even vessels to\nminister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and\nsilver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord\ncontinually all the days of Jehoiada.\n\nBut Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; an hundred\nand thirty years old was he when he died.\n\nAnd they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he\nhad done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.\n\nNow after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made\nobeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they\nforsook the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served\nthe Asherim and the idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for\nthis their guiltiness. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them\nagain unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they would\nnot give ear. And the spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of\nJehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said unto\nthem, \"Thus saith God, 'Why transgress ye the commandments of the\nLord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he\nhath also forsaken you.'\"\n\nAnd they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the\ncommandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus\nJoash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father\nhad done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, \"The\nLord look upon it, and require it.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass at the end of the year, that the {280} army of the\nSyrians came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and\ndestroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and\nsent all the spoil of them to the king of Damascus. For the army of\nthe Syrians came with a small company of men; and the Lord delivered a\nvery great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord,\nthe God of their fathers. So they executed judgment upon Joash.\n\nAnd when they were departed from him (for they left him in great\ndiseases), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the\nsons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and\nthey buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the\nsepulchers of the kings. And these are they that conspired against\nhim; Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son\nof Shimrith the Moabitess. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.\n\n\n{281}\n\nAMAZIAH.\n\n_A King of Judah Who Was Conquered by a King of Israel_.\n\n(The reign of Amaziah began with victory. He defeated the old foes of\nJudah, the Edomites, in a great battle. He was so filled with foolish\npride at this success that he challenged the king of Israel to fight.\nThe king of Israel sent his refusal to this challenge in a very clever\nlittle story of the cedar of Lebanon and the thistle. But Amaziah did\nnot heed the warning. Jehoash of Israel came down with his fighting\nmen and not only defeated the overconfident king but actually captured\nJerusalem and tore down a part of its walls.)\n\n\nAmaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he\nreigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was\nJehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the eyes of\nthe Lord, but not with a perfect heart.\n\nNow it came to pass, when the kingdom was established unto him, that\nhe slew his servants which had killed the king his father. But he put\nnot their children to death, but did according to that which is\nwritten in the law in the book of Moses, as the Lord commanded,\nsaying, \"The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the\nchildren die for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own\nsin.\"\n\nMoreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according\nto their fathers' houses, under {282} captains of thousands and\ncaptains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered\nthem from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred\nthousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear\nand shield. He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valor,\nmercenaries, out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.\n\nBut there came a man of God to him, saying, \"O king, let not the army\nof Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel. But if thou\nwilt go, do valiantly, be strong for the battle: God shall cast thee\ndown before the enemy; for God hath power to help, and to cast down.\"\n\nAnd Amaziah said to the man of God, \"But what shall we do for the\nhundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?\"\n\nAnd the man of God answered, \"The Lord is able to give thee much more\nthan this.\"\n\nThen Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out\nof Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly\nkindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger.\n\nAnd Amaziah took courage, and led forth his people, and went to the\nValley of Salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand. And\nother ten thousand did the children of Judah carry away alive, and\nbrought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top\nof the rock, so that they all were broken in pieces. But the men of\nthe army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to\nbattle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto\nBeth-horon, and smote of them three thousand, and took much spoil.\n\n{283}{284}\n\n[Illustration]\n TOMBS OF THE KINGS, NORTH OF JERUSALEM.\n\n From a photograph in the possession of Rev. Louis F. Giroux of the\n American International College, Springfield, Mass., and used by his\n kind permission.\n\n The Tombs of the Kings, so called, are hewn out of the solid rock.\n[End illustration]\n\n{285}\n\nNow it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of\nthe Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and\nset them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and\nburned incense unto them. Wherefore the anger of the Lord was kindled\nagainst Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him,\n\"Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which have not\ndelivered their own people out of thine hand?\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto\nhim, \"Have we made thee of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest\nthou be smitten?\"\n\nThen the prophet forebore, and said, \"I know that God hath determined\nto destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened\nunto my counsel.\"\n\nThen Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of\nJehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, \"Come, let us look\none another in the face in battle.\"\n\nAnd Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, \"The\nthistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon,\nsaying, 'Give thy daughter to my son to wife': and there passed by a\nwild beast that was in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle.\n\n\"Thou sayest, 'Lo, I have smitten Edom'; and thine heart lifteth thee\nup to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt,\nthat thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?\"\n\n{286}\n\nBut Amaziah would not hear; for it was of God, that he might deliver\nthem into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the\ngods of Edom. So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king\nof Judah looked one another in the face in battle at Beth-shemesh,\nwhich belongeth to Judah.\n\nAnd Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man\nto his tent.\n\nAnd Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash\nthe son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and\nbroke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the\ncorner gate, four hundred cubits. And he took all the gold and silver,\nand all the vessels that were found in the house of God with\nObed-edom, and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also,\nand returned to Samaria.\n\nAnd Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of\nJoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.\n\nNow from the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the Lord\nthey made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to\nLachish: but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there. And\nthey brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the\ncity of Judah.\n\n\n{287}\n\nUZZIAH.\n\n_A King Who Ruled Wisely and Vigorously, But Who Was\nPunished Because of Irreverence_.\n\n\n(After the vainglorious Amaziah came Uzziah, a strong and vigorous\nking. He encouraged agriculture, he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and\nfortified the city in a stronger way. He dug cisterns to water the\nherds, and had many vineyards and orchards. He was successful in his\nwars and extended his territory to the west, conquering several\nPhilistine towns. But the story goes on to say that he became so proud\nof his success and his strength that he attempted to usurp the work of\nthe priests. While he was offering incense in the temple, which he had\nno right to do, he suddenly became a leper. After that he was forced\nto live in a house apart by himself while his son acted as regent for\nhim until he died.)\n\n\nAnd all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old,\nand made him king in place of his father Amaziah. He built Elath, and\nrestored it to Judah, after the king died. Sixteen years old was\nUzziah when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty and two years in\nJerusalem: and his mother's name name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem. And\nhe did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all\nthat his father Amaziah had done.\n\nAnd he set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had\nunderstanding in the vision of God: and as long {288} as he sought the\nLord, God made him to prosper. And he went forth and warred against\nthe Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, and the wall of\nJabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the country of\nAshdod, and among the Philistines.\n\nAnd God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians\nthat dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Meunim. And the Ammonites gave gifts\nto Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to Egypt, for he grew\nexceeding strong.\n\nMoreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at\nthe valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.\nAnd he built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns,\nfor he had much cattle; in the lowland also, and in the plain: and he\nhad husbandmen and vinedressers in the mountains and in the fruitful\nfields; for he loved husbandry.\n\nMoreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men, that went out to war by\nbands, according to the number of their reckoning made by Jeiel the\nscribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of\nthe king's captains. The whole number of the heads of fathers' houses,\neven the mighty men of valor, was two thousand and six hundred. And\nunder their hand was a trained army, three hundred thousand and seven\nthousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help\nthe king against the enemy. And Uzziah prepared for them, even for all\nthe host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and coats of mail, and\nbows, and stones for slinging. And he made in Jerusalem engines,\ninvented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the battlements,\nto shoot arrows and great stones. And his name spread far abroad; for\nhe was marvelously helped, till he was strong.\n\n{289}{290}\n\n[Illustration]\n JERUSALEM, FROM THE WEST, LOOKING OVER THE POOL IN THE HEAD OF THE\n VALLEY OF HINNOM.\n\n The Jaffa Gate is in the wall a little to the right of the center of\n the picture. The road in the center is the highway from Jaffa to\n Jerusalem. The pool in the center is surrounded by Mohammedan\n graves. The beginning of the road to Bethlehem runs from the Jaffa\n Gate toward the left, at the base of the wall. The high buildings\n towering over this road are the Tower of David, on the site of a\n very ancient fortress. A garrison of Turkish soldiers is still kept\n there.\n[End illustration]\n\n{291}\n\nBut when he was strong, his heart was lifted up so that he did\ncorruptly, and he trespassed against the Lord his God; for he went\ninto the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.\nAnd Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore\npriests of the Lord, that were valiant men: and they withstood Uzziah\nthe king, and said unto him, \"It belongeth not unto thee, Uzziah, to\nburn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that\nare consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou\nhast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord\nGod.\"\n\nThen Uzziah was angry; and he had a censer in his hand to burn\nincense; and while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy broke\nforth in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord,\nbeside the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the\npriests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead,\nand they thrust him out quickly from thence. He himself hastened also\nto go out, because the Lord had smitten him.\n\nAnd Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt\nin a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house\nof the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, ruling the\npeople of the land. So Uzziah died; and they buried him with his\nfathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings; for they\nsaid, \"He is a leper\": and Jotham his son reigned.\n\n\n{292}\n\nJOTHAM.\n\n\n(Jotham reigned, it is said, sixteen years, but for all but two years\nhe was regent in place of his father who could not occupy the throne\nbecause of his leprosy. On the whole his reign was good and he was\nsuccessful in his undertakings.)\n\n\nJotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he\nreigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jerushah\nthe daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the eyes of\nthe Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done: howbeit he\nentered not into the temple of the Lord. And the people did yet\ncorruptly.\n\nHe built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and on the wall of\nOphel he built much. Moreover he built cities in the hill country of\nJudah, and in the forests he built castles and towers. He fought also\nwith the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against them.\nAnd the children of Ammon gave him the same year an hundred talents of\nsilver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of\nbarley. So much did the children of Ammon render unto him, in the\nsecond year also, and in the third.\n\nSo Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the Lord\nhis God. He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and\nreigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And Jotham died, and they buried\nhim in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.\n\n\n{293}\n\nAHAZ.\n\n\n(With Ahaz came a period of disaster for Judah. He was a thoroughly\ndepraved character; weak, vacillating, yet obstinate and perverse. He\naccepted the old idol worship in all its hideous forms, even\nsacrificing his own children, it is said, to the awful god of fire,\nMoloch. During his reign the land was swept by waves of invasion, and\nmany people were killed or carried off captive to Damascus and\nSamaria. He tried to make an alliance with Assyria, but this resulted\nin his practically becoming a vassal king. He paid a great tribute and\nstripped the temple bare of its ornamentation and its precious vessels\nto satisfy the demand.)\n\n\nAhaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned\nsixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the\neyes of the Lord, like David his father: but he walked in the ways of\nthe kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baal. Moreover he\nburnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his\nchildren in the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen,\nwhom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. And he\nsacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and\nunder every green tree.\n\nWherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of\nSyria; and they smote him, and carried away of his a great multitude\nof captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered\ninto the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great\nslaughter.\n\nFor Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an {294} hundred and\ntwenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men; because they had\nforsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. And Zichri, a mighty man\nof Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the ruler of the\nhouse, and Elkanah that was next to the king.\n\nAnd the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two\nhundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much\nspoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.\n\nBut a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded: and he went\nout to meet the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them,\n\"Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was wroth with\nJudah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them\nin a rage which hath reached up unto heaven. And now ye purpose to\nkeep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and\nbondwomen unto you: but are there not even with you trespasses of your\nown against the Lord your God? Now hear me therefore, and send back\nthe captives, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the\nfierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.\"\n\nThen certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son\nof Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son\nof Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that\ncame from the war, and said unto them, \"Ye shall not bring in the\ncaptives hither: for ye purpose that which will bring upon us a\ntrespass against the Lord, to add unto our sins and to our trespass:\nfor our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.\"\n\n{295}\n\nSo the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes\nand all the congregation. And the men who have been named rose up, and\ntook the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked\namong them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and\nto drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon\nasses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto their\nbrethren: then they returned to Samaria.\n\nAt that time did King Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him.\nFor again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away\ncaptives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland,\nand of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon,\nand Gederoth, and Soco with the towns thereof, and Timnah with the\ntowns thereof, Gimzo also and the towns thereof: and they dwelt there.\nFor the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he\nhad dealt wantonly in Judah, and trespassed sore against the Lord. And\nTiglath-pileser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but\nstrengthened him not.\n\nFor Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the Lord, and out of\nthe house of the king and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of\nAssyria: but it helped him not. And in the time of his distress did he\ntrespass yet more against the Lord, this same King Ahaz. For he\nsacrificed unto the gods of Damascus. And King Ahaz went to Damascus\nto meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar that was at\nDamascus: and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the\naltar, and the {296} pattern of it, according to all the workmanship\nthereof. And Urijah the priest built an altar: according to all that\nKing Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the priest make it\nagainst King Ahaz came from Damascus. And when the king was come from\nDamascus, the king saw the altar: and the king drew near unto the\naltar, and offered thereon.\n\nAnd he burnt his burnt offering and his meal offering, and poured his\ndrink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon\nthe altar. And the brazen altar, which was before the Lord, he brought\nfrom the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house\nof the Lord, and put it on the north side of his altar.\n\nAnd King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, \"Upon the great\naltar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meal offering,\nand the king's burnt offering, and his meal offering, with the burnt\noffering of all the people of the land, and their meal offering, and\ntheir drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt\noffering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: but the brazen altar\nshall be for me to inquire by.\"\n\nThus did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz commanded.\nAnd King Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver\nfrom off them; and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that\nwere under it, and put it upon a pavement of stone. And the covered\nway for the Sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's\nentry without, turned he unto the house of the Lord, because of the\nking of Assyria.\n\n{297}{298}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE POOL OF HEZEKIAH IN JERUSALEM\n\n From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton, Mass.,\n and used by special permission\n\n In the East where the water supply is scanty, pools or reservoirs\n are made with cement floors to retain water, supplied by surface\n drainage, by springs, or by conduits conducting the water from a\n considerable distance. The water supply for Jerusalem comes from\n reservoirs near Bethlehem, called the \"pools of Solomon.\" The\n picture shows a pool, now surrounded by houses, in Jerusalem, which\n is connected by tradition with the name of the great king Hezekiah.\n This energetic and able ruler certainly built a number of reservoirs\n so that the city might have water in case of siege. The underground\n aqueduct, 1,708 feet long, a wonderful piece of ancient engineering\n skill, leading from Gihon to the upper pool of Siloam, is thought by\n many to have been his work\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{299}\n\nHEZEKIAH.\n\n(One of the best and most famous of all the kings of Judah was\nHezekiah. He instituted great reforms and overthrew idol worship of\nall kinds. He even destroyed the brazen serpent made by Moses, which\nhad become an object of worship. He was successful in his campaigns\nagainst the Philistines. He fortified Jerusalem as it had been done\nbefore. He was a lover of music and literature, and is said to have\nwritten many hymns. The greatest event of his reign was the successful\ndefense of Jerusalem against the hordes of Sennacherib.)\n\n\nHezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old; and he\nreigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was\nAbijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in\nthe eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done.\nHe in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the\ndoors of the house of Jehovah, and repaired them.\n\nAnd he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them\ntogether into the broad place on the east, and said unto them, \"Hear\nme, ye Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of\nJehovah, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out\nof the holy place. For our fathers have trespassed, and done that\nwhich was evil in the sight of Jehovah our God, and have forsaken him,\nand have turned away their faces from {300} the habitation of Jehovah,\nand turned their backs. Also they have shut up the doors of the porch,\nand put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt\nofferings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. Wherefore the\nwrath of Jehovah was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered\nthem to be tossed to and fro, to be an astonishment, and an hissing,\nas ye see with your eyes. For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the\nsword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity\nfor this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the\nGod of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons,\nbe not now negligent: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before\nhim, to minister unto him, and that ye should be his ministers, and\nburn incense.\"\n\nThen the Levites arose, and they gathered their brethren, and\nsanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of\nthe king by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord.\nAnd the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of the Lord,\nto cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in\nthe temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And\nthe Levites took it, to carry it out to the brook Kidron. Now they\nbegan on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the\neighth day of the month came they to the porch of the Lord; and they\nsanctified the house of the Lord in eight days: and on the sixteenth\nday of the first month they made an end.\n\nThen they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace, and said,\n\"We have cleansed all the house of the {301} Lord, and the altar of\nburnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the table of\nshowbread, with all the vessels thereof. Moreover all the vessels,\nwhich King Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we\nprepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of the\nLord.\"\n\nThen Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the\ncity, and went up to the house of the Lord. And they brought seven\nbullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he-goats, for a\nsin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And\nhe commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar\nof the Lord. So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the\nblood, and sprinkled it on the altar: and they killed the rams, and\nsprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and\nsprinkled the blood upon the altar.\n\nAnd they brought near the he-goats for the sin offering before the\nking and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them: and\nthe priests killed them, and they made a sin offering with their blood\nupon the altar, to make atonement for all Israel: for the king\ncommanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made\nfor all Israel. And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with\ncymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment\nof David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for the\ncommandment was of the Lord by his prophets.\n\nAnd the Levites stood with the instruments of David, {302} and the\npriests with the trumpets. And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt\noffering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song\nof the Lord began also, and the trumpets, together with the\ninstruments of David king of Israel. And all the congregation\nworshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this\ncontinued until the burnt offering was finished. And when they had\nmade an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him\nbowed themselves and worshiped. Moreover Hezekiah the king and the\nprinces commanded the Levites to sing praises unto the Lord with the\nwords of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with\ngladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.\n\nThen Hezekiah answered and said, \"Now ye have consecrated yourselves\nunto the Lord, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into\nthe house of the Lord.\"\n\nAnd the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as\nmany as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.\n\nSo the service of the house of the Lord was set in order. And Hezekiah\nrejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared\nfor the people: for the thing was done suddenly.\n\nAnd Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to\nEphraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord\nat Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord, the God of Israel.\nFor the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the\ncongregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month.\n\n{303}{304}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE POOL OF SILOAM.\n\n In connection with the \"Pool of Siloam\" a most interesting discovery\n has been made. A tunnel hewn in the rock carries the water down the\n west side of the Kidron Valley to a pool in the Tyropoeon, so that\n it might be used by the people in the lower part of the city. In\n June, 1880, an inscription was discovered near the mouth of this\n tunnel which says that the work was carried on from both ends, that\n the workmen met in the middle, and that the length was 1,200 cubits.\n It is generally supposed that the tunnel was made during the reign\n of King Hezekiah.\n[End illustration]\n\n{305}\n\nFor they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not\nsanctified themselves in sufficient number, neither had the people\ngathered themselves together to Jerusalem. And the thing was right in\nthe eyes of the king and of all the congregation.\n\nSo they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all\nIsrael, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the\npassover unto the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem: for they had\nnot kept it in great numbers in the way it is written. So the\nmessengers went with the letters from the king and his princes\nthroughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of\nthe king, saying, \"Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord,\nthe God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the\nremnant that are escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of\nAssyria. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren,\nwhich trespassed against the Lord, the God of their fathers, so that\nhe gave them up to desolation, as ye see. Now be ye not stiff-necked,\nas your fathers were; but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter\ninto his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever, and serve the\nLord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. For if ye\nturn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find\ncompassion before them that led them captive, and shall come again\ninto this land: for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and\nwill not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.\"\n\nSo the messengers passed from city to city through {306} Ephraim and\nManasseh, even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and\nmocked them. Nevertheless some of the people of Asher and Manasseh and\nof Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. Also in Judah was\nthe hand of God to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the\nking and of the princes by the word of the Lord. And there assembled\nat Jerusalem many people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the\nsecond month, a very great congregation. And they arose and took away\nthe altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took\nthey away, and cast them into the brook Kidron. Then they killed the\npassover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests\nand the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought\nburnt offerings into the house of the Lord. And they stood in their\nplace after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God:\nthe priests sprinkled the blood, which they received of the hand of\nthe Levites. For there were many in the congregation that had not\nsanctified themselves: therefore the Levites had the charge of killing\nthe passovers for everyone that was not clean, to sanctify them unto\nthe Lord. For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and\nManasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did\nthey eat the passover otherwise than it is written. For Hezekiah had\nprayed for them, saying, \"The good Lord pardon every one that setteth\nhis heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, though he be\nnot cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.\"\n\n{307}\n\nAnd the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. And the\nchildren of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of\nunleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and the Levites and\nthe priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with loud instruments\nunto the Lord. And Hezekiah spoke comfortably unto all the Levites\nthat were well skilled in the service of the Lord. So they did eat\nthroughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace\nofferings, and making confession to the Lord, the God of their\nfathers. And the whole congregation took counsel to keep other seven\ndays: and they kept other seven days with gladness. For Hezekiah king\nof Judah did give to the congregation for offerings a thousand\nbullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the\ncongregation a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep: and a great\nnumber of priests sanctified themselves. And all the congregation of\nJudah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation that\ncame out of Israel, and the strangers that came out of the land of\nIsrael, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. So there was great joy in\nJerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of\nIsrael there was not the like in Jerusalem. Then the priests the\nLevites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and\ntheir prayer came up to his holy habitation, even unto heaven.\n\nNow when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out\nto the cities of Judah, and broke in pieces the pillars, and hewed\ndown the Asherim, and broke down the high places and the altars out of\nall Judah and {308} Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they\nhad destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned,\nevery man to his possession, into their own cities. And Hezekiah\nappointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their\ncourses, every man according to his service, both the priests and the\nLevites, for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister, and\nto give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord. He\nappointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt\nofferings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and\nthe burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for\nthe set feasts, as it is written in the law of the Lord.\n\nMoreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the\nportion of the priests and the Levites, that they might give\nthemselves to the law of the Lord. And as soon as the commandment came\nabroad, the children of Israel gave in abundance the first fruits of\ncorn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field;\nand the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. And the\nchildren of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they\nalso brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of\ndedicated things which were consecrated unto the Lord their God, and\nlaid them by heaps. In the third month they began to lay the\nfoundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. And\nwhen Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the\nLord, and his people Israel. Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests\nand the Levites concerning the heaps.\n\n{309}{310}\n\n[Illustration]\n DIGGING IN THE MOUND WHICH COVERS THE ANCIENT CITY OF LACHISH.\n\n From a photograph of the Palestine Exploration Fund and used by\n special permission.\n\n Lachish, a very ancient city, was captured by the Hebrews when they\n first came into Palestine. It was an important military post,\n guarding the passes into southern Judea. It was captured by\n Sennacherib in the great raid when he took \"all the fenced cities of\n Judah.\" Assyrian sculpture has been found depicting this siege of\n Lachish. About 120 years later, the city was again captured by\n Nebuchadnezzar when he carried the people into captivity. When the\n people returned it was again occupied. The pictures show the\n excavation in the mound which covers the site of this very ancient\n city. In this mound there are 14 layers of ruins one above the\n other. Important tablets dating before the first occupation of the\n Hebrews have been found.\n[End illustration]\n\n{311}\n\nAnd Azariah the chief priest, of the house of Zadok, answered him and\nsaid, \"Since the people began to bring the oblations into the house of\nthe Lord, we have eaten and had enough, and have left plenty: for the\nLord hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great\nstore.\" Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of\nthe Lord; and they prepared them.\n\nAfter these things, and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria\ncame, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities,\nand thought to win them for himself. And when Hezekiah saw that\nSennacherib was come, and that he intended to fight against Jerusalem,\nhe took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters\nof the fountains which were without the city; and they helped him. So\nthere was gathered many people together, and they stopped all the\nfountains, and the brook that flowed through the midst of the land,\nsaying, \"Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?\"\n\nAnd he took courage, and built up all the wall that was broken down,\nand raised it up to the towers, and the other wall without, and\nstrengthened Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields\nin abundance. And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered\nthem together to him in the broad place at the gate of the city, and\nspoke encouragingly to them, saying, \"Be strong and of a good courage,\nbe not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the\nmultitude that is with him: for there is a greater with us than with\nhim: with him is {312} an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our\nGod to help us, and to fight our battles.\" And the people rested\nthemselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.\n\nAfter this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to\nJerusalem (now he was before Lachish, and all his army with him), unto\nHezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem,\nsaying, \"Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust,\nthat ye abide the siege in Jerusalem? Doth not Hezekiah persuade you,\nto give you over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, 'The Lord our\nGod shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria'? Hath not\nthe same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and\ncommanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, 'Ye shall worship before one\naltar, and upon it shall ye burn incense'? Know ye not what I and my\nfathers have done unto all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of\nthe nations of the lands any ways able to deliver their land out of my\nhand? Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my\nfathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of my\nhand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand? Now\ntherefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this\nmanner, neither believe ye him: for no god of any nation or kingdom\nwas able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of\nmy fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand?\"\n\nAnd his servants spoke yet more against the Lord God, and against his\nservant Hezekiah. He wrote also letters, {313} to ridicule the Lord,\nthe God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, \"As the gods of\nthe nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of\nmy hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of my\nhand.\"\n\nAnd they cried with a loud voice in the Hebrew language unto the\npeople of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to\ntrouble them; that they might take the city.\n\nAnd they spoke of the God of Jerusalem, as of the gods of the peoples\nof the earth, which are the work of men's hands. And Hezekiah the\nking, and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because of this,\nand cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the\nmighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the\nking of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land.\nAnd when he was come into the house of his god, his own children slew\nhim there with the sword.\n\nThus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the\nhand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all\nother, and guided them on every side. And many brought gifts unto the\nLord to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah: so\nthat he was exalted in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.\n\nIn those days Hezekiah was sick even unto death: and he prayed unto\nthe Lord; and he spoke unto him, and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah\nrendered not again {314} according to the benefit done unto him; for\nhis heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon\nJudah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the\npride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that\nthe wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.\n\nAnd Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor: and he provided him\ntreasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for\nspices, and for shields, and for all manner of goodly vessels;\nstorehouses also for the increase of corn and wine and oil; and stalls\nfor all manner of beasts, and flocks in folds.\n\nMoreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds\nin abundance: for God had given him very much substance.\n\nThis same Hezekiah also stopped the upper spring of the waters of\nGihon, and brought them straight down on the west side of the city of\nDavid. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.\n\nAnd Hezekiah died and they buried him in the ascent of the sepulchers\nof the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem\ndid him honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.\n\n [Footnote: The story of the relations between Hezekiah the king and\n Isaiah the prophet will be found in Vol. V. of this series.]\n\n{315}\n\nTHE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB\n\n The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,\n And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;\n And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,\n When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.\n\n Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green,\n That host with their banners at sunset were seen;\n Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown,\n That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.\n\n For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,\n And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;\n And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,\n And their hearts but once heaved, and forever grew still!\n\n And there lay the steed with his nostrils all wide,\n But through them there rolled not the breath of his pride,\n And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,\n And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.\n\n And there lay the rider distorted and pale,\n With the dew on his brow and the rust on his mail;\n And the tents were all silent, the banners alone.\n The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.\n\n And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,\n And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;\n And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,\n Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!\n --_Lord Byron_.\n\n{316}\n\nHYMN BY THE EUPHRATES\n\n O Thou that wilt not break the bruised reed,\n Nor heap fresh ashes on the mourner's brow,\n Nor rend anew the wounds that inly bleed,\n The only balm of our afflictions Thou,\n Teach us to bear Thy chastening wrath, O God!\n To kiss with quivering lips--still humbly kiss Thy rod!\n\n We bless Thee, Lord, though far from Judah's land;\n Though our worn limbs are black with stripes and chains;\n Though for stern foes we till the burning sand;\n And reap, for others' joy, the summer plains;\n We bless Thee, Lord, for Thou art gracious still,\n Ev'n though this last black drop o'erflow our cup of ill!\n\n Forgive, forgive,--even should our full hearts break;\n The broken heart Thou wilt not, Lord, despise;\n Ah! Thou art still too gracious to forsake,\n Though Thy strong hand so heavily chastise.\n Hear all our prayers, hear not our murmurs, Lord;\n And, though our lips rebel, still make Thyself adored.\n --_Henry Hart Milman_.\n\n{317}\n\nMANASSEH.\n\n\n(Manasseh began his reign by doing every evil thing he could possibly\nthink of; he sacrificed to all the heathen idols and made his own\nchildren \"pass through the fire.\" In the book of Chronicles it is said\nthat he was taken captive and carried away to Babylon. Here he\nrepented of his many sins, and became a good and holy man.)\n\n\nManasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned\nfifty and five years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in\nthe sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the\nLord cast out before the children of Israel. For he built again the\nhigh places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; and he reared\nup altars for the idols of Baal, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all\nthe host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house\nof the Lord, whereof the Lord said, \"In Jerusalem shall my name be for\never.\" And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two\ncourts of the house of the Lord. He also made his children to pass\nthrough the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: and he practiced\naugury, and used enchantments, and practiced sorcery, and dealt with\nthem that had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he wrought much evil\nin the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.\n\nAnd he set the graven image of the idol, which he had made, in the\nhouse of God, of which God said to David {318} and to Solomon his son,\n\"In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the\ntribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: neither will I any more\nremove the foot of Israel from off the land which I have appointed for\nyour fathers; if only they will observe to do all that I have\ncommanded them, even all the law and the statutes and the ordinances\nby the hand of Moses.\"\n\nBut they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do that which is\nevil more than did the nations, whom the Lord destroyed before the\nchildren of Israel. And the Lord spoke by his servants the prophets,\nsaying, \"Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations,\nand hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were\nbefore him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: therefore\nthus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I bring such evil\nupon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears\nshall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria,\nand the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a\nman wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will\ncast off the remnant of my inheritance, and deliver them into the hand\nof their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all\ntheir enemies; because they have done that which is evil in my sight,\nand have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth\nout of Egypt, even unto this day.'\"\n\nMoreover Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err,\nso that they did evil more than did {319} the nations, whom the Lord\ndestroyed before the children of Israel. And the Lord spoke to\nManasseh, and to his people: but they gave no heed. Wherefore the Lord\nbrought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, who\ntook Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters, and carried him\nto Babylon. And when he was in distress, he besought the Lord his God,\nand humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And he\nprayed unto him; and he was intreated of him, and heard his\nsupplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom.\nThen Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.\n\n (God forgave his sin, and he went back to his kingdom to serve him\n all the rest of his life.)\n\nNow after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the\nwest side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish\ngate; and he compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great\nheight: and he put valiant captains in all the fenced cities of Judah.\nAnd he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of\nthe Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the\nhouse of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.\nAnd he built up the altar of the Lord, and offered thereon sacrifices\nof peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve\nthe Lord, the God of Israel. Nevertheless the people sacrificed still\nin the high places, but only unto the Lord their God. So Manasseh died\nand they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his\nstead.\n\n\n{320}\n\nTHE PRAYER OF MANASSEH.\n\n(In the Apocrypha is found a prayer which is said to have been the\nprayer of Manasseh, king of Judah, while he was in captivity in\nBabylon. It is certainly a very beautiful prayer for forgiveness and\npardon.)\n\n [Footnote: Apocrypha--See note at the end of the volume.]\n\n\"O Lord Almighty, that art in heaven, thou God of our fathers, of\nAbraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous race; who hast\nmade heaven and earth, with all the ornament thereof; who hast bound\nthe sea by the word of thy commandment; who hast shut up the deep, and\nsealed it by thy terrible and glorious name; whom all things fear,\nyea, tremble before thy power; for the majesty of thy glory cannot be\nborne, and the anger of thy threatening toward sinners is\nirresistible: thy merciful promise is unmeasurable and unsearchable;\nfor thou art the Lord Most High, of great compassion, longsuffering\nand abundant in mercy, and repentest of bringing evils upon men. Thou,\nO Lord, according to thy great goodness hast promised repentance and\nforgiveness to them that have sinned against thee: and of thine\ninfinite mercies hast appointed repentance unto sinners, that they may\nbe saved. Thou therefore, O Lord, that art the God of the just, hast\nnot appointed repentance to the just, to Abraham, and Isaac, and\nJacob, who have not sinned against thee; but thou hast appointed\nrepentance unto me that am a sinner: for I have sinned above the\nnumber of the sands of the sea. My transgressions are multiplied, O\nLord: my {321} transgressions are multiplied, and I am not worthy to\nbehold and see the height of heaven for the multitude of mine\niniquities. I am bowed down with many iron bands, that I cannot lift\nup mine head by reason of my sins, neither have I any respite: for I\nhave provoked thy wrath, and done that which is evil before thee: I\ndid not thy will, neither kept I thy commandments: I have set up\nabominations, and have multiplied detestable things. Now therefore I\nbow the knee of mine heart, beseeching thee of grace. I have sinned, O\nLord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge mine iniquities: but, I humbly\nbeseech thee, forgive me, O Lord, forgive me; and destroy me not with\nmine iniquities. Be not angry with me for ever, by reserving evil for\nme; neither condemn me into the lower parts of the earth. For thou, O\nLord, art the God of them that repent; and in me thou wilt show all\nthy goodness: for thou wilt save me, that am unworthy, according to\nthy great mercy. And I will praise thee forever all the days of my\nlife: for all the host of heaven doth sing thy praise, and thine is\nthe glory for ever and ever. Amen.\"\n\n\n{322}\n\nAMON.\n\n\n(Amon failed to profit by his father's experience, but turned again to\nidolatry. After only two years on the throne, he was assassinated by\nhis own courtiers, who probably expected to make one of their own\nnumber king. In this, however, they were disappointed, for the people\ninsisted upon making the son of Amon, Josiah, a little boy only eight\nyears old, the king.)\n\n\nAmon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign; and he\nreigned two years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the\nsight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: and Amon sacrificed\nunto all the graven images which Manasseh his father had made, and\nserved them. And he humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh\nhis father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and\nmore. And his servants conspired against him, and put him to death in\nhis own house. But the people of the land slew all them that had\nconspired against King Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah\nhis son king in his stead.\n\n\n{323}\n\nJOSIAH.\n\n_The Story of the Little Boy Who Became a Good King_.\n\n\n(The reign of Josiah was marked by one of the most sweeping and\nimportant reforms in the history of Judah. For the first ten years of\nhis reign, until the king reached the age of eighteen, things went in\nmuch the old idolatrous way. Then the young king began to assert\nhimself with spirit. First he ordered repairs made upon the temple,\nwhich had fallen into decay and ruin. While these repairs were going\non, Hilkiah, the high priest, made a great discovery. He found an old\nbook of the law. He hastened to tell Shaphan the scribe, who in turn\ntold the king. When the king read this book, and discovered how the\nnation had disobeyed the law he was in great distress. He called an\nassembly of all the people and the law was read to them. Then he\nordered a great reform. The idols were all swept away, and the old law\nwas established everywhere. But after all, this good king met a sad\nfate. A great army of the Egyptians advanced against the country. They\nwere not intending to destroy Judah, but Josiah, fearing that the\nnation was in danger, went out to fight them. They met in the great\nbattle of Megiddo. The army of Judah was destroyed, and Josiah,\nmortally wounded by the arrows of the Egyptian archers, was taken back\nto Jerusalem to die.)\n\n\nJosiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned\nthirty and one years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in\nthe eyes of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father,\nand turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.\n\n{324}\n\nAnd it came to pass in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the\nking sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the\nscribe, to the house of the Lord, saying, \"Go up to Hilkiah the high\npriest, that he may make account of the money which is brought into\nthe house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have gathered of\nthe people: and let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen that\nhave the oversight of the house of the Lord: and let them give it to\nthe workmen which are in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches\nof the house; unto the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the\nmasons; and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house.\"\nHowbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was\ndelivered in to their hand; for they dealt faithfully.\n\nAnd Hilkiah the priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, \"I have found the\nbook of the law in the house of the Lord.\"\n\nAnd Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan\nthe scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and\nsaid, \"Thy servants have emptied out the money that was found in the\nhouse, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen that have\nthe oversight of the house of the Lord.\"\n\nAnd Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, \"Hilkiah the priest hath\ngiven me a book.\"\n\nAnd Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the\nking had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his\nclothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and the king's\nofficers, saying, {325} \"Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for\nthe people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that\nis found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against\nus, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this\nbook, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.\"\n\nSo Hilkiah the priest, and the king's officers went to Huldah the\nprophetess, who said, \"Thus saith the Lord, 'Behold, I will bring evil\nupon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words\nof the book which the king of Judah hath read: because they have\nforsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might\nprovoke me to anger with all the work of their hands; therefore my\nwrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be\nquenched.' But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the\nLord, thus shall ye say to him, 'Thus saith the Lord, the God of\nIsrael: As touching the words which thou hast heard, because thine\nheart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before the Lord, when\nthou heardest what I spoke against this place, and against the\ninhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse,\nand hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee,\nsaith the Lord. Therefore, behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers,\nand thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine\neyes see all the evil which I will bring upon this place.'\"\n\nAnd they brought the king word again. And the king sent, and they\ngathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. And the\nking went up to the house {326} of the Lord, and all the men of Judah\nand all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and\nthe prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in\ntheir ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found\nin the house of the Lord. And the king stood by the pillar, and made a\ncovenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his\ncommandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his\nheart, and all his soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that\nwere written in this book: and all the people consented to the\ncovenant. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the\npriests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring\nforth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for\nBaal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of heaven: and he\nburned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the\nashes of them unto Beth-el.\n\nAnd he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had\nordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah,\nand in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense\nunto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all\nthe host of heaven. And he brought out the Asherah from the house of\nthe Lord, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at\nthe brook Kidron, and beat it to dust, and cast the dust thereof upon\nthe graves of the common people. And he brought all the priests out of\nthe cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had\nburned incense, from Geba to {327} Beer-sheba; and he broke down the\nhigh places of the gates that were at the entering in of the gate of\nJoshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at\nthe gate of the city. Nevertheless the priests of the high places came\nnot up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat bread\namong their brethren. And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley\nof the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his\ndaughter to pass through the fire to Molech. And he took away the\nhorses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun; and he burned the\nchariots of the sun with fire. And the altars that were on the roof of\nthe upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the\naltars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the\nLord, did the king break down, and beat them down from thence, and\ncast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. And the high places that\nwere before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of\ncorruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for heathen\ngods, did the king defile.\n\nMoreover the altar that was at Beth-el, and the high place which\nJeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, even that\naltar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place\nand beat it to dust, and burned the Asherah.\n\nAnd the king commanded all the people, saying, \"Keep the passover unto\nthe Lord your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant.\"\nSurely there was not kept such a passover from the days of the judges\nthat judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of\nthe kings of Judah.\n\n{328}\n\nBut in the eighteenth year of King Josiah was this passover kept to\nthe Lord in Jerusalem. And like unto him was there no king before him,\nthat turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and\nwith all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after\nhim arose there any like him. Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from\nthe fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled\nagainst Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had\nprovoked him. And the Lord said, \"I will remove Judah also out of my\nsight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city which I\nhave chosen, even Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, 'My name\nshall be there.'\"\n\nAfter all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of\nEgypt went up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah\nwent out against him. But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, \"What\nhave I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee\nthis day, but against the house wherewith I have war; and God hath\ncommanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who\nis with me, that he destroy thee not.\"\n\nNevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised\nhimself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the\nwords of Neco, from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley\nof Megiddo. And the archers shot at King Josiah; and the king said to\nhis servants, \"Take me away; for I am sore wounded.\" So his servants\ntook him out of the chariot, and put him in {329} the second chariot\nthat he had, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he died, and was buried\nin the sepulchers of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned\nfor Josiah.\n\nAnd Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and singing\nwomen spoke of Josiah in their lamentations, unto this day; and they\nmade them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the\nlamentations.\n\n\n(Another account of the reformation of Josiah and his death\nis taken from the Apocrypha.)\n\n[Footnote: See note at the end of the volume.]\n\n\nAnd Josiah held the passover in Jerusalem unto his Lord, and offered\nthe passover the fourteenth day of the first month; having set the\npriests according to their daily courses, being arrayed in their\nvestments, in the temple of the Lord. And he spoke unto the Levites,\nthe temple-servants of Israel, that they should hallow themselves unto\nthe Lord, to set the holy ark of the Lord in the house that King\nSolomon the son of David had built: and said, \"Ye shall no more have\nneed to bear it upon your shoulders: now therefore serve the Lord your\nGod, and minister unto his people Israel, and prepare you after your\nfathers' houses and kindreds, according to the writing of David king\nof Israel, and according to the magnificence of Solomon his son: and\nstanding in the holy place according to the several divisions of the\nfamilies of you the Levites, who minister in the presence of your\nbrethren the children of Israel, offer the passover in order, and make\nready the sacrifices {330} for your brethren, and keep the passover\naccording to the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto Moses.\"\n\nThus were the things that belonged to the sacrifices of the Lord\naccomplished in that day, in holding the passover, and offering\nsacrifices upon the altar of the Lord, according to the commandment of\nKing Josiah. So the children of Israel which were present at that time\nheld the passover, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days. And\nsuch a passover was not held in Israel since the time of the prophet\nSamuel. Yea, all the kings of Israel held not such a passover as\nJosiah, and the priests, and the Levites, and the Jews, held with all\nIsrael that were present in their dwelling place at Jerusalem. In the\neighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover held. And the\nworks of Josiah were upright before his Lord with a heart full of\ngodliness. Moreover the things that came to pass in his days have been\nwritten in times past, concerning those that sinned, and did wickedly\nagainst the Lord above every people and kingdom, and how they grieved\nhim exceedingly, so that the words of the Lord were confirmed against\nIsrael.\n\nNow after all these acts of Josiah it came to pass, that Pharaoh the\nking of Egypt came to raise war at Carchemish upon Euphrates: and\nJosiah went out against him. But the king of Egypt sent to him,\nsaying, \"What have I to do with thee, O king of Judah? I am not sent\nout from the Lord God against thee; for my war is upon Euphrates: and\nnow the Lord is with me, yea, the Lord is with me hasting me forward:\ndepart from me, and be not against the Lord.\"\n\n{331}\n\nHowbeit Josiah did not turn back unto his chariot, but undertook to\nfight with him, not regarding the words of the prophet Jeremiah spoken\nby the mouth of the Lord: but joined battle with him in the plain of\nMegiddo, and the princes came down against King Josiah. Then said the\nking unto his servants, \"Carry me away out of the battle; for I am\nvery weak.\" And immediately his servants carried him away out of the\nhost.\n\nThen got he up upon his second chariot; and being brought back to\nJerusalem he died, and was buried in the sepulcher of his fathers. And\nin all the land they mourned for Josiah; and Jeremiah the prophet\nlamented for Josiah, and the chief men with the women made lamentation\nfor him, unto this day: and this was given out for an ordinance to be\ndone continually in all the nation of Israel.\n\n\n{332}\n\nJEHOAHAZ.\n\n\n(Jehoahaz was the third son of Josiah, but was made king after the\ndeath of his father over the heads of his brothers. His reign lasted\nonly three months. Neco the Egyptian, conqueror of Josiah at Megiddo,\nsent a detachment to Jerusalem which deposed the king and took him\naway captive to Egypt.)\n\n\nThen the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made\nhim king in his father's stead in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty and\nthree years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in\nJerusalem. And the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and took\ntribute from the land, an hundred talents of silver and a talent of\ngold. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah\nand Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Neco took\nJehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.\n\n{333}{334}\n\n[Illustration]\n AN OLD STREET OF JERUSALEM\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{335}\n\nJEHOIAKIM.\n\n(The Egyptians who deposed Jehoahaz put Eliakim, whose name they\nchanged to Jehoiakim, on the throne and he became during his reign of\neleven years one of the worst and most idolatrous kings who ever sat\nupon the throne. He persecuted the prophets of his time, and\nespecially Jeremiah. His hatred of this great prophet, and how he put\nhim in the foulest dungeon of Jerusalem, is told elsewhere. [Footnote:\nIn Volume V. of this series.] The following is one of the prophet's\nfierce denunciations of this wicked king:)--\n\n\n\"Thus saith the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and\nspeak there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, O king of\nJudah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants,\nand thy people that enter in by these gates. Thus saith the Lord:\nExecute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of\nthe hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence, to the\nstranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood\nin this place. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter\nin by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David,\nriding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his\npeople. But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith\nthe Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.' For thus saith\nthe Lord concerning the house of {336} the king of Judah: 'Thou art\nGilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a\nwilderness, and cities which are not inhabited. And I will prepare\ndestroyers against thee, everyone with his weapons: and they shall cut\ndown thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. And many nations\nshall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor,\nWherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city? Then they\nshall answer, Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God,\nand worshiped other gods, and served them.'\n\n\"Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him\nwho goeth away; for he shall return no more, nor see his native\ncountry. For thus saith the Lord touching Shallum the son of\nJosiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who\nwent forth out of this place: 'He shall not return thither any more;\nbut in the place whither they have led him captive, there shall he\ndie, and he shall see this land no more.'\n\n [Footnote: Shallum was perhaps the original name of Jehoahaz, the\n preceding king, who after his brief reign had been carried captive\n to Egypt. ]\n\n\"Woe unto him who buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his\nchambers by injustice; who useth his neighbor's service without wages,\nand giveth him not his hire; who saith, 'I will build me a wide house\nand spacious chambers,' and cutteth him out windows; and it is ceiled\nwith cedar, and painted with vermilion.\n\n\"Shalt thou reign, because thou strivest to excel in cedar? did not\nthy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice? then it was\nwell with him. He judged the {337} cause of the poor and needy; then\nit was well. 'Was not this to know me?' saith the Lord.\n\n\"But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and\nto shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do\nit. Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of\nJosiah, king of Judah: They shall not lament for him, saying 'Ah, my\nbrother!' or, 'Ah sister!' they shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah\nlord!' or, 'Ah his glory!'\n\n'He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth\nbeyond the gates of Jerusalem.\n\n\"Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan: and cry\nfrom Abarim; for all thy lovers are destroyed. I spake unto thee in\nthy prosperity; but thou saidst, 'I will not hear.' This hath been thy\nmanner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice. The wind shall\nfeed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely\nthen shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. O\ninhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how greatly\nto be pitied shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee! 'As I live,'\nsaith the Lord, 'though Jehoiachin the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah\nwere the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; and\nI will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into\nthe hand of them of whom thou art afraid, even into the hand of\nNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.\nAnd I will cast thee out, and thy mother who bore thee, into another\ncountry, where ye were not born; and there shall {338} ye die. But to\nthe land whereunto their soul longeth to return, thither shall they\nnot return.'\n\n\"Is this man Jehoiachin a despised broken vessel? is he a vessel\nwherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed,\nand are cast into the land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth,\nhear the word of the Lord.\n\n\"Thus saith the Lord, 'Write ye this man childless, a man that shall\nnot prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting\nupon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.'\n\n\"'Woe unto the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my\npasture!' saith the Lord.\n\n\"Therefore thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, against the\nshepherds that feed my people: 'Ye have scattered my flock, and driven\nthem away, and have not visited them; behold, I will visit upon you\nthe evil of your doings, saith the Lord. And I will gather the remnant\nof my flock out of all the countries whither I have driven them, and\nwill bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and\nmultiply. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them:\nand they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be\nlacking,' saith the Lord.\n\n\"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a\nrighteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and\nshall execute judgment and justice in the land. In his days Judah\nshall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name\nwhereby he shall be called, 'The Lord is our righteousness.'\n\n{339}\n\n\"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no\nmore say, 'As the Lord liveth, who brought up the children of Israel\nout of the land of Egypt'; but, 'As the Lord liveth, who brought up\nand who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country,\nand from all the countries whither I had driven them; and they shall\ndwell in their own land.'\n\n\"Concerning the prophets. Mine heart within me is broken, all my bones\nshake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath\novercome; because of the Lord, and because of his holy words. For the\nland is full of evil doers; for because of swearing the land mourneth;\nthe pastures of the wilderness are dried up; and their course is evil,\nand their force is not right. For both prophet and priest are profane;\nyea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord.\n\n\"Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery places in the\ndarkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring\nevil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the Lord. And\nI have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal,\nand caused my people Israel to err. In the prophets of Jerusalem also\nI have seen an horrible thing; they walk in lies, and they strengthen\nthe hands of evil doers, that none doth return from his wickedness:\nthey are all of them become unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants\nthereof as Gomorrah.\n\n\"Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:\n'Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, {340} and make them drink the\nwater of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone\nforth into all the land.'\n\n\"Thus saith the Lord of hosts, 'Hearken not unto the words of the\nprophets that prophesy unto you; they teach you vanity: they speak a\nvision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. They\nsay continually unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye\nshall have peace; and unto everyone that walketh in the stubbornness\nof his own heart they say, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath\nstood in the council of the Lord, that he should perceive and hear his\nword? who hath marked my word, and heard it? Behold, the tempest of\nthe Lord, even his fury, is gone forth, yea, a whirling tempest: it\nshall burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord shall\nnot return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the\nintents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall understand it\nperfectly. I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I spoke not unto\nthem, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, then\nhad they caused my people to hear my words, and had turned them from\ntheir evil way, and from the evil of their doings. Am I a God at hand,\nsaith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret\nplaces that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven\nand earth? saith the Lord. I have heard what the prophets have said,\nthat prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.\n\n\n{341}{342}\n\n[Illustration]\n VIEW LOOKING TOWARD JERUSALEM FROM THE WEST.\n Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.\n\n This view looks toward the city from the southwest. The winding road\n enters at the Jaffa gate.\n[End illustration]\n\n{343}\n\n\"'How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy\nlies; even the prophets of the deceit of their own heart? which think\nto cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell\nevery man to his neighbor, as their fathers forgot my name for Baal.\nThe prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath\nmy word, let him speak my word faithfully.'\n\n\"'What is the straw to the wheat?' saith the Lord. 'Is not my word\nlike as fire?' saith the Lord; 'and like a hammer that breaketh the\nrock in pieces?'\n\n\"'Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets,' saith the Lord, 'that\nsteal my words everyone from his neighbor.' 'Behold, I am against the\nprophets,' saith the Lord, 'that use their tongues, and say, He\nsaith.' 'Behold, I am against them that prophesy lying dreams,' saith\nthe Lord, 'and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies,\nand by their vain boasting: yet I sent them not, nor commanded them;\nneither shall they profit this people at all,' saith the Lord.\n\n\"And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee,\nsaying, 'What is the burden of the Lord?' then shalt thou say unto\nthem, 'What burden! I will cast you off,' saith the Lord.\n\n\"And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall\nsay, 'The burden of the Lord,' I will even punish that man and his\nhouse. Thus shall ye say everyone to his neighbor, and everyone to his\nbrother, 'What hath the Lord answered?' and 'What hath the Lord\nspoken?' And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more: for\nevery man's own word shall be his burden; for ye have {344} perverted\nthe words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.\n\n\"Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, 'What hath the Lord answered\nthee?' and 'What hath the Lord spoken?'\n\n\"But if ye say, 'The burden of the Lord'; therefore thus saith the\nLord: 'Because ye say this word, The burden of the Lord, and I have\nsent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the Lord;\ntherefore, behold, I will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off,\nand the city that I gave unto you and to your fathers, away from my\npresence: and I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a\nperpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.\"\n\n\n(This prophecy was already hastening on to fulfillment. The power of\nEgypt had been broken by Nebuchadnezzar at the battle of Carchemish,\nand now the great king of Babylon came sweeping down upon Judah to put\nan end to its existence as a nation. Tradition says that the evil\nking, Jehoiakim, was slain during a sally from the walls, and that his\ndead body lay there dishonored and unburied.)\n\n\nJehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he\nreigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zebidah\nthe daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. And he did that which was evil in\nthe sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. In\nhis days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became\nhis servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. And\nthe Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the\n{345} Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of\nAmmon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the\nword of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servants the\nprophets. Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah,\nto remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according\nto all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for\nhe filled Jerusalem with innocent blood: and the Lord would not\npardon. So Jehoiakim died.\n\n\n{346}\n\nJEHOIACHIN.\n\n\n(Jehoiachin had hardly begun his reign before the city of Jerusalem\nyielded to the assaults of the armies of Babylon, and the king, with\nthe flower of the nation, men, women, and children, artisans and\nsoldiers, were carried away into captivity. Tradition says that a\nlater king of Babylon, Evil-Merodach, released Jehoiachin, then\nfifty-five years old, and treated him with distinguished respect.)\n\n\nJehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign; and he\nreigned in Jerusalem three months. And he did that which was evil in\nthe sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done. And\nthe army of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and\nthe city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came unto\nthe city, while his soldiers were besieging it; and Jehoiachin the\nking of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and\nhis servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of\nBabylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. And he carried out\nthence all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures\nof the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which\nSolomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, as the Lord\nhad said. And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and\nall {347} the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all\nthe craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of\nthe people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon; and\nthe king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the\nchief men of the land, carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to\nBabylon. And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and the\ncraftsmen and the smiths a thousand, all of them strong and apt for\nwar, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. And the\nking of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead,\nand changed his name to Zedekiah.\n\n\n{348}\n\nZEDEKIAH.\n\n\n(Over the remnant of Judah Nebuchadnezzar placed a vassal king who\nswore the strongest oaths of allegiance to his superior. After\nreigning some years, however, he rebelled. Then followed one of the\nmost desperate sieges of history. Jerusalem was ringed about by forts,\nassailed by all the enginery of the times. Famine and pestilence\nwalked in her streets, and at last the city yielded. Zedekiah and his\nfamily escaped in the confusion, but were quickly captured and brought\nbefore Nebuchadnezzar. The cruel conqueror killed the children of the\ncaptive king before his sight, and then put out his eyes.)\n\n\nZedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he\nreigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in\nthe sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For\nthrough the anger of the Lord did it come to pass in Jerusalem and\nJudah, until he had cast them out from his presence: and Zedekiah\nrebelled against the king of Babylon.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth\nmonth, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of\nBabylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped\nagainst it; and they built forts against it round about. So the city\nwas besieged unto the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.\n\n{349}{350}\n\n[Illustration]\n GREAT STAIRWAY APPROACHING HEROD'S TEMPLE AT SAMARIA.\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n There are only a few ruins left to tell the story of the once proud\n city of Samaria. The old temple of Baal is thus described:--\n\n \"It was of a size sufficient to contain all the worshipers of Baal\n that the northern kingdom could furnish. Four hundred and fifty\n prophets frequented it. In the interior was a kind of inner fastness\n or adytum, in which were seated or raised on pillars the figures\n carved in wood of the Phoenician deities as they were seen, in\n vision, centuries later, by Jezebel's fellow-countryman, Hannibal,\n in the sanctuary of Gades. In the center was Baal, the Sun-God;\n around him were the inferior divinities. In front of the temple,\n stood on a stone pillar the figure of Baal alone\"\n\n This city, completely destroyed by the Assyrians, was rebuilt by\n Pompey. Herod, in pursuance of his commercial policy, which was\n based on intercourse with the west, and of his plan of governing the\n country with strongholds garrisoned by Gentile soldiers devoted to\n his interests, made Samaria a strong fortress.\n[End illustration]\n\n{351}\n\nOn the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was sore in the city,\nso that there was no bread for the people of the land. Then a breach\nwas made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way\nof the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden: and\nthe king escaped from the city.\n\nBut the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook him in\nthe plains of Jericho: and all his army was scattered from him. Then\nthey took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to\nRiblah; and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of\nZedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound\nhim in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.\n\nNow in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the\nnineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came\nNebuzaradan the captain of the guard, an officer of the king of\nBabylon, unto Jerusalem: and he burnt the house of the Lord, and the\nking's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house,\nburnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with\nthe captain of the guard, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round\nabout. And the residue of the people that were left in the city, and\nthose that fled to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the\nmultitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away\ncaptive. But the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land\nto be vinedressers and husbandmen. And the pillars of brass that were\nin the house of the Lord, and the bases and the brazen sea that were\nin the house of the Lord, did the Chaldeans break in pieces, and\ncarried the {352} brass of them to Babylon. And the pots, and the\nshovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of\nbrass wherewith they ministered, took they away. And the firepans, and\nthe basins; that which was of gold, and that which was of silver, the\ncaptain of the guard took away. The two pillars, the one sea, and the\nbases, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord; the brass of\nall these vessels was of great weight. So Judah was carried away\ncaptive.\n\n\n{353}\n\nTHE KINGDOM OF THE NORTH\n\nJEROBOAM.\n\n(The story of the revolt of the northern part of the kingdom from the\nsouth has been told in the story of Rehoboam. Jeroboam, who became the\nking of the northern territory, was little improvement over Rehoboam,\nhis rival in the south. He was not of royal birth, but, as a bright\nyoung man in Solomon's court, came under the great king's notice. He\nplotted, however, against his master, and, his treachery being\ndiscovered, fled to Egypt. As soon as Solomon died, Jeroboam returned\nfrom Egypt, and became the leader of the successful revolt against the\ntyranny of the young king of the south.)\n\n\n_The New Kingdom_.\n\n\nThen Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and dwelt\ntherein; and he went out from thence, and built Penuel. And Jeroboam\nsaid in his heart, \"Now the kingdom will return to the house of David:\nif this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at\nJerusalem, then will the heart of this people turn again unto their\nlord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me, and\nreturn to Rehoboam king of Judah.\" Whereupon the king took counsel,\nand made two calves of gold; and he said unto them, \"It is too much\nfor you to go up to Jerusalem; behold thy gods, O Israel, which\nbrought thee up out of the land of Egypt.\" And he set the one {354} in\nBeth-el, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for\nthe people went to worship before, the one, even unto Dan. And he made\nhouses of high places, and made priests from among all the people,\nwhich were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in\nthe eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the\nfeast that is in Judah, and he went up unto the altar; so did he in\nBeth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he made: and he placed in\nBeth-el the priests of the high places which he had made. And he went\nup unto the altar which he had made in Beth-el on the fifteenth day in\nthe eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own\nheart: and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up\nunto the altar, to burn incense.\n\n\n_The Prophet from Judah and His Fate_.\n\nAnd, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the\nLord unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn\nincense. And he cried against the altar by the word of Jehovah, and\nsaid, \"O altar, altar, thus saith Jehovah: 'Behold, a son shall be\nborn unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he\nsacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee,\nand men's bones shall they burn upon thee.'\"\n\nAnd he gave a sign the same day, saying, \"This is the sign which\nJehovah hath spoken: 'Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes\nthat are upon it shall be poured out.'\"\n\n{355}{356}\n\n[Illustration]\n STREET OF AN ANCIENT EASTERN CITY.\n\n From a photograph taken by Prof. Lewis Bayles Paton of Hartford\n Theological Seminary, and used by his kind permission.\n\n Notice the houses built over the street converting it almost into a\n tunnel.\n[End illustration]\n\n{357}\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God,\nwhich he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth\nhis hand from the altar, saying, \"Lay hold on him.\"\n\nAnd his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he\ncould not draw it back again to him. The altar also was rent, and the\nashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man\nof God had given by the word of Jehovah. And the king answered and\nsaid unto the man of God, \"Entreat now the favor of Jehovah thy God,\nand pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again.\"\n\nAnd the man of God entreated Jehovah, and the king's hand was restored\nhim again, and became as it was before.\n\nAnd the king said unto the man of God, \"Come home with me, and refresh\nthyself, and I will give thee a reward.\"\n\nAnd the man of God said unto the king, \"If thou wilt give me half\nthine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor\ndrink water in this place: for so it was charged me by the word of the\nLord, saying, 'Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water, neither\nreturn by the way that thou camest.'\"\n\nSo he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to\nBeth-el.\n\nNow there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of his sons came\nand told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in\nBeth-el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them also they\ntold unto their father.\n\n{358}\n\nAnd their father said unto them, \"What way went he?\" Now his sons had\nseen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.\n\nAnd he said unto his sons, \"Saddle me the ass.\"\n\nSo they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon. And he went after\nthe man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto\nhim, \"Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah?\" And he said, \"I\nam.\"\n\nThen he said unto him, \"Come home with me, and eat bread.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither\nwill I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: for it was\nsaid to me by the word of the Lord, 'Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink\nwater there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.'\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"I also am a prophet as thou art; and an angel\nspoke unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'Bring him back with\nthee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water.'\"\n\nBut he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in\nhis house, and drank water. And it came to pass, as they sat at the\ntable, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought\nhim back: and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah,\nsaying, \"Thus saith the Lord, 'Forasmuch as thou hast been disobedient\nunto the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which,\nthe Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread\nand drunk water in the place of the which he said to thee, Eat no\nbread, and drink no water; thy body shall not come unto the sepulcher\nof thy fathers.'\"\n\n{359}{360}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE RUINS OF SAMARIA\n\n From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton,\n Mass., and used by special permission\n\n \"To-day amid the peaceful beauty of the scene--the secluded vale\n covered with cornfields through which the winding streams flash and\n glisten into the hazy distance, and the gentle hill rises to the\n olives waving over its summit--it is possible to appreciate\n Isaiah's name for Samaria, the crown of the pride of Ephraim, the\n flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat\n valley. There by the entrance of the gate Ahab drew his sentence of\n death from the prophet of Jehovah; and there they washed his blood\n from his chariot, when they had brought him back to his burial.\n There Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah and Jehu the priests of\n Baal.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{361}\n\nAnd it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk,\nthat he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had\nbrought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and\nslew him: and his body was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it;\nthe lion also stood by the body.\n\nAnd, behold, men passed by, and saw the body cast in the way, and the\nlion standing by the body: and they came and told it in the city where\nthe old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from\nthe way heard thereof, he said, \"It is the man of God who was\ndisobedient unto the mouth of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath\ndelivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him,\naccording to the word of the Lord, which he spoke unto him.\"\n\nAnd he spoke to his sons, saying, \"Saddle me the ass.\"\n\nAnd they saddled it.\n\nAnd he went, and found his body cast in the way, and the ass and the\nlion standing by the body: the lion had not eaten the body, nor torn\nthe ass.\n\nAnd the prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it upon\nthe ass, and brought it back: and he came to the city of the old\nprophet, to mourn, and to bury him.\n\nAnd he laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him,\nsaying, \"Alas, my brother!\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his\nsons, saying, \"When I am dead, then bury {362} me in the sepulcher\nwherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. For\nthe saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in\nBeth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in\nthe cities of Israel, shall surely come to pass.\"\n\nAfter this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made\nagain from among all the people priests of the high places: whosoever\nwould, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high\nplaces. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to\ncut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.\n\n\n_How the King's Son Died_.\n\nAt that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said\nto his wife, \"Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be\nnot known to be the wife of Jeroboam: and get thee to Shiloh; behold,\nthere is Ahijah the prophet, who spoke concerning me that I should be\nking over this people. And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels,\nand a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall\nbecome of the child.\"\n\nAnd Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to\nthe house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were blind\nby reason of his age.\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Ahijah, \"Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to\ninquire of thee concerning her son; for he is sick: thus and thus\nshalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she\nshall feign herself to be another woman.\"\n\n{363}\n\nAnd it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she carne\nin at the door, that he said, \"Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why\nfeignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy\ntidings. Go, tell Jeroboam, 'Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel:\nForasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee\nprince over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house\nof David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant\nDavid, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his\nheart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; but hast done\nevil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made thee\nother gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast\nme behind thy back: therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the\nhouse of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male child,\nand will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth\naway dung, till it be all gone. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city\nshall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the fields shall the fowls\nof the air eat: for the Lord hath spoken it.'\n\n\"Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine house: and when thy feet\nenter into the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn\nfor him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the\ngrave: because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord,\nthe God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. Moreover the Lord shall\nraise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of\nJeroboam that day. For the Lord shall smite Israel, as {364} a reed is\nshaken in the water; and he shall root up Israel out of this good\nland, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond\nthe River; because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to\nanger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam,\nwhich he hath sinned, and wherewith he hath made Israel to sin.\"\n\nAnd Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and as\nshe came to the threshold of the house, the child died.\n\nAnd all Israel buried him, and mourned for him: according to the word\nof the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Ahijah the\nprophet. And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty\nyears: and he died, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.\n\n\n{365}{366}\n\n[Illustration]\n MOUNT GERIZIM.\n\n Mount Gerizim (2,849 feet) faces Mount Ebal, and in the narrow pass\n between them is Shechem. The Samaritans erected a temple on the\n mountain, making it the central shrine of the nation and a rival of\n Jerusalem, about the year 432 B.C. The flat stone shown in the\n picture is the place of sacrifice, which is still maintained by a\n little community of Samaritans.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{367}\n\nNADAB.\n\n\n(The dynasty of the house of Jeroboam was very brief after the death\nof its founder. Nadab his son reigned only two years, when he was\nmurdered by a common soldier, probably while he was laying siege to\none of the towns of the Philistines.)\n\n\nAnd Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second\nyear of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. And\nhe did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the\nway of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. And\nBaasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against\nhim; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the\nPhilistines; for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.\nEven in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and\nreigned in his stead.\n\n\n{368}\n\nBAASHA.\n\n(Baasha, who assassinated Nadab and usurped the throne, seems not to\nhave been of royal blood. He was probably an adventurous soldier who\nsaw his opportunity and won his way to the crown by sheer force of\naudacity and daring. He began his reign by killing all the possible\naspirants to the throne in the persons of the family of Jeroboam. His\nreign was marked by a succession of wars with Judah.)\n\n\nAnd it came to pass that, as soon as Baasha was king, he smote all the\nhouse of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he\nhad destroyed him; according unto the saying of the Lord, which he\nspoke by the hand of his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: for the sins of\nJeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he made Israel to sin; because\nof his provocation wherewith he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel,\nto anger. And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all\ntheir days.\n\nIn the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah\nto reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty and four years.\nAnd he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in\nthe way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.\nAnd the word of the Lord came to Jehu against Baasha, saying,\n\"Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the {369} dust, and made thee\nprince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of\nJeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to\nanger with their sins; behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and\nhis house; and I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the\nson of Nebat. Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat;\nand him that dieth of his in the field shall the fowls of the air\neat.\"\n\nAnd Baasha died, and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in\nhis stead. And moreover by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of\nHanani came the word of the Lord against Baasha, and against his\nhouse, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the\nLord, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being\nlike the house of Jeroboam, and because he smote him.\n\n\n{370}\n\nELAH.\n\n\n(The son of Baasha, the adventurer, seems to have been as weak and\nincompetent as his father was ready and daring. While his army was off\nto the wars, he stayed at home and indulged his appetites. He was\n\"drinking himself drunk\" in the house of his steward Arza, when Zimri,\ncaptain of his chariots, came in and murdered him in cold blood as he\nlay like a beast in the slumber of drunkenness.)\n\n\nIn the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son\nof Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years. And\nhis servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against\nhim: now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of\nArza, which was over the household in Tirzah: and Zimri went in and\nsmote him, and killed him, and reigned in his stead. And it came to\npass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he\nsmote all the house of Baasha: he left him not a single man child,\nneither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends. Thus did Zimri destroy\nall the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he\nspoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha,\nand the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and wherewith they\nmade Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger\nwith their vanities.\n\n{371}{372}\n\n[Illustration]\n MOUNT HERMON.\n\n Mount Hermon, the great mountain barrier of northern Palestine,\n rises 9,200 feet above the sea. In the picture the range can be seen\n dimly, the ravines being filled with snow.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{373}\n\nZIMRI.\n\n\n(There was wild work in Tirzah for a few days after Zimri killed the\nking. He followed up his advantage by assassinating all the children\nof Elah, so the house of Baasha, like the house of Jeroboam, was\nspeedily exterminated. But Zimri's triumph was very short-lived. For\njust one week he wore the purple. Then the army returned and fell upon\nhim. He went into the palace to defend himself, but finding his cause\nhopeless, he burned the palace over his own head, and perished in the\nflames. His name became a synonym for treachery in Israel, so that\nlater, when Jezebel looked from her lattice and saw her foe Jehu\nbelow, she called out to him with the taunt, \"Is it peace, thou\n'Zimri,' thou master's murderer?\")\n\n\nIn the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign\nseven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon,\nwhich belonged to the Philistines. And the people that were encamped\nheard that Zimri had conspired, and had also murdered the king:\nwherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over\nIsrael that day in the camp. And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all\nIsrael with him, and they besieged Tirzah. And it came to pass, when\nZimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the castle of the\nking's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died,\nfor his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in the sight\nof the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which\nhe did, to make Israel to sin.\n\n\n{374}\n\nOMRI.\n\n\n(In the confusion which followed the death of Zimri, there were two\nrival claimants to the throne, Omri and Tibni. Omri quickly prevailed,\nhowever, and at once began to show his great genius as a ruler. He\nestablished a dynasty so powerful that it lasted for four reigns. He\nbuilt the city of Samaria, and waged many successful wars against\nneighboring peoples.)\n\n\nThen were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the\npeople followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half\nfollowed Omri. But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the\npeople that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri\nreigned. In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri\nto reign over Israel, and reigned twelve years: six years reigned he\nin Tirzah. And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of\nsilver; and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city\nwhich he built, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill,\nSamaria. And Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord,\nand dealt wickedly above all that were before him. For he walked in\nall the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins wherewith he\nmade Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger\nwith their vanities. So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in\nSamaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.\n\n{375}{376}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE MOABITE STONE.\n\n Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.\n\n A monument of a Moabite king, Mesha, in which he describes wars with\n Omri, king of Israel. This famous stone was discovered in 1868. The\n translation of the inscription is as follows:--\n\n \"I, Mesha, am the son of Chemosh-Gad, king of Moab, the Dibonite. My\n father reigned over Moab thirty years, and I reigned after my\n father. And I erected this stone to Chemosh at Kirkha, a (stone of)\n salvation, for he saved me from all despoilers, and made me see my\n desire upon all my enemies, even upon Omri, king of Israel. Now\n they afflicted Moab many days, for Chemosh was angry with his land.\n His son succeeded him; and he also said, I will afflict Moab. In my\n days (Chemosh) said, (Let us go) and I will see my desire on him and\n his house, and I will destroy Israel with an everlasting\n destruction. Now Omri took the land of Medeba, and (the enemy)\n occupied it in (his days and in) the days of his son, forty years.\n And Chemosh (had mercy) on it in my days; and I fortified Baal-Meon,\n and made therein the tank, and I fortified Kiriathaim. For the men\n of Gad dwelt in the land of (Atar)oth from of old, and the king (of)\n Israel fortified for himself Ataroth, and I assaulted the wall and\n captured it, and killed all the warriors of the wall for the\n well-pleasing of Chemosh and Moab; and I removed from it all the\n spoil, and I (offered) it before Chemosh in Kirjath; and I placed\n therein the men of Siran and the men of Mochrath. And Chemosh said\n to me, Go take Nebo against Israel. (And I) went in the night, and\n I fought against it from the break of dawn till noon, and I took it\n and slew in all seven thousand (men, but I did not kill) the women\n (and) maidens, for (I) devoted them to Ashtar-Chemosh; and I took\n from it the vessels of Yahveh, and offered them before Chemosh. And\n the king of Israel fortified Jahaz and occupied it, when he made war\n against me; and Chemosh drove him out before (me, and) I took from\n Moab two hundred men, all its poor, and placed them in Jahaz, and\n took it to annex it to Dibon. I built Kirkha, the wall of the\n forest, and the wall of the city, and I built the gates thereof, and\n I built the towers thereof, and I built the palace, and I made the\n prisons for the criminals within the walls. And there was no cistern\n in the wall at Kirkha, and I said to all the people, Make for\n yourselves, every man, a cistern in his house. And I dug the ditch\n for Kirkha by means of the (captive) men of Israel. I built Aroer,\n and I made the road across the Arnon. I built Beth-Bamoth, for it\n was destroyed; I built Bezer, for it was cut (down) by the armed men\n of Dibon, for all Dibon was now loyal; and I reigned from Bikran,\n which I added to my land, and I built (Beth-Gamul) and\n Beth-Diblathaim and Beth-Baal-Meon, and I placed there the poor\n (people) of the land. And as to Horonaim, (the men of Edom) dwelt\n therein (from of old). And Chemosh said to me, Go down, make war\n against Horonaim and take (it. And I assaulted it, and I took it,\n and) Chemosh (restored it) in my days. Wherefore I made . . . . year\n . . . . and I . . . .\"\n\n\n{377}\n\nAHAB.\n\n_How a Wicked King Met His Death_.\n\n\n(One of the wickedest kings who ever sat upon a throne was Ahab. This\nstory tells how, while fighting in company with Jehoshaphat, he met his\ndeath in battle, and how the terrible prophecy of Elijah was fulfilled.\nWith his customary trickiness, he tried to escape notice in the battle,\nby making his ally, the king of Judah, conspicuous. An archer, however,\ndrawing his bow at a venture, struck the king between the joints of his\narmor, and inflicted a mortal wound.)\n\n[Footnote: The story of the houses of Ahab and Jehu are told more\nfully in \"Tales of Elijah and Elisha,\" to be found in this volume.]\n\n\nAnd they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.\nAnd it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of\nJudah came down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said\nunto his servants, \"Know ye that Ramoth-gilead is ours, and we are\nstill, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?\"\n\nAnd he said unto Jehoshaphat, \"Wilt thou go with me to battle to\nRamoth-gilead?\"\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, \"I am as thou art, my\npeople as thy people, my horses as thy horses.\"\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, \"Inquire first, I pray\nthee, for the word of the Lord.\"\n\nThen the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, {378} about\nfour hundred men, and said unto them, \"Shall I go against\nRamoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of\nthe king.\"\n\nBut Jehoshaphat said, \"Is there not here a prophet of the Lord\nbesides, that we may inquire of him?\"\n\nAnd the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, \"There is yet one man by\nwhom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate\nhim; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.\"\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat said, \"Let not the king say so.\" Then the king of\nIsrael called an officer, and said, \"Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of\nImlah.\"\n\nNow the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on\nhis throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance\nof the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.\n\nAnd Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said,\n\"Thus saith the Lord, 'With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until\nthey be consumed.'\"\n\nAnd all the prophets prophesied so, saying, \"Go up to Ramoth-gilead,\nand prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.\"\n\nAnd the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke unto him, saying,\n\"Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with\none mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them,\nand speak thou good.\"\n\nAnd Micaiah said, \"As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me,\nthat will I speak.\"\n\n{379}\n\nAnd when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, \"Micaiah,\nshall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?\" And he\nanswered him, \"Go up, and prosper; and the Lord shall deliver it into\nthe hand of the king.\"\n\nAnd the king said unto him, \"How many times shall I adjure thee that\nthou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep\nthat have no shepherd: and the Lord said, 'These have no master; let\nthem return every man to his house in peace.'\"\n\nAnd the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, \"Did I not tell thee that\nhe would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Therefore hear thou the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord\nsitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on\nhis right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, 'Who shall entice\nAhab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said on\nthis manner; and another on that manner. And there came forth a\nspirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, 'I will entice him.'\n\n\"And the Lord said unto him, 'Wherewith?'\n\n\"And he said, 'I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the\nmouth of all his prophets.'\n\n\"And he said, 'Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also: go\nforth, and do so.'\n\n\"Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying {380} spirit in the\nmouth of all these thy prophets; and the Lord hath spoken evil\nconcerning thee.\"\n\nThen Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah on the\ncheek, and said, \"Which way went the spirit of the Lord from me to\nspeak unto thee?\"\n\nAnd Micaiah said, \"Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt\ngo into an inner chamber to hide thyself.\"\n\nAnd the king of Israel said, \"Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto\nAmon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son; and say,\n'Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with\nbread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in\npeace.'\"\n\nAnd Micaiah said, \"If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not\nspoken by me.\" And he said, \"Hear, ye peoples, all of you.\"\n\nSo the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to\nRamoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, \"I will\ndisguise myself, and go into the battle; but put thou on thy robes.\"\n\nAnd the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.\nNow the king of Syria had commanded the thirty and two captains of his\nchariots, saying, \"Fight neither with small nor great, save only with\nthe king of Israel.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw\nJehoshaphat, that they said, \"Surely it is the king of Israel\"; and\nthey turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots {381} saw that\nit was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing\nhim. And a certain archer drew his bow at a venture, and smote the\nking of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said\nunto the driver of his chariot, \"Turn thine hand, and carry me out of\nthe host; for I am sore wounded.\"\n\nAnd the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his\nchariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out\nof the wound into the bottom of the chariot. And there went a cry\nthroughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, \"Every\nman to his city, and every man to his country.\"\n\nSo the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king\nin Samaria. And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and\nthe dogs licked up his blood; according to the word of the Lord which\nhe spoke.\n\n\n{382}\n\nAHAZIAH.\n\n_The Brief Reign of an Evil King_.\n\nAhaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the\nseventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two\nyears over Israel. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the\nLord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his\nmother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherein he made\nIsrael to sin. And he served Baal, and worshiped him, and provoked to\nanger the Lord, the God of Israel, according to all that his father\nhad done.\n\nAnd Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziah\nfell down through the lattice in his upper chamber that was in\nSamaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them,\n\"Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of\nthis sickness.\"\n\nBut the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, \"Arise, go up\nto meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, 'Is\nit because there is no God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of\nBaal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou\nshalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt\nsurely die.'\"\n\nAnd Elijah departed. And the messengers returned unto him, and he said\nunto them, \"Why is it that ye are returned?\"\n\n{383}{384}\n\n[Illustration]\n SAMARIA FROM THE SOUTH.\n\n From a photograph of the Palestine Exploration Fund and used\n by special permission.\n\n The revolt of the people of the north made necessary a new capital.\n It was first at Shechem, which was not, however, a strong situation\n from the military standpoint; then at Tirzah, but Omri chose finally\n a beautiful location at the head of a valley running down to the\n sea. Here on a hill rising 360 feet above the surrounding country\n was built one of the famous cities of the east--Samaria, meaning\n \"watch-tower.\" It was the sacred city of the north, the rival of\n Jerusalem. The city was almost impregnable, and the sieges against\n it were always very long. The broad vale is visible for eight miles,\n then a low range of hills, and over them the sea.\n\n \"To-day amid the peaceful beauty of the scene--the secluded vale\n covered with cornfields through which the winding streams flash and\n glisten into the hazy distance, and the gentle hill rises to the\n olives waving over its summit--it is possible to appreciate Isaiah's\n name for Samaria, the crown of the pride of Ephraim, the flower of\n his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley. There\n by the entrance of the gate Ahab drew his sentence of death from the\n prophet of Jehovah; and there they washed his blood from his chariot,\n when they had brought him back to his burial. There Jezebel slew the\n prophets of Jehovah and Jehu the priests of Baal.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{385}\n\nAnd they said unto him, \"There came up a man to meet us, and said unto\nus, 'Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him,\nThus saith the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that\nthou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou\nshalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt\nsurely die.'\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"What manner of man was he which came up to\nmeet you? and told you these words?\"\n\nAnd they answered him, \"He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of\nleather about his loins.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"It is Elijah the Tishbite.\"\n\nThen the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he\nwent up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of the hill. And he\nspoke unto him, \"O man of God, the king hath said, 'Come down.'\"\n\nAnd Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, \"If I be a man\nof God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy\nfifty.\"\n\nAnd there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.\n\nAnd again he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty.\nAnd he answered and said unto him, \"O man of God, thus hath the king\nsaid, 'Come down quickly.'\"\n\nAnd Elijah answered and said unto them, \"If I be a man of God, let\nfire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty.\"\n\n{386}\n\nAnd the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his\nfifty.\n\nAnd again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the\nthird captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before\nElijah, and besought him, and said unto him, \"O man of God, I pray\nthee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be\nprecious in thy sight. Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and\nconsumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties; but now\nlet my life be precious in thy sight.\"\n\nAnd the angel of Jehovah said unto Elijah, \"Go down with him: be not\nafraid of him.\"\n\nAnd he arose, and went down with him unto the king. And he said unto\nhim, \"Thus saith the Lord, 'Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to\ninquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God\nin Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down\nfrom the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.'\"\n\nSo he died according to the word of Jehovah which Elijah had spoken.\n\n\n{387}\n\nJORAM.\n\n\n(Joram, or Jehoram as it is sometimes written, was another evil king\nof the race of Ahab. Frightened by the fate of his brother he began\nhis reign by an attack upon idolatry. But the old wicked blood flamed\nout, and his reign was marked by many excesses and much wrong-doing.\nThe account of other events of this reign not given here, and how the\nking, already sick from arrow wounds received in battle, was killed by\nan arrow from the strong bow of Jehu, will be found in the \"Stories of\nElijah and Elisha\" in this volume. Joram was a fighting king, but he\nwas not always successful. The battle in which he received his wounds\nprevious to his death was an attempt to take Ramoth-gilead in company\nwith Ahaziah of Judah, but the Syrian archers wounded him so severely\nthat he was forced to retire. The story given below is of an attack\nmade upon Mesha, \"sheep-master\" king of Moab, who, it seems, refused\ntwo years previously the tribute of wool which he had paid to Israel.\nJoram called the kings of Judah and Edom together, and the three made\nan expedition to punish the Moabites. The armies would have perished\nmiserably had it not been for a miracle performed by Elisha. The\nexpedition, while momentarily successful, ended in the retreat of the\nallies without having fully accomplished their purpose.)\n\n\nNow Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the\neighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.\nAnd he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like\nhis father, and like his mother; for he put away the pillar of Baal that\nhis father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam\nthe son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; he departed not\ntherefrom.\n\n{388}\n\nNow Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master; and he rendered unto the\nking of Israel the wool of a hundred thousand lambs, and of a hundred\nthousand rams. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king\nof Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. And King Jehoram went out\nof Samaria at that time, and mustered all Israel. And he went and sent\nto Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, \"The king of Moab hath\nrebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people,\nmy horses as thy horses.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Which way shall we go up?\"\n\nAnd he answered, \"The way of the wilderness of Edom.\"\n\nSo the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of\nEdom: and they made a circuit of seven days' journey: and there was no\nwater for the host, nor for the beasts that followed them.\n\nAnd the king of Israel said, \"Alas! for the Lord hath called these\nthree kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.\"\n\nBut Jehoshaphat said, \"Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that\nwe may inquire of the Lord by him?\"\n\nAnd one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, \"Elisha\nthe son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.\"\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat said, \"The word of the Lord is with him.\"\n\nSo the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down\nto him.\n\n{389}{390}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS AT THE ANCIENT JERICHO.\n\n Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.\n\n The modern village of Jericho, near the ruins of ancient Jericho.\n With its mud walls and thatched roofs, it is one of the poorest and\n most miserable villages in all Palestine.\n[End illustration]\n\n{391}\n\nAnd Elisha said unto the king of Israel, \"What have I to do with thee?\nget thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy\nmother.\"\n\nAnd the king of Israel said unto him, \"Nay: for the Lord hath called\nthese three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.\"\n\nAnd Elisha said, \"As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand,\nsurely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king\nof Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. But now bring me\na minstrel.\" And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the\nhand of the Lord came upon him.\n\nAnd he said, \"Thus saith the Lord, 'Make this valley full of\ntrenches.' For thus saith the Lord, 'Ye shall not see wind, neither\nshall ye see rain, yet that valley shall be filled with water: and ye\nshall drink, both ye and your cattle and your beasts.'\n\n\"And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will also\ndeliver the Moabites into your hand. And ye shall smite every fenced\ncity, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop\nall fountains of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass in the morning, about the time of offering the\noblation, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the\ncountry was filled with water.\n\nNow when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight\nagainst them, they gathered themselves together, all that were able to\nput on armor, and upward, {392} and stood on the border. And they rose\nup early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the\nMoabites saw the water over against them as red as blood: and they\nsaid, \"This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed, and they have\nsmitten each man his fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.\"\n\nAnd when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and\nsmote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: and they went\nforward into the land smiting the Moabites. And they beat down the\ncities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone,\nand filled it; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled\nall the good trees: until in Kir-hareseth only they left the stones\nthereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.\n\nAnd when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he\ntook with him seven hundred men that drew sword, to break through unto\nthe king of Edom: but they could not. Then he took his eldest son that\nshould have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering\nupon the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel: and they\ndeparted from him, and returned to their own land.\n\n\n{393}{394}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE PLAINS OF JERICHO.\n\n Now almost uninhabited, covered with wild growth. The mounds in the\n middle distance cover the ancient city.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{395}\n\nJEHU.\n\n[Footnote: How Jehu, a captain in the army, came to the throne of\nIsrael, is told in the \"Stories of Elijah and Elisha\" in this volume.]\n\n_How Jehu Destroyed the Children of Ahab and the Children\nof Ahaziah, and the Priests of Baal_.\n\n\nNow Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent\nto Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, even the elders, and unto them\nthat brought up the sons of Ahab, saying, \"And now as soon as this\nletter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and\nthere are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city also, and armor;\nlook ye out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and set him on\nhis father's throne, and fight for your master's house.\"\n\nBut they were exceedingly afraid, and said, \"Behold, the two kings\nstood not before him: how then shall we stand?\"\n\nAnd he that was over the household, and he that was over the city, the\nelders also, and they that brought up the children, sent to Jehu,\nsaying, \"We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us;\nwe will not make any man king: do thou that which is good in thine\neyes.\"\n\nThen he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, \"If ye be on\nmy side, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of\nthe men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to-morrow\nthis time.\"\n\n{396}\n\nNow the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of\nthe city, which brought them up. And it came to pass, when the letter\ncame to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew them, even\nseventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them unto\nhim to Jezreel.\n\nAnd there came a messenger, and told him, saying, \"They have brought\nthe heads of the king's sons.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate\nuntil the morning.\" And it came to pass in the morning, that he went\nout, and stood, and said to all the people, \"Ye be righteous: behold,\nI conspired against my master, and slew him: but who smote all these?\nKnow now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of\nthe Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab: for the\nLord hath done that which he spoke by his servant Elijah.\"\n\nSo Jehu smote all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and\nall his great men, and his familiar friends, and his priests, until he\nleft him none remaining. And he arose and departed, and went to\nSamaria.\n\nAnd as he was at the shearing house of the shepherds in the way, Jehu\nmet with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, \"Who are\nye?\" And they answered, \"We are the brethren of Ahaziah: and we go\ndown to salute the children of the king and the children of the\nqueen.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Take them alive.\"\n\nAnd they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing\nhouse, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.\n\n{397}\n\nAnd when he was departed thence, he came upon Jehonadab the son of\nRechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, \"Is\nthine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart?\"\n\nAnd Jehonadab answered, \"It is.\"\n\n\"If it be, give me thine hand.\" And he gave him his hand; and he took\nhim up to him into the chariot.\n\nAnd he said, \"Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord,\"\n\nSo they made him ride in his chariot. And when he came to Samaria, he\nsmote all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed\nhim, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Elijah.\n\nAnd Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, \"Ahab\nserved Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much. Now therefore\ncall unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his\npriests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to\nBaal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live.\" But Jehu did it\nin subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshipers of\nBaal.\n\nAnd Jehu said, \"Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.\" And they\nproclaimed it.\n\nAnd Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshipers of Baal came,\nso that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the\nhouse of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to\nanother.\n\nAnd it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the\nburnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard {398} and to the captains,\n\"Go in, and slay them; let none come forth.\" And they smote them with\nthe edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out,\nand went to the city of the house of Baal. And they brought forth the\npillars that were in the house of Baal, and burned them. And they\nbroke down the pillar of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and\ndefiled it, unto this day. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.\n\nHowbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made\nIsrael to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden\ncalves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan.\n\nAnd the Lord said unto Jehu, \"Because thou hast done well in executing\nthat which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab\naccording to all that was in mine heart, thy sons of the fourth\ngeneration shall sit on the throne of Israel.\"\n\nBut Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of\nIsrael, with all his heart: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam,\nwherewith he made Israel to sin.\n\nIn those days the Lord began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote\nthem in all the coasts of Israel; from Jordan eastward, all the land\nof Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from\nAroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. And\nJehu died: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son\nreigned in his stead. And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in\nSamaria was twenty and eight years.\n\n\n{399}\n\nJEHOAHAZ.\n\n\n(The kingdom of Israel was nearly blotted out by the raids of the\nSyrians during the weak reign of Jehoahaz.)\n\n\nIn the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of\nJudah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria,\nand reigned seventeen years. And he did that which was evil in the\nsight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,\nwherewith he made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom. And the\nanger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them\ninto the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad\nthe son of Hazael, continually.\n\nAnd Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto him: for\nhe saw the oppression of Israel, how that the king of Syria oppressed\nthem. And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from\nunder the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in\ntheir tents, as beforetime. Nevertheless they departed not from the\nsins of the house of Jeroboam, wherewith he made Israel to sin, but\nwalked therein: and there remained the Asherah also in Samaria.\n\nAnd there were left to Jehoahaz of the people only fifty horsemen, and\nten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria\ndestroyed them, and made them like the dust in threshing. And Jehoahaz\ndied; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his\nstead.\n\n\n{400}\n\nJOASH.\n\n\n(The oppression of the Syrians continued into the reign of Joash, but\nin the later days of the reign, Joash gained the ascendency over his\nfoes in three great battles, according to the prophecy of Elisha when\nhe was about to die, as is told in the \"Stories of Elijah and Elisha\"\nin another chapter of this volume.)\n\n\nAnd Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.\nBut the Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and\nhad respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac,\nand Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his\npresence as yet. And Hazael king of Syria died; and Ben-hadad his son\nreigned in his stead. And Joash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of\nthe hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken\nout of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash\nsmite him, and recovered the cities of Israel.\n\n\n{401}\n\nJEROBOAM II.\n\n\n(Jeroboam II. was an evil king, but as a soldier he was one of the\ngreatest in the history of Israel. He extended the territory of the\npeople in every direction. The country was prosperous in a commercial\nsense as it never had been before. The rich people lived in the most\nluxurious houses and spent their time in idleness and dissipation. But\nthere was another side to the picture. The poor were terribly\noppressed, and there was no such thing as justice. The people\nworshiped idols and indulged in all kinds of evil practices. We know\nmost about the reign through the prophet Amos, who sternly denounced\nall this wickedness.)\n\n\nIn the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah\nJeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria,\nand reigned forty and one years. And he did that which was evil in the\nsight of the Lord: departing not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son\nof Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. He restored the border of\nIsrael from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah,\naccording to the word of Jehovah, the God of Israel, which he spoke by\nhis servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of\nGath-hepher. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was\nvery bitter; for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was\nthere any helper for Israel. And the Lord said not that he would blot\nout the name of Israel from under heaven; but he saved them by the\nhand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.\n\n\n{402}\n\nZECHARIAH.\n\n\n(After the splendid but utterly corrupt reign of Jeroboam II., came a\nsuccession of little kings, ruling by virtue of the assassin's knife.\nThe first was Zechariah. He reigned only six months before a\nconspirator, Shallum, slew him.)\n\n\nIn the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zechariah\nthe son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.\n\nAnd he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his\nfathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of\nNebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. And Shallum the son of Jabish\nconspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him,\nand reigned in his stead.\n\nThis was the word of the Lord which he spoke unto Jehu, saying, \"Thy\nsons to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel.\"\nAnd so it came to pass.\n\n\n{403}\n\nSHALLUM.\n\n\n(Shallum's reign was shorter still. He was on the throne only one\nmonth before the swift fate overtook him, and he fell before a\nsuccessful rival, Menahem.)\n\n\nShallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth\nyear of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned the space of a month in\nSamaria. And Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to\nSamaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him,\nand reigned in his stead.\n\n\n{404}\n\nMENAHEM.\n\n\n(Although Menahem was able to wrest the crown away from Shallum, he\ndid not prove to be much of a soldier. It was in his reign perhaps\nthat the Assyrians first came into the territory of Israel, though\nthey had been in Philistia before, while probably Ahab and certainly\nJehu had paid tribute. Instead of resisting them, the king taxed his\npeople heavily to pay the great tribute exacted by the Lords of the\nNorth.)\n\n\nIn the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem\nthe son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in\nSamaria. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he\ndeparted not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,\nwherewith he made Israel to sin.\n\nThere came against the land Tiglath-pileser the king of Assyria; and\nMenahem gave Tiglath-pileser a thousand talents of silver, that his\nhand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. And Menahem\nexacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of\neach man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So\nthe king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land. And\nMenahem died; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.\n\n\n{405}{406}\n\n[Illustration]\n DAMASCUS\n\n From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton, Mass.,\n and used by special permission.\n\n \"In the bazars of Damascus can be found all the color and richness\n of the East. In the long dusk tunnels, shot by solid shafts of life,\n all is beautiful--the old walnut wood, the brown tobacco bales, the\n carpets, the spotted brown scones in the bakers' shops, the tawny\n sweetmeats, the golden Hauran wheat, the piles of green melons, the\n tables of snow from Hermon, the armor and the rich saddlebags, the\n human dresses. But even the bazars of Damascus fail to exhaust the\n significance of the city. To gather more of this you must come out\n upon the three great roads which go forth from her--west, south, and\n east. The western travels by Galilee to the Levant and the Nile. The\n southern, which leaves the city by the 'Gates of God,' takes the\n pilgrims to Mecca. The eastern is the road to Bagdad, Egypt, Arabia,\n Persia,--the city of the khalifs lies in the midst of the three, and\n the Mediterranean is behind her.\"--_G. A. Smith_\n[End illustration]\n\n{407}\n\nPEKAHIAH.\n\n\n(We come now to another series of dark and bloody reigns, before the\nsun of Israel set forever in blood. After Pekahiah had reigned for two\nyears, Pekah, the captain of his body guard, overpowered him with a\ncompany of fifty soldiers, and succeeded to the throne.)\n\n\nIn the fiftieth year of Uzziah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of\nMenahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.\nAnd he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed\nnot from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made\nIsrael to sin. And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired\nagainst him, and smote him in Samaria, in the castle of the king's\nhouse, with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the\nGileadites: and he slew him, and reigned in his stead.\n\n\n{408}\n\nPEKAH.\n\n\n(In Pekah's reign those irresistible invasions from the north\ncontinued. The only possible safety lay in a confederacy of all the\nsouthern states. In such a confederacy Israel and Syria and Philistia\njoined. Judah would not come in and the northern states tried to force\nher to do so. This attempt was successful in so far as the defeat of\nJudah was concerned, but the effort instead of uniting only weakened\nthe two nations. The Assyrians overran the northern country, captured\nmany important towns and took many captives. At last Pekah fell a\nvictim to the assassin and Hoshea ruled over a broken and disorganized\nstate.)\n\n\nIn the two and fiftieth year of Uzziah king of Judah Pekah the son of\nRemaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty\nyears. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he\ndeparted not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he\nmade Israel to sin.\n\nIn the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of\nAssyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh,\nand Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he\ncarried them captive to Assyria. And Hoshea the son of Elah made a\nconspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew\nhim, and reigned in his stead.\n\n\n{409}{410}\n\n[Illustration]\n DAMASCUS--THE RIVER ABANA.\n\n From a picture in the possession of the Detroit Photograph Company\n and used by kind permission.\n\n Damascus is one of the oldest cities of the world. It is on the edge\n of the desert and is made possible by the river Abana, which \"bursts\n full born from the heart of Lebanon, runs a course of ten miles in a\n narrow gorge, and from the mouth flings itself abroad in seven\n streams and after watering the greater part of the plain it dies a\n way in a large marsh. Damascus was easily conquered by Nineveh,\n Babylon, and Memphis--she probably preceded them and she has\n outlived them. She has been twice supplanted,--by Antioch, and she\n has seen Antioch decay; by Bagdad, and Bagdad is forgotten. She has\n been many times sacked and twice at least the effective classes of\n her population have been swept into captivity, but this has not\n broken the chain of her history.\"--_G. A. Smith_.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{411}\n\nHOSHEA.\n\n\n(In spite of all the warnings of the prophets the people of Israel\ncontinued to disobey God and to do the things which were evil in his\nsight. The nation had its chance, and it threw that chance away. Then\na terrible fate overtook it. A great wave of invasion came sweeping\ndown from the North, and submerged the Northern kingdom. Samaria, the\ncapital city, was destroyed, and the people were carried away by\nthousands into captivity.)\n\n\nIn the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah\nto reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years. And he did\nthat which was evil in the sight of the Lord, yet not as the kings of\nIsrael that were before him. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of\nAssyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him tribute. And\nthe king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent\nmessengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of\nAssyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria\nshut him up, and bound him in prison. Then the king of Assyria came up\nthroughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three\nyears. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria,\nand carried Israel away unto Assyria, and placed them in the Assyrian\ncities. And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned\nagainst the Lord their God, which brought them up out of the land of\n{412} Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had\nfeared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom the\nLord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of\nIsrael, which they made. And the children of Israel did secretly\nthings that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built\nthem high places in all their cities. And they set them up pillars and\nsacred symbols upon every high hill, and under every green tree: and\nthere they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations\nwhom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to\nprovoke the Lord to anger: and they served idols, whereof the Lord had\nsaid unto them, \"Ye shall not do this thing.\"\n\nYet the Lord testified unto Israel, and unto Judah, by every prophet,\nand by every seer, saying, \"Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my\ncommandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I\ncommanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the\nprophets.\" Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their\nhearts, like to the hearts of their fathers, who believed not in the\nLord their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that\nhe made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified\nunto them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after\nthe nations that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had\ncharged them that they should not do like them. And they forsook all\nthe commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images,\neven two calves, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served\nBaal. And they {413} burned their sons and their daughters as\nsacrifice, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves\nto do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to\nanger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them\nout of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.\nAlso Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked\nin the statutes of Israel which they made. And the Lord rejected all\nthe people of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the\nhand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. For he rent\nIsrael from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of\nNebat king: and Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and\nmade them sin a great sin. And the children of Israel walked in all\nthe sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; until\nthe Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he spoke by all his\nservants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own\nland to Assyria, unto this day.\n\n{414}\n\n{415}\n\nTALES OF THE MACCABEES\n\n{416}\n\n{417}\n\nTALES OF THE MACCABEES\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n\n _Mattathias, a Jewish priest_.\n\n _Sons of Mattathias_.\n _John_,\n _Simon_,\n _Judas_,\n _Eleazar_,\n _Jonathan_,\n\n _Alexander the Great_.\n\n _Antiochus, king of Syria_.\n\n _Syrian generals under Antiochus_.\n _Apollonius_,\n _Seron_,\n _Ptolemy_,\n _Nicanor_,\n _Gorgias_,\n\n _Lysias, regent of Syria_.\n\n _Philip, pretender to Syrian crown_.\n\n _Demetrius I., king of Syria_.\n\n _Syrian generals under Demetrius_.\n _Bacchides_,\n _Nicanor_,\n\n _Alexander Bolas, A general who contested with Demetrius for the\n Syrian crown_.\n\n _Demetrius II., king of Syria_.\n\n _Antiochus, son of Bolas, pretender to the crown_.\n\n _Tryphon, a general who supported Antiochus, and who afterward\n became king_.\n\n _Antiochus VII., brother of Demetrius II., who defeated Tryphon_.\n\n _Ptolemy, king of Egypt_.\n\n\nPLACE OF THE STORY.\n\n The action moves over nearly the whole of Palestine. Some of the\n places mentioned are Modin, home of the Maccabees, Jerusalem,\n Beth-Horon, Bethsura, Jaffa, Kedesh, Gazara.\n\n\n{418}\n\nTHE MACCABEES.\n\n_The Story of a Village Priest and His Five Sons Who Made a Gallant\nStruggle for Liberty_.\n\n\n(Palestine was one of the countries overrun and conquered by Alexander\nthe Great. One of his successors, Antiochus IV., attempted to force\nGreek customs and worship upon the people. Many Jews yielded, but some\nresisted. Because of this resistance the foreign soldiery massacred\nmany of the people, including helpless women and children. Jerusalem\nwas destroyed, and the altars of the Lord broken down and polluted.\nThen, as in the brave days of old, arose a deliverer. A priest named\nMattathias lived with his five stalwart sons in the little village of\nModin. They slew the king's officer who attempted to impose foreign\nreligious rites upon the villagers, and, fleeing to the mountains, set\nup the standard of revolt. The greatest of the sons of the priest was\ncalled Maccabaeus, \"the Hammer,\" because he smote his enemies so\nfiercely. From this, his family and his followers came to be called\n\"Maccabees.\" These great warriors won many battles against great odds,\nand set the nation free. There is no more heroic story in all the\nhistory of Israel than theirs. The story is told in the \"Books of the\nMaccabees,\" which are contained in what is called the \"Apocrypha.\")\n\n[Footnote: Apocrypha--See note at the end of the volume.]\n\n\n{419}\n\nI.\n\n_How Alexander the Great, After He Had Conquered the World, Died, and\nHow the Evil Antiochus Reigned in His Stead in Palestine_.\n\n\nAnd it came to pass, after Alexander the Macedonian, the son of\nPhilip, came and smote Darius king of the Persians and Medes, and\nreigned in his stead, that he fought many battles, and won many\nstrongholds, and slew the kings of the earth, and went through to the\nends of the earth, and took spoils of a multitude of nations. And the\nearth was quiet before him, and he was exalted, and his heart was\nlifted up, and he gathered together an exceeding strong host, and\nruled over countries and nations and principalities, and they became\ntributary unto him. And after these things he fell sick, and perceived\nthat he should die. And he called his generals, and he divided unto\nthem his kingdom, while he was yet alive. And Alexander reigned twelve\nyears, and he died. And his generals bore rule, each one in his place.\nAnd they all put crowns upon themselves after he was dead, and so did\ntheir sons after them many years: and they multiplied evils in the\nearth.\n\nIn those days came there forth out of Israel transgressors of the law,\nand persuaded many, saying, \"Let us go and make a covenant with the\nGentiles that are round about us; for since we were parted from them\nmany evils have befallen us.\"\n\nAnd the saying was good in their eyes. And certain of the people were\neager in this matter and went to the king, and he gave them license to\ndo after the ordinances {420} of the Gentiles. And they forsook the\nholy covenant, and joined themselves to the Gentiles, and sold\nthemselves to do evil.\n\n\nII.\n\n_How Antiochus, After He Had Conquered Egypt, Returned to Bring Woeful\nPersecution Upon the Jews_.\n\n\nAnd a wicked ruler arose, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the\nking, who had been a hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the hundred\nand thirty and seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.\n\nAnd the kingdom was well ordered in the sight of Antiochus, and he\nthought to reign over Egypt, that he might reign over the two\nkingdoms. And he entered into Egypt with a great multitude, with\nchariots, and with elephants, and with horsemen, and with a great\nnavy; and he made war against Ptolemy king of Egypt; and Ptolemy was\nput to shame before him, and fled; and many fell wounded to death. And\nthey got possession of the strong cities in the land of Egypt; and he\ntook the spoils of Egypt.\n\nAnd Antiochus, after he had smitten Egypt, returned in the hundred and\nforty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a\ngreat multitude, and entered presumptuously into the sanctuary, and\ntook the golden altar, and the candlestick, and all that pertained\nthereto, and the table of the showbread, and the cups, and the bowls,\nand the golden censers, and the veil, and the crowns, and the golden\nornaments which were before the temple, and he pulled them all off.\nAnd he took {421} the silver and the gold and the precious vessels;\nand he took the hidden treasures which he found. And when he had taken\nall, he went away into his own land, having made a great massacre.\n\nAnd after two full years the king sent a chief collector of tribute\nunto the cities of Judah, and he came unto Jerusalem with a great\nmultitude. And he spoke peaceable words unto them, but all was deceit:\nfor when they believed him he fell upon the city suddenly, and smote\nit very sore, and destroyed much people out of Israel. And he took the\nspoils of the city, and set it on fire, and pulled down the houses\nthereof and the walls thereof on every side. And they led captive the\nwomen and the children, and the cattle they took in possession. And\nthey builded the city of David with a great and strong wall, with\nstrong towers, and it became unto them a citadel. And they put there a\ngarrison of cruel soldiers, transgressors of the law, and they\nstrengthened themselves therein. And they stored up arms and\nprovisions, and gathering together the spoils of Jerusalem, they laid\nthem up there. And they shed innocent blood on every side of the\nsanctuary, and defiled the sanctuary. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem\nfled because of them; and she became a habitation of strangers, and\nshe became strange to them that were born in her, and her children\nforsook her. Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness, her\nfeasts were turned into mourning, her Sabbaths into reproach, her\nhonor into contempt. According to her glory, so was her dishonor\nmultiplied, and her high estate was turned into mourning.\n\n{422}\n\nAnd King Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one\npeople, and that each should forsake his own laws. And all the nations\nagreed according to the word of the king; and many of Israel consented\nto his worship, and sacrificed to the idols and profaned the Sabbath.\nAnd the king sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities\nof Judah, that they should follow laws strange to the land, and should\nforbid whole burnt offerings and sacrifice and drink offerings in the\nsanctuary; and should profane the Sabbaths and feasts, and pollute the\nsanctuary and them that were holy; that they should build altars, and\ntemples, and shrines for idols, and should sacrifice swine's flesh and\nunclean beasts. And whosoever shall not do according to the word of\nthe king, he shall die. According to all these words wrote he to his\nwhole kingdom; and he appointed overseers over all the people, and he\ncommanded the cities of Judah to sacrifice, city by city. And from the\npeople were gathered together unto them many, everyone that had\nforsaken the law; and they did evil things in the land; and they made\nthe Israelites to hide themselves in every place of refuge which they\nhad.\n\n\nIII.\n\n\n_How Mattathias the Priest and His Five Sons Rebelled Against the\nAuthority of the King, and Fled to the Mountains_.\n\n\nIn those days rose up Mattathias the son of John, the son of Simeon, a\npriest from Jerusalem; and he dwelt at Modin. And he had five sons,\nJohn, who was surnamed {423} Gaddis; Simon, who was called Thassi;\nJudas, who was called Maccabaeus; Eleazar, who was called Avaran;\nJonathan, who was called Apphus.\n\nAnd he saw the blasphemies that were committed in Judah and in\nJerusalem, and he said,--\n\n\"Woe is me! wherefore was I born to see the destruction of my people,\nand the destruction of the holy city, and to dwell there, when it was\ngiven into the hand of the enemy, the sanctuary into the hand of\naliens? Her temple is become as a man without glory: her vessels of\nglory are carried away into captivity, her infants are slain in her\nstreets, her young men with the sword of the enemy. What nation hath\nnot inherited her palaces, and gotten possession of her spoils? her\nadorning is all taken away; instead of a free woman she is become a\nbond woman: and, behold, our holy things and our beauty and our glory\nare laid waste, and the Gentiles have profaned them. Wherefore should\nwe live any longer?\"\n\nAnd Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, and put on sackcloth,\nand mourned exceedingly.\n\nAnd the king's officers, that were enforcing the evil laws, came into\nthe city Modin to sacrifice. And many of Israel came unto them, and\nMattathias and his sons were gathered together. And the king's\nofficers answered and spoke to Mattathias, saying, \"Thou art a ruler\nand an honorable and great man in this city, and strengthened with\nsons and brethren: now therefore come thou first and do the\ncommandment of the king, as all the nations have done, and the men of\nJudah, and they that remain in {424} Jerusalem: and thou and thy house\nshall be in the number of the king's Friends, and thou and thy sons\nshall be honored with silver and gold and many gifts.\"\n\nAnd Mattathias answered and said with a loud voice, \"If all the\nnations that are under the king's dominion hearken unto him, to fall\naway each one from the worship of his fathers, and have made choice to\nfollow his commandments, yet will I and my sons and my brethren walk\nin the covenant of our fathers. Heaven forbid that we should forsake\nthe law and the ordinances. We will not hearken to the king's words,\nto go aside from our worship, on the right hand, or on the left.\"\n\nAnd when he had ceased speaking these words, there came a Jew in the\nsight of all to sacrifice on the altar which was at Modin, according\nto the king's commandment. And Mattathias saw it, and his zeal was\nkindled, and he was hot with indignation, and ran, and slew him upon\nthe altar. And the king's officer, who compelled men to sacrifice, he\nkilled at that time, and pulled down the altar. And Mattathias cried\nout in the city with a loud voice, saying, \"Whosoever is zealous for\nthe law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him come forth after me.\"\n\nAnd he and his sons fled into the mountains, and forsook all that they\nhad in the city.\n\n\n{425}\n\nIV.\n\n\n_How a Thousand Jews Were Slaughtered Because They Would Not Fight on\nthe Sabbath Day_.\n\n\nThen many that sought after justice and judgment, went out into the\nwilderness, to dwell there, they, and their sons, and their wives, and\ntheir cattle; because evils were multiplied upon them. And it was told\nthe king's officers, and the forces that were in Jerusalem, the city\nof David, that certain men, who had broken the king's commandment,\nwere gone out into the secret places in the wilderness; and many\npursued after them, and having overtaken them, they encamped against\nthem, and set the battle in array against them on the Sabbath day.\n\nAnd they said unto them, \"Come forth, and do according to the word of\nthe king, and ye shall live.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"We will not come forth, neither will we do the word of\nthe king, to profane the Sabbath day.\"\n\nAnd they hasted to give them battle. And they answered them not,\nneither cast they a stone at them, nor stopped up the secret places,\nsaying, \"Let us all die in our innocency: heaven and earth witness\nover us, that ye put us to death without trial.\"\n\nAnd they rose up against them in battle on the Sabbath, and they died,\nthey and their wives and their children, and their cattle, to the\nnumber of a thousand souls.\n\n\n{426}\n\nV.\n\n\n_How Mattathias Died, and Bequeathed the Task of Freeing Israel to His\nSons_.\n\n\nAnd Mattathias and his friends knew it, and they mourned over them\nexceedingly. And one said to another, \"If we all do as our brethren\nhave done, and fight not against the Gentiles for our lives and our\nordinances, they will now quickly destroy us from off the earth.\" And\nthey took counsel on that day, saying, \"Whosoever shall come against\nus to battle on the Sabbath day, let us fight against him, and we\nshall in no wise all die, as our brethren died in the secret places.\"\nThen were gathered together unto them a company of mighty men of\nIsrael, every one that offered himself willingly for the law. And all\nthey that fled from the evils were added to them, and became a stay\nunto them. And they mustered a host, and smote sinners in their anger,\nand lawless men in their wrath: and the rest fled to the Gentiles for\nsafety. And Mattathias and his friends went round about, and pulled\ndown the altars. And they pursued after the sons of pride, and the\nwork prospered in their hand. And they rescued the law out of the hand\nof the Gentiles, and out of the hand of the kings, neither suffered\nthey the sinner to triumph.\n\nAnd the days of Mattathias drew near that he should die, and he said\nunto his sons,--\n\n\"Now have pride and rebuke gotten strength, and a season of overthrow,\nand wrath of indignation. And now, my children, be ye zealous for the\nlaw, and give your lives {427} for the covenant of your fathers. And\ncall to remembrance the deeds of our fathers, which they did in their\ngenerations; and receive great glory and an everlasting name. Was not\nAbraham found faithful in temptation, and it was reckoned unto him for\nrighteousness? Joseph in the time of his distress kept the\ncommandment, and became lord of Egypt. Phinehas our father, because he\nwas zealous exceedingly, obtained the covenant of an everlasting\npriesthood. Joshua for fulfilling the word became a judge in Israel.\nCaleb for bearing witness among the people obtained a heritage in the\nland. David for being merciful inherited the throne of a kingdom for\never and ever. Elijah, because he was exceeding zealous for the law,\nwas taken up into heaven. Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, believed, and\nwere saved out of the flame. Daniel for his innocency was delivered\nfrom the mouth of lions. And thus consider ye from generation to\ngeneration, that none that put their trust in him shall want for\nstrength. And be not afraid of the words of a sinful man; for his\nglory shall come to naught. To-day he shall be lifted up, and\nto-morrow he shall not be found, because he is returned unto his dust,\nand his thought is perished. And ye, my children, be strong, and show\nyourselves men in behalf of the law; for therein shall ye obtain\nglory. And, behold, Simon your brother, I know that he is a man of\ncounsel; give ear unto him alway: he shall be a father unto you. And\nJudas Maccabaeus, he hath been strong and mighty from his youth: he\nshall be your captain, and shall fight the battle of the people. And\ntake ye unto you all the doers of {428} the law, and avenge the wrong\nof your people. Render a recompense to the Gentiles, and take heed to\nthe commandments of the law.\"\n\nAnd he blessed them, and was gathered to his fathers. And he died in\nthe hundred and forty and sixth year, and his sons buried him in the\nsepulchers of his fathers at Modin, and all Israel made great\nlamentation for him.\n\n\nVI.\n\n_How \"Judas the Hammer\" Took Command of the Forces of Israel_.\n\nAnd his son Judas, who was called Maccabaeus, rose up in his stead.\nAnd all his brethren helped him, and so did all they that held with\nhis father, and they fought with gladness the battle of Israel. And he\ngot his people great glory, and put on a breastplate as a giant, and\ngirt his warlike harness about him, and set battles in array,\nprotecting the army with his sword. And he was like a lion in his\ndeeds, and as a lion's whelp roaring for prey. And he pursued the\nlawless, seeking them out, and he burnt up those that troubled his\npeople. And the lawless shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of\nlawlessness were sore troubled, and salvation prospered in his hand.\nAnd he angered many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his\nmemorial is blessed for ever. And he went about among the cities of\nJudah, and destroyed the ungodly out of the land, and turned away\nwrath from Israel: and he was renowned unto the utmost part of the\nearth, and he gathered together such as were ready to perish.\n\n{429}{430}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF AN ANCIENT CITY.\n\n This picture shows one of the ruined cities near the coast,\n important during the period of the Maccabees, and later in the time\n of the Crusaders.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{431}\n\nVII.\n\n_How Judas Won His Sword from the Foe_.\n\nAnd Apollonius gathered the Gentiles together, and a great host from\nSamaria, to fight against Israel. And Judas perceived it, and he went\nforth to meet him, and smote him, and slew him: and many fell wounded\nto death, and the rest fled. And they took their spoils, and Judas\ntook the sword of Apollonius, and therewith he fought all his days.\n\n\n\nVIII.\n\n_How Judas, with a Small Force, Overcame the Syrians at Beth-horon_.\n\nAnd Seron, the commander of the host of Syria, heard that Judas had\ngathered a host of faithful men with him, and of such as went out to\nwar; and he said, \"I will make myself a name and get me glory in the\nkingdom; and I will fight against Judas and them that are with him,\nthat set at naught the word of the king.\"\n\nAnd there went up with him also a mighty army of the ungodly to help\nhim, to take vengeance on the children of Israel.\n\nAnd he came near to the pass of Beth-horan, and Judas went forth to\nmeet him with a small company. But when they saw the army coming to\nmeet them, they said unto Judas, \"What? shall we be able, being a\nsmall company, to fight against so great and strong a multitude? and\nwe for our part are faint, having tasted no food this day.\"\n\n{432}\n\nAnd Judas said, \"It is an easy thing for many to be shut up in the\nhands of a few; and with heaven it is all one, to save by many or by\nfew: for victory in battle standeth not in the multitude of a host;\nbut strength is from heaven. They come unto us in fullness of\ninsolence and lawlessness, to destroy us and our wives and our\nchildren, for to spoil us: but we fight for our lives and our laws.\nAnd he himself will discomfit them before our face: but as for you, be\nye not afraid of them.\"\n\nNow when he had left off speaking, he leaped suddenly upon them, and\nSeron and his army were discomfited before him. And they pursued them\nin the pass of Beth-horon unto the plain, and there fell of them about\neight hundred men; but the rest fled into the land of the Philistines.\n\nAnd the fear of Judas and his brethren, and the dread of them, began\nto fall upon the nations round about them: and his name came even unto\nthe king, and every nation told of the battles of Judas.\n\n\nIX.\n\n_How Judas Deceived the Enemy by a Night March, How He Fell Upon the\nSyrian Camp, and Scattered the Syrian Army, Winning Great Glory and\nGaining Much Spoil_.\n\n\nAnd after this Judas appointed leaders of the people, captains of\nthousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and\ncaptains of tens. And the army removed, and encamped upon the south\nside of Emmaus.\n\n{433}\n\nAnd Judas said, \"Gird yourselves, and be valiant men, and be in\nreadiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these Gentiles,\nthat are assembled together against us to destroy us, and our holy\nplace: for it is better for us to die in battle, than to look upon the\nevils of our nation and the holy place. Nevertheless, as may be the\nwill in heaven, so shall he do.\"\n\nAnd Gorgias took five thousand footmen, and a thousand chosen horse,\nand the army marched by night, that it might fall upon the army of the\nJews and smite them suddenly: and the men of the citadel were his\nguides. And Judas heard thereof, and he also marched by night, he and\nthe valiant men, that he might smite the king's host which was at\nEmmaus, while as yet the forces were dispersed from the camp. And\nGorgias came into the camp of Judas by night, and found no man; and he\nsought them in the mountains; for he said, \"These men flee from us.\"\n\nAnd as soon as it was day, Judas appeared in the plain with three\nthousand men: howbeit they had neither suitable armor nor swords. And\nthey saw the camp of the Gentiles strong and fortified, and horsemen\ncompassing it round about; and these were expert in war.\n\nAnd Judas said to the men that were with him, \"Fear ye not their\nmultitude, neither be ye afraid of their onset. Remember how our\nfathers were saved in the Red Sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with a\nhost. And now let us cry unto heaven, if he will pity us, and will\nremember the covenant of our fathers, and destroy this army before us\nto-day: and all the Gentiles shall know that there is one who\nredeemeth and saveth Israel.\"\n\n{434}\n\nAnd the strangers lifted up their eyes, and saw them coming over\nagainst them: and they went out of the camp to battle. And they that\nwere with Judas sounded their trumpets, and joined battle, and the\nGentiles were discomfited, and fled into the plain. But all the\nhindmost fell by the sword: and they pursued them a long distance, and\nthere fell of them about three thousand men.\n\nAnd Judas and his host returned from pursuing after them, and he said\nunto the people, \"Be not greedy of the spoils, inasmuch as there is a\nbattle before us; and Gorgias and his host are nigh unto us in the\nmountain. But stand ye now against our enemies, and fight against\nthem, and afterwards take the spoils with boldness.\"\n\nWhile Judas was yet speaking, there appeared a part of them looking\nout from the mountain: and they saw that their host had been put to\nflight, and that the Jews were burning the camp; for the smoke that\nwas seen declared what was done. But when they perceived these things,\nthey were sore afraid; and perceiving also the army of Judas in the\nplain ready for battle, they fled all of them into the land of the\nPhilistines.\n\nAnd Judas returned to spoil the camp, and they got much gold, and\nsilver, and blue, and sea purple, and great riches. And they returned\nhome, and sang a song of thanksgiving, and gave praise unto heaven;\nbecause his mercy is good, because his mercy endureth forever. And\nIsrael had a great deliverance that day.\n\n{435}{436}\n\n[Illustration]\n SIDON, ON THE ROAD FROM TYRE.\n From a photograph taken by Dr. W. J. Moulton, and used by his kind\n permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{437}\n\nX.\n\n_How Judas Defeated Another Great Army of the Syrians_.\n\n\nBut the strangers, as many as had escaped, came and told Lysias all\nthe things that had happened: but when he heard thereof, he was\nconfounded and discouraged.\n\nAnd in the next year he gathered together threescore thousand chosen\nfootmen, and five thousand horse, that he might subdue them. And they\ncame into Idumaea, and encamped at Bethsura; and Judas met them with\nten thousand men. And he saw that the army was strong, and he prayed\nand said,--\n\n\"Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst quell the onset of\nthe mighty man by the hand of thy servant David, and didst deliver the\narmy of the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul,\nand of his armor-bearer: shut up this army in the hand of thy people\nIsrael, and let them be ashamed for their host and their horsemen:\ngive them faintness of heart, and cause the boldness of their strength\nto melt away, and let them quake at their destruction: cast them down\nwith the sword of them that love thee, and let all that know thy name\npraise thee with thanksgiving.\"\n\nAnd they joined battle; and there fell of the army of Lysias about\nfive thousand men, and they fell down over against them. But when\nLysias saw that his array was put to flight, and the boldness that had\ncome upon them that were with Judas, and how they were ready either to\nlive or to die nobly, he removed to Antioch, and gathered together\nhired soldiers, that he might come again into Judaea with even a\ngreater company.\n\n\n{438}\n\nXI.\n\n\n_How the Temple Was Purified_.\n\n\nBut Judas and his brethren said, \"Behold, our enemies are discomfited:\nlet us go up to cleanse the holy place, and to dedicate it afresh.\"\n\nAnd all the army was gathered together, and they went up unto Mount\nSion. And they saw the sanctuary laid desolate, and the altar\nprofaned, and the gates burned, and shrubs growing in the courts as in\na forest or as on one of the mountains, and the priests' chambers\npulled down; and they rent their clothes, and made great lamentation,\nand put ashes upon their heads, and fell on their faces to the ground,\nand blew with the solemn trumpets, and cried toward heaven. Then Judas\nappointed certain men to fight against those that were in the citadel,\nuntil he should have cleansed the holy place.\n\nAnd he chose blameless priests, such as had pleasure in the law: and\nthey cleansed the holy place, and bore out the stones of defilement\ninto an unclean place. And they took counsel concerning the altar of\nburnt offerings, which had been profaned, what they should do with it:\nand there came into their mind a good counsel, that they should pull\nit down, lest it should be a reproach to them, because the Gentiles\nhad defiled it: and they pulled down the altar, and laid up the stones\nin a convenient place near the temple, until there should come a\nprophet to show what should be done with them. And they took whole\nstones according to the law, and built a new altar after the {439}\nfashion of the former; and they built the holy place, and the inner\nparts of the house; and they hallowed the courts. And they made the\nholy vessels new, and they brought the candlestick, and the altar of\nburnt offerings and of incense, and the table, into the temple. And\nthey burned incense upon the altar, and they lighted the lamps that\nwere upon the candlestick, and they gave light in the temple. And they\nset loaves upon the table, and spread out the veils, and finished all\nthe works which they made.\n\n\nXII.\n\n\n_How the King Himself, with an Army of 100,000 Men and a Herd of\nThirty-two Fighting Elephants Came Against Judas, and How an\nIndecisive Battle Was Fought. How Eleazar Did a Brave Deed and Died in\nthe Doing of It_.\n\n\nAnd when the king heard this, he was angry, and gathered together all\nhis Friends, even the generals of his host, and the captains of the\nhorse. And there came unto him from other kingdoms, and from isles of\nthe sea, bands of hired soldiers. And the number of his forces was a\nhundred thousand footmen, and twenty thousand horsemen, and two and\nthirty elephants trained for war. And they went through Idumaea, and\nencamped against Bethsura, and fought against it many days, and made\nengines of war; and they of Bethsura came out, and burned them with\nfire, and fought valiantly.\n\nAnd Judas removed from the citadel, and encamped at Bethzacharias,\nover against the king's camp. And the {440} king rose early in the\nmorning, and removed his army at full speed along the road to\nBethzacharias, and his forces made them ready to battle, and sounded\nthe trumpets. And they showed the elephants the blood of grapes and\nmulberries, that they might prepare them for the battle. And they\ndivided the beasts among the phalanxes, and they set by each elephant\na thousand men armed with coats of mail, and helmets of brass on their\nheads; and for each elephant were appointed five hundred chosen\nhorsemen. These were ready beforehand, wheresoever the elephant was;\nand whithersoever the elephant went, they went with him; they departed\nnot from him. And towers of wood were upon them, strong and covered,\none upon each elephant, girt fast upon him with cunning contrivances;\nand upon each elephant were two and thirty valiant men that fought\nupon them, beside his driver (and the rest of the horsemen he set on\nthis side and that side at the two parts of the army), striking terror\ninto the enemy, and protected by the phalanxes. Now when the sun shone\nupon the shields of gold and brass, the mountains shone therewith, and\nblazed like torches of fire.\n\nAnd a part of the king's army was spread upon the high mountains, and\nsome on the low ground, and they went on firmly and in order. And all\nthat heard the noise of their multitude, and the marching of the\nmultitude, and the rattling of the arms, trembled: for the army was\nexceeding great and strong.\n\n{441}{442}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF THE CASTLE AT SIDON.\n\n From a photograph taken by Dr. W. J. Moulton, and used by his kind\n permission.\n\n The famous city on the coast which held, with its great rival, Tyre,\n the commercial supremacy of the East. It was the scene of\n innumerable battles and sieges.\n[End illustration]\n\n{443}\n\nAnd Judas and his army drew near for battle, and there fell of the\nking's army six hundred men. And Eleazar, who was called Avaran, saw\none of the elephants armed with royal breastplates, and he was higher\nthan all the elephants, and the king seemed to be upon him; and he\ndetermined to deliver his people, and to get him an everlasting name;\nand he ran upon him courageously into the midst of the phalanx, and\nslew on the right hand and on the left, and they parted asunder from\nhim on this side and on that. And he crept under the elephant, and\nthrust him from beneath, and slew him; and the elephant fell to the\nearth upon him, and he died there. And they saw the strength of the\nkingdom, and the fierce onset of the hosts, and they retreated.\n\n\nXIII.\n\n_How Judas Defeated Nicanor and Cut Off His Head_.\n\n\nAnd the king sent Nicanor, one of his honorable princes, a man that\nhated Israel and was their enemy, and commanded him to destroy the\npeople. And Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a great host; and he sent\nunto Judas and his brethren deceitfully with words of peace, saying,\n\"Let there be no battle between me and you; I will come with a few\nmen, that I may see your faces in peace.\"\n\nAnd he came to Judas, and they saluted one another peaceably. And the\nenemies were ready to take away Judas by violence. And the thing was\nknown to Judas, that he came unto him with deceit, and he was sore\nafraid of him, and would see his face no more. And Nicanor knew that\nhis counsel was discovered; and he went out {444} to meet Judas in\nbattle, and there fell of Nicanor's side about five hundred men, and\nthey fled into the city of David.\n\nAnd after these things Nicanor went up to Mount Sion: and there came\nsome of the priests out of the sanctuary, and some of the elders of\nthe people, to salute him peaceably, and to show him the whole burnt\nsacrifice that was being offered for the king. And he mocked them, and\nlaughed at them, and entreated them shamefully, and spoke haughtily,\nand swore in a rage, saying, \"Unless Judas and his army be now\ndelivered into my hands, it shall be that, if I come again in peace, I\nwill burn up this house\": and he went out in a great rage. And the\npriests entered in, and stood before the altar and the temple; and\nthey wept, and said, \"Thou didst choose this house to be called by thy\nname, to be a house of prayer and supplication for thy people: take\nvengeance on this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword:\nremember their blasphemies, and suffer them not to live any longer.\"\n\nAnd Nicanor went forth from Jerusalem, and encamped in Beth-horon, and\nthere joined him the host of Syria. And Judas encamped with three\nthousand men: and Judas prayed and said, \"When they that came from the\nking blasphemed, thine angel went out, and smote among them a hundred\nand fourscore and five thousand. Even so discomfit thou this army\nbefore us to-day, and let all the rest know that he hath spoken\nwickedly against thy sanctuary, and judge thou him according to his\nwickedness.\"\n\nAnd on the thirteenth day of the month Adar the armies {445} joined\nbattle: and Nicanor's army was discomfited, and he himself was the\nfirst to fall in the battle. Now when his army saw that Nicanor was\nfallen, they cast away their arms, and fled. And the Jews pursued\nafter them a day's journey, and they sounded an alarm after them with\nthe solemn trumpets. And they came forth out of all the villages of\nJudaea round about, and hemmed them in on every side, so that they all\nfell by the sword, and there was not one of them left. And they took\nthe spoils, and the booty, and they smote off Nicanor's head, and his\nright hand, which he stretched out so haughtily, and brought them, and\nhanged them up beside Jerusalem. And the people were exceeding glad,\nand they kept that day as a day of great gladness. And they ordained\nto keep this day year by year, the thirteenth day of Adar. And the\nland of Judah had rest a little while.\n\n\nXIV.\n\n_How Judas Made a Treaty with Rome_.\n\nAnd Judas heard of the fame of the Romans, that they are valiant men,\nand have pleasure in all that join themselves unto them, and make a\nleague with all such as come unto them. And they told him of their\nwars and exploits which they do among the Gauls, and how that they\nconquered them, and brought them under tribute; and what things they\ndid in the land of Spain, that they might become masters of the mines\nof silver and gold which were {446} there; and how by their policy and\npersistence they conquered all the place (and the place was exceeding\nfar from them), and the kings that came against them from the\nuttermost part of the earth, until they had discomfited them, and\nsmitten them very sore; and how the rest give them tribute year by\nyear: Antiochus also, the great king of Asia, who came against them to\nbattle, having a hundred and twenty elephants, with horse, and\nchariots, and an exceeding great host, and he was discomfited by them,\nand they took him alive, and appointed that both he and such as\nreigned after him should give them a great tribute, and should give\nhostages, and the country of India, and Media, and Lydia, and of the\ngoodliest of their countries; and they took them from him, and gave\nthem to King Eumenes: and how they of Greece took counsel to come and\ndestroy them; and the thing was known to them, and they sent against\nthem a captain, and fought against them, and many of them fell down\nwounded to death, and they made captive their wives and their\nchildren, and spoiled them, and conquered their land, and pulled down\ntheir strongholds, and spoiled them, and brought them into bondage\nunto this day: and the rest of the kingdoms and of the isles, as many\nas rose up against them at any time, they destroyed and made them to\nbe their servants; but with their friends and such as relied upon them\nthey kept peace; and they conquered the kingdoms that were near and\nthose that were far off, and all that heard of their fame were afraid\nof them: moreover, whomsoever they will to succor and to make kings,\nthese {447} do they make kings; and whomsoever they will, do they\ndepose; and they are exalted exceedingly: and for all this none of\nthem did ever put on a crown, neither did they clothe themselves with\npurple, to be magnified thereby: and how they had made for themselves\na senate house, and day by day three hundred and twenty men sat in\ncouncil, consulting alway for the people, to the end they might be\nwell ordered: and how they commit their government to one man year by\nyear, that he should rule over them, and be lord over all their\ncountry, and all are obedient to that one, and there is neither envy\nnor emulation among them.\n\nAnd Judas chose Eupolemus the son of John, and Jason, and sent them to\nRome, to make a league of peace and confederacy with them, and that\nthey should take the yoke from them; for they saw that the kingdom of\nthe Syrians did keep Israel in bondage. And they went to Rome (and the\nway was exceeding long), and they entered into the senate house, and\nsaid, \"Judas, who is also called Maccabaeus, and his brethren, and the\npeople of the Jews, have sent us unto you, to make a confederacy and\npeace with you, and that we might be registered your confederates and\nfriends.\"\n\nAnd the thing was well-pleasing in their sight. And this is the copy\nof the writing which they wrote back again on tables of brass, and\nsent to Jerusalem, that it might be with them there for a memorial of\npeace and confederacy:--\n\nGood success be to the Romans, and to the nation of the Jews, by sea\nand by land for ever: the sword also and the {448} enemy be far from\nthem. But if war arise for Rome first, or any of their confederates in\nall their dominion, the nation of the Jews shall help them as\nconfederates, as the occasion shall prescribe to them, with all their\nheart: and unto them that make war upon them they shall not give,\nneither supply, food, arms, money, or ships, as it hath seemed good\nunto Rome, and they shall keep their ordinances without taking\nanything therefor. In the same manner moreover if war come first upon\nthe nation of the Jews, the Romans shall help them as confederates\nwith all their soul, as the occasion shall prescribe to them: and to\nthem that are confederates with their foes there shall not be given\nfood, arms, money, or ships, as it hath seemed good unto Rome; and\nthey shall keep these ordinances, and that without deceit. According\nto these words have the Romans made a covenant thus with the people of\nthe Jews. But if hereafter the one party and the other shall take\ncounsel to add or diminish anything, they shall do it at their\npleasure, and whatsoever they shall add or take away shall be\nestablished.\n\n\nXV.\n\n_How Judas, Fighting Desperately Against Fearful Odds, Died Upon the\nField of Battle_.\n\nAnd Demetrius, the king who succeeded Antiochus, heard that Nicanor\nwas fallen with his forces in battle, and he sent Bacchides and\nAlcimus again into the land of Judah a second time, and the right wing\nof his army with them: and they went by the way that leadeth to\nGilgal, and encamped against Mesaloth, which is in Arbela, and {449}\ngot possession of it, and destroyed much people. And the first month\nof the hundred and fifty and second year they encamped against\nJerusalem: and they removed, and went to Berea, with twenty thousand\nfootmen and two thousand horse. And Judas was encamped at Elasa, and\nthree thousand chosen men with him: and they saw the multitude of the\nforces, that they were many, and they feared exceedingly: and many\nslipped away out of the army; there were not left of them more than\neight hundred men.\n\nAnd Judas saw that his army slipped away, and that the battle pressed\nupon him, and he was sore troubled in heart, for he had no time to\ngather them together, and he became discouraged. And he said to them\nthat were left, \"Let us arise and go up against our adversaries, if\nperadventure we may be able to fight with them.\"\n\nAnd they would have dissuaded him, saying, \"We shall in no wise be\nable: but let us rather save our lives now: let us return again, we\nand our brethren, and fight against them: but we are few.\"\n\nAnd Judas said, \"Let it not be so that I should do this thing, to flee\nfrom them: and if our time is come, let us die manfully for our\nbrethren's sake, and not stain our honor.\"\n\nAnd the host removed from the camp, and stood to encounter them, and\nthe horse was parted into two companies, and the slingers and the\narchers went before the host, and all the mighty men that fought in\nthe front of the battle.\n\nBut Bacchides was in the right wing; and the phalanx drew near on the\ntwo parts, and they blew with their {450} trumpets. And the men of\nJudas' side, even they sounded with their trumpets, and the earth\nshook with the shout of the armies, and the battle was joined, and\ncontinued from morning until evening.\n\nAnd Judas saw that Bacchides and the strength of his army were on the\nright side, and there went with him all that were brave in heart, and\nthe right wing was discomfited by them, and he pursued after them unto\nthe mount Azotus. And they that were on the left wing saw that the\nright wing was discomfited, and they turned and followed upon the\nfootsteps of Judas and of those that were with him: and the battle\nwaxed sore, and many on both sides fell wounded to death.\n\nAnd Judas fell, and the rest fled. And Jonathan and Simon took Judas\ntheir brother, and buried him in the sepulcher of his fathers at\nModin. And they bewailed him, and all Israel made great lamentation\nfor him, and mourned many days, and said, \"How is the mighty fallen,\nthe saviour of Israel!\"\n\n\n(Judas' last battle, in which, with only 800 men, he almost overcame\n22,000, has been called the \"Thermopylae of the Jews.\" The following\nis an estimate of the character and services of this great leader:--\n\n\"In the long roll of Israelitish worthies we meet with no more\nstriking personality than that of Judas Maccabaeus. His piety was\nmanifest to all; his motives were pure and unselfish; he fought for\nGod's glory and his country's good. His unselfish devotion was equaled\nby his military genius. For seven years, with an enthusiasm that never\nflagged, he led the Jews to victory, and died only when the noblest\nheroism could not conquer.\")\n\n{451}\n\nXVI.\n\n_How Jonathan Became Leader in Place of Judas_.\n\nAnd it came to pass after the death of Judas, that the lawless took\ncourage and became active in all the land of Israel, and all they that\nwrought iniquity rose up (in those days was there an exceeding great\nfamine), and the country went over with them. And Bacchides chose out\nthe ungodly men and made them lords of the country. And they sought\nout and searched for the friends of Judas, and brought them unto\nBacchides, and he took vengeance on them, and used them despitefully.\nAnd there was great tribulation in Israel, such as was not since the\ntime of the prophets. And all the friends of Judas were gathered\ntogether, and they said unto Jonathan, \"Since thy brother Judas hath\ndied, we have no man like him to go forth against our enemies and\nBacchides, and among them of our nation that hate us. Now therefore we\nhave chosen thee this day to be our prince and leader in his stead,\nthat thou mayest fight our battles.\"\n\nAnd Jonathan took the leadership upon him at that time, and rose up in\nplace of his brother Judas.\n\n\nXVII.\n\n_How Jonathan and His Men, After Fighting a Superior Force, Swam the\nJordan River and Escaped_.\n\nWhen Bacchides heard that the Jews had chosen another leader, he came\non the Sabbath day unto the banks {452} of Jordan with a great host.\nAnd Jonathan said to his company, \"Let us stand up now and fight for\nour lives, for it is not with us to-day, as yesterday and the day\nbefore. For, behold, the battle is before us and behind us; moreover\nthe water of the Jordan is on this side and on that side, and marsh\nand wood; and there is no place to turn aside. Now therefore cry unto\nheaven, that ye may be delivered out of the hand of your enemies.\"\n\nAnd the battle was joined, and Jonathan stretched forth his hand to\nsmite Bacchides, and he escaped from him. And Jonathan and they that\nwere with him leaped into the Jordan, and swam over to the other side:\nand the Syrians did not pass over Jordan against them. And there fell\nof Bacchides' company that day about a thousand men.\n\n\nXVIII.\n\n_How King Demetrius Made a Treaty and How Jonathan, in Despite of Him,\nTook the City of Joppa_.\n\n\n(Alexander slew Demetrius and succeeded him as king, but a son of\nDemetrius, also named Demetrius, attempted to recover his father's\nkingdom, and sent an army into Palestine. Jonathan remained on the\nside of King Alexander, and conquered Apollonius, general of\nDemetrius.)\n\n\nAnd in the hundred and threescore and fifth year came Demetrius, son\nof Demetrius, out of Crete into the land of his fathers: and King\nAlexander heard thereof, and he was grieved exceedingly, and returned\nunto Antioch. And Demetrius appointed Apollonius, who was over\nCoelesyria, and he gathered together a great host, and encamped in\nJamnia, and sent unto Jonathan, the high priest, saying,--\n\n{453}{454}\n\n[Illustration]\n SITE OF APHAMEA.\n\n From a photograph in the possession of Rev. Louis F. Giroux of the\n American International College, Springfield, Mass., and used by his\n kind permission.\n\n The capital of Seleucus Nicator, one of Alexander's generals,\n founder of the famous dynasty of the Seleucidae. These kings are\n mentioned in the book of Daniel and in the books of the Maccabees.\n This is the region from which the kings of the North used to come\n down against Palestine\n[End illustration]\n\n{455}\n\n\"Thou alone liftest up thyself against us, but I am had in derision\nand in reproach because of thee. And why dost thou vaunt thy power\nagainst us in the mountains? Now therefore, if thou trustest in thy\nforces, come down to us into the plain, and there let us try the\nmatter together; for with me is the power of the cities. Ask and learn\nwho I am, and the rest that help us; and they say, 'Your foot cannot\nstand before our face; for thy fathers have been twice put to flight\nin their own land.' And now thou shalt not be able to abide the horse\nand such a host as this in the plain, where is neither stone nor\nflint, nor place to flee unto.\"\n\nNow when Jonathan heard the words of Apollonius, he was moved in his\nmind, and he chose out ten thousand men, and went forth from\nJerusalem, and Simon his brother met him to help him. And he encamped\nagainst Joppa: and they of the city shut him out, because Apollonius\nhad a garrison in Joppa: and they fought against it. And they of the\ncity were afraid, and opened unto him: and Jonathan became master of\nJoppa.\n\n\nXIX.\n\n_How Jonathan Put to Rout Apollonius and His Regiments of Cavalry_.\n\n\nAnd Apollonius heard, and he gathered an army of three thousand horse,\nand a great host, and went to Azotus as though he were on a journey,\nand from thence drew {456} onward into the plain, because he had a\nmultitude of horse, and trusted therein. And Jonathan pursued after\nhim to Azotus, and the armies joined battle.\n\nAnd Apollonius had left a thousand horse behind them in ambush. And\nJonathan knew that there was an ambush behind him. And they surrounded\nhis army, and cast their darts at the people, from morning until\nevening: but the people stood still, as Jonathan commanded them: and\ntheir horses were wearied. And Simon drew forth his host, and joined\nbattle with the phalanx (for the horsemen were tired), and they were\ndiscomfited by him, and fled. And the horsemen were scattered in the\nplain, and they fled to Azotus, and entered into Beth-dagon, their\nidol's temple, to save themselves.\n\nAnd Jonathan burned Azotus, and the cities round about it, and took\ntheir spoils; and the temple of Dagon, and them that fled into it, he\nburned with fire. And they that had fallen by the sword, with them\nthat were burned, were about eight thousand men. And from thence\nJonathan marched, and encamped against Ascalon, and they of the city\ncame forth to meet him with great pomp. And Jonathan, with them that\nwere on his side, returned unto Jerusalem, having many spoils.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when King Alexander heard these things, he\nhonored Jonathan; and he sent unto him a buckle of gold, as the custom\nis to give to such as are of the kindred of the kings: and he gave him\nEkron and all the coasts thereof for a possession.\n\n{457}{458}\n\n[Illustration]\n JAFFA, THE ANCIENT JOPPA.\n\n Joppa has a long and famous history of battle and siege. Many times\n it has changed hands and has known many masters. Its Jewish\n inhabitants were massacred early in the Maccabean struggle. It was\n attacked at night by Judas Maccabeus, who burned the boats in the\n harbor. It was captured by Jonathan and again by Simon. It was\n several times captured in the Roman wars--by Gallus, when 8,400 Jews\n were killed; by Vespasian, in 68 A.D., when 4,200 people perished.\n It was the seat of conflict during the Crusades, and was taken by\n Napoleon.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{459}\n\nXX.\n\n_How Jonathan and Two Valiant Captains Stood Against a Host_.\n\n\nAnd Jonathan heard that Demetrius' princes were come to Kedesh, which\nis in Galilee, with a great host, purposing to remove him from his\noffice; and he went to meet them, but Simon his brother he left in the\ncountry.\n\nAnd Simon encamped against Bethsura, and fought against it many days,\nand shut it up: and they desired to have peace, which he granted them,\nand he put them out from thence, and took possession of the city, and\nset a garrison over it.\n\nAnd Jonathan and his army encamped at the water of Gennesaret, and\nearly in the morning they went to the plain of Hazor. And, behold, an\narmy of strangers met him in the plain, and they laid an ambush for\nhim in the mountains, but themselves met him face to face. But they\nthat lay in ambush rose out of their places, and joined battle; and\nall they that were of Jonathan's side fled: not one of them was left,\nexcept Mattathias the son of Absalom, and Judas the son of Chalphi,\ncaptains of the forces.\n\nAnd Jonathan rent his clothes, and put earth upon his head, and\nprayed. And he turned again unto them in battle, and put them to the\nrout, and they fled. And they of his side that fled saw it, and\nreturned unto him, and pursued with him unto Kedesh unto their camp,\nand they encamped there. And there fell of the strangers on that day\nabout three thousand men: and Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.\n\n{460}\n\nXXI.\n\n_How Jonathan Fell at Last Into the Hands of a Crafty Foe_.\n\n\nAnd Tryphon sought to reign over Asia and to put on himself the crown,\nand to stretch forth his hand against Antiochus the king. And he was\nafraid lest Jonathan should not permit him, and lest he should fight\nagainst him; and he sought a way how to take him, that he might\ndestroy him. And he removed, and came to Bethshan. And Jonathan came\nforth to meet him with forty thousand men chosen for battle, and came\nto Bethshan. And Tryphon saw that he came with a great host, and he\nwas afraid to stretch forth his hand against him: and he received him\nhonorably, and commended him unto all his Friends, and gave him gifts,\nand commanded his forces to be obedient unto him, as unto himself. And\nhe said unto Jonathan, \"Why hast thou put all this people to trouble,\nseeing there is no war between us? And now send them away to their\nhomes, but choose for thyself a few men who shall be with thee, and\ncome thou with me to Ptolemais, and I will give it up to thee, and the\nrest of the strongholds and the rest of the forces, and all the king's\nofficers: and I will return and depart; for this is the cause of my\ncoming.\"\n\nAnd he put trust in him, and did even as he said, and sent away his\nforces, and they departed into the land of Judah. But he reserved to\nhimself three thousand men, of whom he left two thousand in Galilee,\nbut one thousand went with him. Now as soon as Jonathan entered into\nPtolemais, they of Ptolemais shut the gates, and laid hands on him;\nand all them that came in with him they slew with the sword.\n\n{461}{462}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE LAKE OF GALILEE.\n\n The Galilee country, so important in the life of Jesus, was the\n scene of many of the operations of the military campaigns of the\n Maccabees.\n[End illustration]\n\n{463}\n\nAnd Tryphon sent forces and horsemen into Galilee, and into the great\nplain, to destroy all Jonathan's men. And they perceived that he was\ntaken and had perished, and they that were with him; and they\nencouraged one another, and went on their way close together, prepared\nto fight. And they that followed upon them saw that they were ready to\nfight for their lives, and turned back again.\n\nAnd they all came in peace into the land of Judah, and they mourned\nfor Jonathan, and them that were with him, and they were sore afraid;\nand all Israel mourned with a great mourning. And all the Gentiles\nthat were round about them sought to destroy them utterly: for they\nsaid, \"They have no captain, nor any to help them: now therefore let\nus fight against them, and take away their memory from among men.\"\n\n\nXXII.\n\n_How Simon Became Captain in Place of Jonathan_.\n\nAnd Simon heard that Tryphon had gathered together a mighty host to\ncome into the land of Judah, and destroy it utterly. And he saw that\nthe people trembled and were in great fear; and he went up to\nJerusalem, and gathered the people together; and he encouraged them,\nand said unto them, \"Ye yourselves know all the things that I, and my\nbrethren, and my father's house, have done for the laws and the\nsanctuary, and the battles and the distresses which we have seen: by\nreason hereof all my brethren have {454} perished for Israel's sake,\nand I am left alone. And now be it far from me, that I should spare\nmine own life in any time of affliction; for I am not better than my\nbrethren, Howbeit I will take vengeance for my nation, and for the\nsanctuary, and for our wives and children; because all the Gentiles\nare gathered to destroy us of very hatred.\"\n\nAnd the spirit of the people revived, as soon as they heard these\nwords. And they answered with a loud voice, saying, \"Thou art our\nleader instead of Judas and Jonathan thy brother. Fight thou, our\nbattles, and all that thou shalt say unto us, that will we do.\"\n\nAnd he gathered together all the men of war, and made haste to finish\nthe walls of Jerusalem, and he fortified it round about. And he sent\nJonathan the son of Absalom, and with him a great host, to Joppa: and\nhe cast out those that were therein, and abode there in it.\n\n\nXXIII.\n\n_How the Enemy Was Hindered by a Great Fall of Snow, and How Jonathan\nMet His Death_.\n\nAnd Tryphon removed from Ptolemais with a mighty host to enter into\nthe land of Judah, and Jonathan was with him in prison. But Simon\nencamped at Adida, over against the plain. And Tryphon knew that Simon\nwas risen up instead of his brother Jonathan, and meant to join battle\nwith him, and he sent ambassadors unto him, saying, \"It is for money\nwhich Jonathan thy brother owed unto the king's treasure, by reason of\nthe offices which he had, that we hold him fast.\n\n{465}{466}\n\n[Illustration]\n JERUSALEM\n\n From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library, and used by kind permission.\n\n This view is taken from the city walls. The famous mosque of Omar is\n in the center.\n\n \"Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.\n \"Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:\n \"Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,\n unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.\n \"For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.\n \"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.\n \"Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{467}\n\nAnd now send a hundred talents of silver, and two of his sons for\nhostages, that when he is set at liberty he may not revolt from us,\nand we will set him at liberty.\"\n\nAnd Simon knew that they spoke unto him deceitfully; and he sendeth\nthe money and the children, lest peradventure he should procure to\nhimself great hatred of the people, and they should say, \"Because I\nsent him not the money and the children, he perished.\"\n\nAnd he sent the children and the hundred talents. And Tryphon dealt\nfalsely, and did not set Jonathan at liberty. And after this Tryphon\ncame to invade the land, and destroy it, and he went round about by\nthe way that leadeth unto Adora: and Simon and his army marched over\nagainst him to every place, wheresoever he went. Now they of the\ncitadel sent unto Tryphon ambassadors, hastening him to come unto them\nthrough the wilderness, and to send them provisions. And Tryphon made\nready all his horse to come: and on that night there fell a very great\nsnow, and he came not because of the snow.\n\nAnd he removed, and came into the country of Gilead. But when he came\nnear to Bascama, he slew Jonathan, and he was buried there. And\nTryphon returned, and went away into his own land.\n\n\nXXIV.\n\n_How Simon Built a Great Monument in Honor of His Father, His Mother,\nand His Valiant Brethren_.\n\nAnd Simon sent, and took the bones of Jonathan his brother, and buried\nhim at Modin, the city of his fathers. {468} And all Israel made great\nlamentation over him, and mourned for him many days. And Simon built a\nmonument upon the sepulcher of his father and his brethren, and raised\nit aloft to the sight, with polished stone behind and before. And he\nset up seven pyramids, one over against another, for his father, and\nhis mother, and his four brethren. And for these he made cunning\ndevices, setting about them great pillars, and upon the pillars he\nfashioned all manner of arms for a perpetual memory, and beside the\narms ships carved, that they should be seen of all that sail on the\nsea. This is the sepulcher which he made at Modin, and it is there\nunto this day.\n\n\nXXV.\n\n_How Simon Made a Treaty of Peace with King Demetrius_.\n\nNow Tryphon dealt deceitfully with the young king Antiochus, and slew\nhim, and reigned in his stead, and put on himself the crown of Asia,\nand brought a great calamity upon the land. And Simon built the\nstrongholds of Judaea, and fortified them with high towers, and great\nwalls, and gates, and bars; and he laid up provisions in the\nstrongholds. And Simon chose men, and sent to King Demetrius, to give\nthe country help, because all that Tryphon did was to plunder. And\nKing Demetrius sent unto him according to these words, and answered\nhim, and wrote a letter unto him, after this manner:--\n\n{469}{470}\n\n[Illustration]\n JERUSALEM\n\n From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public\n Library, and used by kind permission.\n\n This is a beautiful picture of a portion of that city which was so\n greatly beloved by the people of Judah.\n[End illustration]\n\n{471}\n\n\"_King Demetrius unto Simon the high priest and Friend of kings, and\nunto the elders and nation of the Jews, greeting:_--\n\n\"The golden crown, and the palm branch, which ye sent, we have\nreceived: and we are ready to make a steadfast peace with you, yea,\nand to write unto our officers, to grant immunities unto you. And\nwhatsoever things we confirmed unto you, they are confirmed; and the\nstrongholds, which ye have builded, let them be your own. As for any\noversights and faults committed unto this day, we forgive them, and\nthe crown tax which ye owed us: and if there were any other toll\nexacted in Jerusalem, let it be exacted no longer. And if there be any\namong you meet to be enrolled in our court, let them be enrolled, and\nlet there be peace betwixt us.\"\n\nIn the hundred and seventieth year was the yoke of the heathen taken\naway from Israel. And the people began to write in their instruments\nand contracts, \"In the first year of Simon the great high priest and\ncaptain and leader of the Jews.\"\n\n\nXXVI.\n\n_How the City of Gazara and the Citadel of Jerusalem Fell Into the\nHands of Simon_.\n\n\n(Gazara is the city called in the Old Testament Gaza. It has recently\nbeen excavated, and many ancient buildings have been dug up. One of\nthem is thought to be the palace which Simon built.)\n\n\nIn those days he encamped against Gazara, and compassed it round about\nwith armies; and he made an engine of siege, and brought it up to the\ncity, and smote a tower, and took it. And they that were in the engine\nleaped forth into the city; and there was a great uproar in the {472}\ncity: and they of the city rent their clothes, and went up on the\nwalls with their wives and children, and cried with a loud voice,\nbeseeching Simon to give them peace. And they said, \"Deal not with us\naccording to our wickednesses, but according to thy mercy.\"\n\nAnd Simon was reconciled unto them, and did not fight against them:\nand he put them out of the city, and cleansed the houses wherein the\nidols were, and so entered into it with singing and giving praise. And\nhe put all uncleanness out of it, and placed in it such men as would\nkeep the law, and made it stronger than it was before, and built\ntherein a dwelling place for himself.\n\nBut they of the citadel in Jerusalem were hindered from going forth,\nand from going into the country, and from buying and selling; and they\nhungered exceedingly, and a great number of them perished through\nfamine. And they cried out to Simon, that he should give them peace;\nand he gave it to them: and he put them out from thence, and he\ncleansed the citadel from its pollutions. And he entered into it on\nthe three and twentieth day of the second month, in the hundred and\nseventy and first year, with praise and palm branches, and with harps,\nand with cymbals, and with viols, and with hymns, and with songs:\nbecause a great enemy was destroyed out of Israel.\n\nAnd he ordained that they should keep that day every year with\ngladness. And the hill of the temple that was by the citadel he made\nstronger than before, and there he dwelt, himself and his men. And\nSimon saw that John his son was a valiant man, and he made him leader\nof all his forces: and he dwelt in Gazara.\n\n{473}{474}\n\n[Illustration]\n ASCALON, ON THE SHORE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN.\n From a photograph of the Palestine Exploration Fund, and used by\n special permission.\n\n Here was once an important city on the low sandy coast without a\n harbor. It was captured by Jonathan in the Maccabean wars, and was\n an important city during the time of the Crusades.\n[End illustration]\n\n{475}\n\nXXVII.\n\n_How There Was Prosperity in the Land in the Days of Simon_.\n\nAnd the land had rest all the days of Simon: and he sought the good of\nhis nation; and his authority and his glory was well-pleasing to them\nall his days. And amid all his glory he took Joppa for a haven, and\nmade it a port of entrance for the isles of the sea; and he enlarged\nthe borders of his nation, and got possession of the country; and he\ngathered together a great number of captives, and got the dominion of\nGazara, and Bethsura, and the citadel, and he took away from it its\nuncleannesses; and there was none that resisted him. And they tilled\ntheir land in peace, and the land gave her increase, and the trees of\nthe plains their fruit. The ancient men sat in the streets, they\ncommuned all of them together of good things, and the young men put on\nglorious and warlike apparel. He provided victuals for the cities, and\nfurnished them with all manner of munition, until the name of his\nglory was named unto the end of the earth. He made peace in the land,\nand Israel rejoiced with great joy: and they sat each man under his\nvine and his fig tree, and there was none to make them afraid: and\nthere ceased in the land any that fought against them: and the kings\nwere discomfited in those days. And he strengthened all those of his\npeople that were brought low: the law he searched out, and every\nlawless and wicked person he took away. He glorified the sanctuary,\nand the vessels of the temple he multiplied.\n\n\n{476}\n\nXXVIII.\n\n_How Antiochus, the Brother of King Demetrius, Spurned the Friendship\nof Simon_.\n\nBut Antiochus the king encamped against Dor the second day, bringing\nhis forces up to it continually, and making engines of war, and he\nshut up Tryphon from going in or out. And Simon sent him two thousand\nchosen men to fight on his side; and silver, and gold, and instruments\nof war in abundance. And he would not receive them, but set at naught\nall the covenants which he had made with him before, and was estranged\nfrom him. And he sent unto him Athenobius, one of his Friends, to\ncommune with him, saying,--\n\n\"Ye hold possession of Joppa and Gazara, and the citadel that is in\nJerusalem, cities of my kingdom. The borders thereof ye have wasted,\nand done great hurt in the land, and got the dominion of many places\nin my kingdom. Now therefore deliver up the cities which ye have\ntaken, and the tributes of the places whereof ye have gotten dominion\nwithout the borders of Judaea: or else give me for them five hundred\ntalents of silver; and for the harm that ye have done, and the\ntributes of the cities, five hundred talents more: or else we will\ncome and subdue you.\"\n\nAnd Athenobius the king's Friend came to Jerusalem; and he saw the\nglory of Simon, and the cupboard of gold and silver vessels, and his\ngreat attendance, and he was amazed; and he reported to him the king's\nwords. And Simon answered, and said unto him,--\n\n{477}{478}\n\n[Illustration]\n BARLEY HARVEST NEAR BETHLEHEM.\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n So Boaz and his harvesters must have looked in the time of Ruth.\n Bethlehem is one of the most fertile spots in rugged Judaea. Though\n the wilderness is not far away, here a spot of great fertility gave\n rise to the name of the \"House of Bread.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{479}\n\n\"We have neither taken other men's land, nor have we possession of\nthat which appertaineth to others, but of the inheritance of our\nfathers; howbeit, it was had in possession of our enemies wrongfully\nfor a certain time. But we, having opportunity, hold fast the\ninheritance of our fathers. As touching Joppa and Gazara, which thou\ndemandest, they did great harm among the people throughout our\ncountry, but we will give a hundred talents for them.\"\n\nAnd he answered him not a word, but returned in a rage to the king,\nand reported unto him these words, and the glory of Simon, and all\nthat he had seen: and the king was exceeding wroth. But Tryphon\nembarked on board a ship, and fled to Orthosia.\n\n\nXXIX.\n\n_How the Chief Captain of Antiochus Invaded Israel, and How He Was\nDefeated by the Sons of Simon in a Great Battle at Modin_.\n\nAnd the king appointed Cendebaeus chief captain of the sea coast, and\ngave him forces of foot and horse: and he commanded him to encamp\nbefore Judaea, and he commanded him to build up Kidron, and to fortify\nthe gates, and that he should fight against the people: but the king\npursued Tryphon. And Cendebaeus came to Jamnia, and began to provoke\nthe people, and to invade Judaea, and to take the people captive, and\nto slay them. And he built Kidron, and set horsemen there, and forces\nof foot, so that issuing out they might make raids into Judaea,\naccording as the king commanded him.\n\n{480}\n\nAnd John went up from Gazara, and told Simon his father what\nCendebaeus was doing. And Simon called his two eldest sons, Judas and\nJohn, and said unto them, \"I and my brethren and my father's house\nhave fought the battles of Israel from our youth, even unto this day;\nand things have prospered in our hands, that we should deliver Israel\noftentimes. But now I am old, and ye moreover, by his mercy, are of a\nsufficient age: be ye instead of me and my brother, and go forth and\nfight for our nation; but let the help which is from heaven be with\nyou.\"\n\nAnd he chose out of the country twenty thousand men of war and\nhorsemen, and they went against Cendebaeus, and slept at Modin. And\nrising up in the morning, they went into the plain, and, behold, a\ngreat host came to meet them, of footmen and horsemen: and there was a\nbrook between them. And he encamped over against them, he and his\npeople: and he saw that the people were afraid to pass over the brook,\nand he passed over first, and the men saw him and passed over after\nhim. And he divided the people, and set the horsemen in the midst of\nthe footmen: but the enemies' horsemen were exceeding many. And they\nsounded the trumpets; and Cendebaeus and his army were put to the\nrout, and there fell of them many wounded to death, but they that were\nleft fled to the stronghold: at that time was Judas John's brother\nwounded: but John pursued after them, till he came unto Kidron, which\nCendebaeus had built; and they fled unto the towers that are in the\nfields of Azotus; and he burned it with fire; and there fell of them\nabout two thousand men. And he returned into Judaea in peace.\n\n\n{481}\n\nXXX.\n\n_How Simon and His Sons Were Betrayed and Murdered While\nSitting at a Banquet_.\n\nAnd Ptolemy the son of Abubus had been appointed captain for the plain\nof Jericho, and he had much silver and gold; for he was the high\npriest's son in law. And his heart was lifted up, and he was minded to\nmake himself master of the country, and he took counsel deceitfully\nagainst Simon and his sons, to make away with them.\n\nNow Simon was visiting the cities that were in the country, and taking\ncare for the good ordering of them; and he went down to Jericho,\nhimself and Mattathias and Judas his sons, in the hundred and seventy\nand seventh year, in the eleventh month: and the son of Abubus\nreceived them deceitfully into the little stronghold that is called\nDok, which he had built, and made them a great banquet, and hid men\nthere. And when Simon and his sons had drunk freely, Ptolemy and his\nmen rose up, and took their arms, and came in upon Simon into the\nbanqueting place, and slew him, and his two sons, and certain of his\nservants. And he committed a great iniquity, and recompensed evil for\ngood. And Ptolemy wrote these things, and sent to the king, that he\nshould send him forces to aid him, and should deliver him their\ncountry and the cities. And he sent others to Gazara to make away with\nJohn: and unto the captains of thousands he sent letters to come unto\nhim, that he might give them silver and gold and gifts. And others he\nsent to take possession of Jerusalem, and the mount of the temple.\n\n{482}\n\nAnd one ran before to Gazara, and told John that his father and\nbrethren were perished, \"and he hath sent to slay thee also.\" And when\nhe heard, he was sore amazed; and he laid hands on the men that came\nto destroy him, and slew them; for he perceived that they were seeking\nto destroy him.\n\n\n(This ends the story of a brave and successful attempt to win liberty\nfor a downtrodden nation. \"More than thirty years had passed since\nMattathias openly resisted the religious persecution of his nation. In\nthe faithful and skillful hands of his sons the crusade inaugurated by\nhim had been singularly successful. One by one they had fallen in the\nsacred cause which he had committed to them. But they had not shed\ntheir blood in vain. The valor of the Maccabees had rehabilitated the\nJewish nation. Not only was the old spirit of independence thoroughly\naroused, but there was also developed a new consciousness of the worth\nof their revealed religion. As the most thrilling epoch in Jewish\nhistory, and that which shaped the last phase of Jewish belief prior\nto the advent of our Lord, the age of the Maccabees has a peculiar\ninterest for the student of history.\"--_W. Fairweather in Hastings'\nDictionary of the Bible_.\n\nThe dynasty of the Maccabees continued until the time of our Lord, but\nthe noble blood of the heroes degenerated until the brilliant but\ncruel and evil-minded Herod the Great, by the murder of his own sons,\nended the famous line of the Maccabees.)\n\n{483}{484}\n\n[Illustration]\n JERUSALEM: LOOKING ALONG THE NORTHERN WALL.\n\n The large building on the right is the new hospice for Russian\n pilgrims. Modern Jerusalem is growing rapidly in this direction to\n north and west on the high land. The road seen is a new one winding\n around the city and over the Mount of Olives to Jericho.\n[End illustration]\n\n{485}\n\nNOTES\n\n{486}\n\n{487}\n\nNOTES\n\nTALES OF THE FAR-OFF DAYS.\n\n_Shinar_. A part of the great plain of Babylon (the Babel of the\nstory). On this plain great towers of bricks, once temples of the\ngods, are found. This story seems to be told about one of these great\ntowers.\n\n\nRUTH.\n\n_Moab_ lies across the Dead Sea from Judah. One can see its hills from\nthe heights about Bethlehem, and to this day grain is brought across\nfrom its fields and sold in Jerusalem.\n\n\n_Kinsman_. In the East the duty of caring for the family was very\nsacredly held. If a person was injured, he must be avenged by his\nkinsman. If he became poor, his kinsman must aid him. If he was\nobliged to sell land, his kinsman should buy it if he could, so that\nit need not go out of the family. According to one set of Hebrew laws,\nshould a married man die without children, it was the duty of a\nkinsman to marry his widow, as Boaz did Ruth.\n\n\nDEBORAH.\n\nAll the story of Deborah falls in the northern part of Israel. Zebulon\nand Naphtali were in the Northern hills, which in the New Testament\ntime were called Galilee, where Jesus lived. The river Kishon flowed\nthrough a plain just to the south of the hills, in the {488} territory\nof Asher. Dan and Asher also lay in the Northern hills, and Issachar\nsouth of Naphtali and Zebulon. Gilead and Machir were across the\nJordan from Issachar. The people in the south of Palestine were not\nconcerned in this war. It brought out the heroism of a few of the\npeople of Israel, but the rest were either too cowardly or too far\naway to take part in it.\n\n_Shamgar_. One of the judges preceding Deborah.\n\n\nESTHER.\n\n_Ahasuerus_, the king who is called Xerxes in Greek, and who invaded\nGreece. The heroic little nation of the Greeks conquered his great\narmy, and he went back to his huge empire of Persia with no gain or\nglory. He was luxurious and selfish. The picture of him in this story\nis like that given everywhere else. He was only great because he ruled\na great kingdom, and he was not noble in any way.\n\n_Shushan_, the capital of ancient Persia, then the center of the power\nand commerce of the world, as the capital of the greatest nation\nalways was. During the Bible times the great empires were Babylon,\nAssyria, then Babylon again, Persia, Greece, Rome. During much of the\ntime the second great power of the world was Egypt.\n\n_Tebeth_, a month corresponding to parts of December and January. The\nJewish year began in the early spring, and Tebeth was the tenth month.\n\n_Purim_, a feast kept before the New Testament time. Later, when the\nJews were hated and shamefully abused by Christians, Purim was a\nfavorite feast, because it gave great opportunity for the Jews to\nexpress their contempt for their oppressors. It was always a noisy and\njoyful feast. The book of Esther was read in the synagogues, and\nwhenever the name of Haman was pronounced in the reading, the boys\nrapped on the floors and benches, making a great noise. It came, as\nthe story of Esther tells, in the middle of Adar, which is in February\nand March.\n\n\n{489}\n\nJUDITH.\n\n_Apocrypha_. The name given to a collection of books of various\nkinds, long used as a part of the Old Testament, and still so regarded\nby the Catholic church. They were not held to be sacred by the\nJews, but were by the early church. They contain histories, tales,\nbooks of wisdom and good advice. Some of the histories, like that\nof the Maccabees in this volume, are excellent and keep close to\ntruth, but some of the tales, while stories of great interest, do not\npretend to be exact statements of fact. Such is this story of Judith.\nAll of them, however, are written to show some character of\nheroism or goodness. This story of Judith is a stirring tale of\nbravery. Bravery is something that men and women, boys and\ngirls, all need to learn.\n\n\n_Holofernes_, called a general of Nebuchadnezzar in the story. A king\nnamed Orophernes was the friend of a later king who was an enemy of\nthe Jews. This may be the origin of the name.\n\n\n_Asher_, a tribe of Israel living in Northern Palestine.\n\n\n_Dotaea_, the Dothan of the Old Testament.\n\n\n_Geba_, a common name of towns in Palestine. It means \"hill.\" This\nGeba was about three miles north of Samaria.\n\n\n_Scythopolis_. The Bethshan of the Old Testament, about three miles\nfrom the river Jordan.\n\n\n_Bethulia_. A town near Dothan, the site not known. It may be that, in\nan original form of the story, some other place was named, possibly\nSamaria or Jerusalem.\n\n\n_Children of Esau_. Edomites, who were long at sharp enmity with the\nJews.\n\n\n{490}\n\nSTORIES OF ELIJAH AND ELISHA.\n\n_Cherith_, thought by some to be the Wady Kelt, one of the deep narrow\nvalleys between Jerusalem and the Jordan, where the land is\nuninhabited, all a mass of rock and steep mountain and desert.\n\n\n_Zarephath_, a village on a promontory by the shore, about eight miles\nsouth of Zidon.\n\n\n_Zidon_. One of the great cities of commerce in the ancient world. It\ntraded with Egypt, Greece, Carthage, and even distant Spain. It is\nstill a town of some importance, with ruins of the ancient walls and\ntowers about the harbor.\n\n\n_Baal and Asherah_. Symbols of the Canaanite and Phoenician gods. The\npeople had worshiped the Canaanite gods, or Baals, ever since they\ncame to Palestine, and the prophets had tried to get them to worship\nonly Jehovah, but without entire success. In the time of Elijah the\nwicked Jezebel was queen. She had come from Phoenicia, the land of\nTyre and Zidon, and did all she could to increase the Baal worship.\nHow Elijah fought against it is told in one of these stories.\n\n\n_Jezreel_. A beautiful town northeast of Samaria, for a time a royal\nresidence.\n\n\n_Samaria_. The capital of Northern Israel during the latter part of\nits history. It was situated on a hill at the head of a beautiful\nvalley, and was an important town for a long time.\n\n\n_Gilgal_. The name of several places in Palestine. This Gilgal seems\nto have been not far from Bethel.\n\n\n_Shunem_. A village not far from Jezreel, near Mount Tabor.\n\n\n_Mount Carmel_. The only mountain that runs out to the Mediterranean\nin the land of Israel. From its top one can look in all directions\nover the land and the sea, for it stands with the sea on the west and\na great plain on all other sides.\n\n{491}{492}\n\n[Illustration]\n BETHLEHEM.\n\n This picture shows the outer walls of the famous Church of the Nativity.\n[End illustration]\n\n{493}\n\n_Syria_ was for a time a kingdom stronger than Israel. Its\ncapital was at the famous old city of Damascus.\n\n\n_Abana and Pharpar_ are rivers which flow from the mountains past\nDamascus, giving it water and fertility in the midst of a plain that\nis almost a desert. So the people of Damascus are very proud of their\nrivers.\n\n\n_Rimmon_. The god that Naaman's king worshiped, and to whom Naaman had\nto bow down when he attended the king in the temple.\n\n\nTALES OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE.\n\nJONAH.\n\n_Nineveh_. The greatest, most hated city in the ancient world. It was\nthe center of more barbaric cruelty in both war and peace than any\nother place. This story shows that God cares even for the people of a\nwicked place like Nineveh.\n\n\n_Tarshish_. Probably in Spain.\n\n\nSAMSON.\n\n_Timnah_. On the south side of the valley of Sorek, in the western\npart of Palestine, northeast of Jerusalem. The whole story of Samson\nis laid in this region, between Jerusalem and Joppa.\n\n\n_Philistines_. A people which had taken the plains west of the hills\nof Judaea, and for a long time were the rivals and enemies of Israel.\n\n{494}\n\n_Nazirite_. A man who had taken a vow not to cut his hair, not to eat\ngrapes or drink wine, and not to touch a dead body. It was one way of\nexpressing devotion to God.\n\n\n_Dagon_. The god of the Philistines.\n\n\nDANIEL.\n\n_Pulse_. A sort of pea; good, healthy food, but not delicate or\nluxurious.\n\n\n_Chaldeans_. Usually the people of Babylon. In Daniel, however, it\nmeans a class of people who practiced sorcery.\n\n\n_Medes_. The Persians and Medes were combined into the Persian empire.\nIt was they who took Babylon, and put an end to the Babylonian empire,\nthough the city of Babylon was still for many hundred years a great\ncenter of commerce and of learning.\n\n\nNEHEMIAH.\n\n_Shushan_. See notes on Esther.\n\n\n_Chislev_. A month corresponding to parts of November and December.\nNisan corresponds to parts of March and April.\n\n\n_Artaxerxes_. King of Persia, the son of the Xerxes of the story of\nEsther.\n\n\n_Tirshatha_. An officer of the empire, appointed for a special\nservice.\n\n\n_Feast of Booths_. One of the three great feasts of the Hebrews. It\nwas a joyful feast, a thanksgiving time. During the feast the people\nlived in booths, from which comes the name.\n\n\n{495}\n\nTHE STORY OF THE DIVIDED KINGDOM.\n\n\n_Ethiopians_. Just at this time the people of the distant south ruled\nEgypt, and they were known as Ethiopians.\n\n\n_Asherim, Asheroth_. (See note on Elijah and Elisha.) The name\nAsheroth is formed as though there were a goddess Asherah.\n\n\n_Ships of Tarshish_. That is, ships like those which were built to go\nto Tarshish in Spain; just as ships built like those that sailed to\nEast India used to be called Indiamen.\n\n\n_Ophir_. A place from which gold and other things were brought. Where\nit was is still unknown.\n\n\n_Valley of Salt_. The valley of the Dead Sea. Its southern part is\nfull of places where salt is found.\n\n\n_Assyria_. This great empire, with its capital at Nineveh on the\nTigris, was for a long time greatly feared by Israel. It kept all the\nsmall nations about under tribute, and was very cruel in all its wars,\nso that when, after several generations, it fell, there was great\nrejoicing.\n\n\n_Carchemish_. A town on the Euphrates, which was often the scene of\ngreat battles.\n\n\n_Bethel and Dan_ were the two extremes of the northern kingdom of\nIsrael. Both had perhaps been sacred places long before.\n\n\n_Tirzah_. A town in a beautiful situation, the capital of North Israel\nfrom the time of Jeroboam till the time of Omri, who built Samaria.\n\n\n{496}\n\nTALES OF THE MACCABEES.\n\n_Kingdom of the Greeks_. Alexander the Great conquered all western\nAsia as far as the borders of India. After his death the empire was\ndivided among his generals. One of the divisions became the kingdom of\nSyria, and it was Syria that ruled over Judaea in the time of this\nheroic story. Because the kingdom began with the Greek rule, and still\nkept more or less of the Greek customs and religion, it was still\ncalled the kingdom of the Greeks.\n\n\n_Modin_. A town below the hills of Judaea, to the west, not\nmentioned in either the Old or the New Testament.\n\n\n_Beth-horon_. A valley leading west from the hills of Judaea,\nsomewhat north of Jerusalem. In the early wars of Joshua and the\nJudges this was also the scene of many battles.\n\n\n_Bethsura_. A town in the mountains not far from Hebron. It had long\nbeen a fortress of Judaea.\n\n\n_Azotus and Askelon_. Towns in the southwest of Judah.\n\n\n{497}{498}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF BETH-EL.\n\n Situated high up on the central range of Palestine, Bethel was from\n the earliest times a \"holy place.\" It reached the height of its\n importance under the reign of Jeroboam II., who made it the\n religious capital of the northern kingdom, and instituted there the\n worship of the golden calves.\n[End illustration]\n\n{499}\n\nMEMORY VERSES\n\n{500}\n\n{501}\n\nMEMORY VERSES\n\n_One for Each Week of the Year_.\n\nThe Lord reigneth; he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed\nwith strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is\nstablished, that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of old:\nthou art from everlasting.--_Psalms 93:1,2_.\n\n\nHonor and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his\nsanctuary.--_Psalms 96:6_.\n\n\nBehold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the\nsmall dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very\nlittle thing.--_Isaiah 40:15_.\n\n\nJustice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth\nshall go before thy face.--_Psalms 89:14_.\n\n\nClouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment\nare the habitation of his throne.--_Psalms 97:2_.\n\nHis lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and {502}\ntrembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at\nthe presence of the Lord of the whole earth.--_Psalms 97:4,5_.\n\n\nThe Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of\ngreat mercy.--_Psalms 145:8_.\n\n\nThe Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is\nthe strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?--_Psalms 27:1_.\n\n\nGod is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.\n--_Psalms 46:1_.\n\n\nMy son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of\nhis correction.--_Proverbs 3:11_.\n\n\nFor the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and\nglory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk\nuprightly.--_Psalms 84:11_.\n\n\nBless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy\nname.--_Psalms 103:1_.\n\n\nBut, as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have\nentered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for\nthem that love him.--_I Corinthians 2:9_.\n\n{503}\n\nThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise\nwisdom and instruction.--_Proverbs 1:7_.\n\n\nLet all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world\nstand in awe of him.--_Psalms 33:8_.\n\n\nThen they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the\nLord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written\nbefore him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his\nname.--_Malachi 3:16_.\n\n\nAnd they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I\nmake up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son\nthat serveth him.--_Malachi 3:17_.\n\n\nBut the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon\nthem that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's\nchildren.--_Psalms 103:17_.\n\n\nThe Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his\npeople with peace.--_Psalms 29:11_.\n\n\nThe fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the\nLord are true and righteous altogether.--_Psalms 19:9_.\n\n{504}\n\nThy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord,\nfor ever.--_Psalms 93:5_.\n\n\nFor the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any\ntwo-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and\nspirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the\nthoughts and intents of the heart.--_Hebrews 4:12_.\n\n\nHeaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass\naway.--_Luke 21:33_.\n\n\nI will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy\nword.--_Psalms 119:16_.\n\n\nThe law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and\nsilver.--_Psalms 119:72_.\n\n\nTherefore I love thy commandments above gold, yea, above fine\ngold.--_Psalms 119:127_.\n\n\nMy soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them\nexceedingly.--_Psalms 119:167_.\n\n\nMy soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.\n--_Psalms 119:81_.\n\n\n{505}\n\nHe hath not dealt so with any nation; and as for his judgments, they\nhave not known them. Praise ye the Lord.--_Psalms 147:20_.\n\n\nAnd I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my\npeople.--_Leviticus 26:12_.\n\n\nBut the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence\nbefore him.--_Habakkuk 2:20_.\n\n\nAnd I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the\ntabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they\nshall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their\nGod.--_Revelation 21:3_.\n\n\nO worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear\nbefore him, all the earth.--_Psalms 96:9_.\n\n\nGreat is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is\ninfinite.--_Psalms 147:5_.\n\n\nThe eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the\ngood.--_Proverbs 15:3_.\n\n\nO Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my\ndownsitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar\noff.--_Psalms 139:1,2_.\n\n{506}\n\nWith him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and\nunderstanding.--_Job 12:13_.\n\n\nHe that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye,\nshall he not see?--_Psalms 94:9_.\n\n\nFor great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be\nfeared above all gods.--_I Chronicles 16:25_.\n\n\nFor he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of\nmen.--_Lamentations 3:33_.\n\n\nAs a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his\nsheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will\ndeliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the\ncloudy and dark day.--_Ezekiel 34:12_.\n\n\nAnd ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God,\nsaith the Lord God.--_Ezekiel 34:31_.\n\n\nHow beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth\ngood tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of\ngood, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God\nreigneth!--_Isaiah 52:7_.\n\n\nArise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is\nrisen upon thee.--_Isaiah 60:1_.\n\n{507}\n\nThus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my\nfootstool.--_Isaiah 66:1_.\n\n\nHo, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath\nno money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without\nmoney and without price.--_Isaiah 55:1_.\n\n\nIf thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty,\ngive him water to drink: for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his\nhead, and the Lord shall reward thee.--_Proverbs 25:21,22_.\n\n\nWhen a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at\npeace with him.--_Proverbs 16:7_.\n\n\nA scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto\nthe wise.--_Proverbs 15:12_.\n\n\nMy son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.\nFor length of days, and long life and peace, shall they add unto\nthee.--_Proverbs 3:1,2_.\n\n\nLet not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write\nthem upon the table of thine heart. So shalt thou find favor and good\nunderstanding in the sight of God and man.--_Proverbs 3:3,4_.\n\n{508}\n\nTrust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to thine own\nunderstanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy\npaths.--_Proverbs 3:5,6_.\n\n\n[End of \"VOLUME THREE: TALES OF OLD JUDAEA\"]\n\n--------------------------------------------------\n\n[Start of \"VOLUME FOUR: LIFE OF JESUS\"]\n\n{1}\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY\n\n{2}\n\n{3}\n\n{4}\n\n{5}\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY\n\nVOLUME FOUR\n\nLIFE OF JESUS\n\nARRANGED AND EDITED BY\n\nREV. NEWTON MARSHALL HALL, D.D.\n\nMINISTER OF THE NORTH CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS\n\nAND\n\nREV. IRVING FRANCIS WOOD, PH.D.\n\nPROFESSOR OF\nBIBLICAL LITERATURE AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION\nAT SMITH COLLEGE\n\nAuthors of \"_The Early Days of Israel\" \"Advanced Bible Studies\" Etc._\n\n\nTHE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY\nSPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS\n\nCHICAGO\nCLEVELAND\n\n{6}\n\nCOPYRIGHT, 1906,\nCOPYRIGHT, 1917,\n\nBY THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY,\nSPRINGFIELD, MASS.\n\n{7}\n\nPREFACE.\n\nIn this volume is told the story of the life of Jesus as it moves on\nsteadily through the gospels. The story shows a life not simply\n\"good,\" but heroic. A life with a mighty purpose, nobly planned,\nsplendidly carried out. It is a life which appeals to the love of the\nheroic in character that exists in every child's mind. The second part\nis simply a continuation of the first. The heroic spirit, the love of\nhumanity which was in Jesus was communicated to his disciples. These\ndisciples went forth \"into all the world,\" to teach men the gospel of\nthe \"man of Nazareth.\" The adventures they had, the sufferings they\nendured, the victories they won, are recorded here.\n\nThe book aims especially to show the development of the heroic life of\nJesus through its different stages. The text is a reproduction of the\nNew Testament accounts, being drawn from all the Gospels. Here and\nthere, as in the other volumes, a sentence or two of introduction and\nconnection has been prefixed to certain sections, to furnish needed\ninformation. It is hoped that the book may in some measure help its\nreaders, whether young or old, to see more clearly the beauty and the\nheroism which these stories portray.\n\n{8}\n\n{9}\n\nCONTENTS.\n\nTHE LIFE OF THE LORD JESUS.\n\nPALESTINE IN THE DAYS OF THE LORD JESUS 17\n\n1 _How the Lord Jesus Spent His Boyhood_. 33\n\n I The Nativity. 37\n II The Wise Men. 41\n III A Journey to the Land of the Pharaohs. 45\n IV The Boyhood of Jesus. 49\n\n2 _How the Lord Jesus began to win the love of many people_. 61\n\n I The Baptism of Jesus. 65\n II The Temptation in the Wilderness. 70\n III The First Disciples. 74\n IV The First Miracle. 78\n V At the Passover. 79\n VI Jesus at Jacob's Well. 82\n VII The Good Samaritan. 88\n VIII Jesus and the King's Officer. 92\n IX The Choosing of the Twelve Disciples. 94\n\n3 _How the Lord Jesus went about doing good, teaching and\n healing, and how He grew in favor with the people_. 103\n\n I The Sermon on the Mount 105\n II The Roman Soldier's Faith. 121\n III Days of Service. 125\n IV The Miracle at Nain. 130\n V The Great Teacher. 133\n VI The Tempest. 136\n VII The Little Girl Who Died. 141\n VIII Learning to Serve. 143\n IX The Feeding of the Multitude. 144\n X Jesus and John the Baptist. 149 {10}\n\n4 _How, while He was still teaching and healing, many began\n to turn against Him, and how He, seeing that He must suffer\n to save the people, took up the journey to the cross_. 159\n\n I The Beginning of the End. 161\n II The Enemies of Jesus. 167\n III A Long Journey. 172\n IV The Shadow of the Cross. 178\n V The Transfiguration. 180\n VI Teaching the Disciples. 185\n VII Jesus and Little Children. 188\n VIII Jesus at Jerusalem. 190\n IX At the Feast of Dedication. 197\n X Stories of the Divine Forgiveness. 202\n XI The Rich Young Man. 211\n XII The Raising of Lazarus from the Dead. 215\n XIII Zacchaeus the Publican. 221\n\n5 _How the Lord Jesus spent His last days in Jerusalem, how\n He loved His friends unto the end, how He fell into the\n hands of His enemies, and how He crowned a life of\n service with an heroic death_. 227\n\n I The Supper at Bethany. 229\n II The Entry into Jerusalem. 233\n III In the Temple. 237\n IV Last Days at Jerusalem. 238\n V The Last Supper. 248\n VI The Betrayal. 264\n VII The Trial. 268\n VIII The Judgment. 272\n IX The Crucifixion. 281\n X The Burial. 286\n\n6 _How the Lord Jesus rose again from the dead, how He\n comforted His disciples, and how He sent them out, to\n teach all men in His name_. 295\n I The Resurrection. 297\n II On the Way to Emmaus. 301 {11}\n III Doubting Thomas. 305\n IV \"Feed My Sheep\". 307\n V The Ascension. 310\n\nLEADERS AND VICTORIES OF THE NEW FAITH.\n\n1 _How the new faith spread from Jerusalem_. 323\n I The Day of Pentecost. 325\n II A Miracle of the New Faith. 330\n III Ananias and Sapphira. 335\n IV The First Martyr. 339\n V Simon the Sorcerer. 346\n VI Philip and the Queen's Officer. 348\n VII Peter and Dorcas. 350\n VIII Peter and the Roman Captains. 353\n IX The First Missionary Journeys. 357\n X Peter in Prison. 359\n\nMISSIONARY JOURNEYS AND ADVENTURES OF PAUL.\n\nPAUL THE APOSTLE. 367\n\n1 _How Paul the Persecutor laid aside the\n old life and took up the new_. 371\n\n2 _The First Missionary Journey_. 376\n I Paul and Barnabas Sail for Cyprus. 376\n II From Cyprus to Antioch. 380\n III Through the Towns of Galatia. 385\n IV A Disturbance in the Church. 388\n\n3 _The Second Missionary Journey_. 392\n I Revisiting the Scenes of Former Victories. 395\n II \"The Macedonian Cry\". 396\n III Preaching in the Macedonian Cities. 403 {12}\n IV Paul at Athens. 404\n V Tentmaking in Corinth. 408\n\n4 _The Third Missionary Journey_. 417\n I Far and Wide by Land and Sea. 418\n II A Riot in Ephesus. 418\n III Farewells to the Churches. 422\n\n5 The Captain of the New Faith in the Hands of His Foes. 433\n I The Jews Stir Up a Riot. 433\n II On the Castle Stairs. 434\n III A Citizen of the Empire. 441\n IV Paul Before the Council. 442\n V A Conspiracy Against Paul. 445\n VI The Accusation of the Jews. 448\n VII A New Examination Before Governor Festus. 452\n VIII Paul Makes His Defense Before King Agrippa and\n Queen Bernice. 455\n\n6 _The Captain of the New Faith in the Capital of the Caesars_ 462\n I Paul's Voyage to Rome. 462\n II A Winter's Storm on the Mediterranean. 469\n III At Malta. 474\n IV Paul at the City on the Tiber. 478\n\nNOTES. 483\n\nMEMORY VERSES. 499\n\n{13}\n\nThe Life of the Lord Jesus\n\n{14}\n\n{15}{16}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE NATIVITY.\n By Lerolle.\n\n \"O blessed day which giv'st the eternal lie\n To self, and sense, and all the brute within;\n Oh! come to us amid the war of life;\n To hall and hovel come! to all who toil\n In senate, shop, or study! and to those\n Ill-warmed and sorely tempted--\n Come to them, blest and blessing, Christmas Day!\n Tell them once more the tale of Bethlehem,\n The kneeling shepherds and the babe divine;\n And keep them men indeed, fair Christmas Day!\"\n --_Charles Kingsley_.\n\n{17}\n\nPALESTINE IN THE DAYS OF THE LORD JESUS\n\nPalestine was a busy country in the days when the Lord Jesus lived in\nit. Hundreds of little villages were scattered all over its hills,\nwith here and there a great town, where all day long crowds of people\npassed in and out the gates of the gray stone walls. Greatest of all\nthe cities, loved by every Jew in the world, was Jerusalem, but more\ntrade flowed in and out of some other cities. All over the country\nwere roads running from city to city. He who traveled on a great road\nsaw much of the world. There were the country people going into the\ncity to sell fruit and firewood, merchants riding past on asses,\npatient pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem, trains of mules and long\ncaravans of slow-moving camels loaded with the goods of distant\ncountries, crossing Palestine to the ports of the Mediterranean Sea,\nand here and there a Roman officer hurrying past on some grave\nbusiness of the empire. All this made the roads, even to a boy shut in\nby the hills of Galilee, a series of pictures that waked his\nimagination of the great world beyond the mountains. This was even\nmore the case in Galilee, where Jesus lived when a boy, than it was in\nthe southern part of the land, in Judaea. In Judaea nearly all the\npeople were Jews, and very proud they {18} were of the fact. In\nGalilee many belonged to other nations, and the Judaeans looked down\non Galilee and thought it was half heathen. But even in Galilee there\nwere many earnest Jews, and it may be doubted if, after all,\nhalf-heathen Galilee was not a better place for a boy to grow up in\nthan was proud Jerusalem. It is better for a boy to be able to\nsympathize with those who do not belong to his set, than to look down\non other people because they are somehow different from him.\n\nAnd then the schools and the churches! Every village in Palestine had\nthem, and the school was in the church. The beginning of the training\nwas at home. There is little doubt, however, that in the time of\nJesus, Nazareth had a school, and that Jesus with the other boys was\ntaught to read the Old Testament in Hebrew. The people no longer spoke\nthe language in their homes, but it was always read in the services on\nthe Sabbath, and the teaching of the schools was in it, as in the\nolden time the teaching of the schools in Europe was in Latin. On the\nSabbath all the people came to these places of worship, which were\ncalled synagogues, and read the Old Testament and prayed to God and\nsometimes heard a sermon from some wise man who had something he\nwished to say to the people. Sometimes the man who preached was an old\nrabbi, who had thought about the great things of his religion for many\nyears, until all the people had come to look with great respect on so\nwise and venerable a man. Sometimes it was a younger man, but with the\nfire of youth, and then when the people went home their hearts burned\nwith a great {19} longing that their God would show himself to them in\nsome wonderful deed of power. But the years passed on and the divine\ndeed of power never came. So some of the people became disheartened\nand almost ceased to care what happened to their religion, except that\nif anyone insulted it, their anger burned up very quickly, and their\nhands reached for sticks and stones to throw at the man who dared to\nsay a word against their faith. But others studied their old books\nwith still more diligence, and strove so hard to keep all the laws\nthey found, that almost no time was left to do anything else. Very\nmuch above the common people they felt themselves in their religious\npride, and religious pride is the very worst pride in all the world.\nSuch were the Pharisees, of whom the New Testament tells so much. But\nall over the country, both among the Pharisees and among the other\npeople, were many patiently waiting and earnestly praying that God\nwould show himself to his people.\n\nHow did they want God to show himself? In some great act of relief for\nthe nation. During these years Rome ruled over all the lands of\nwestern Asia. Now the rule of Rome was the wisest and best rule that\nthese lands had ever known. Sometimes a selfish or a cruel officer\nappeared, who cared for nothing but the money he could get from the\npeople, or who turned his soldiers into the streets to kill and\nplunder as they pleased, but generally the Romans made good and just\ngovernors. But the Jews were not content. They remembered the time\nwhen kings of their own nation had ruled over them, and they dreamed\n{20} dreams of a glorious future when God would free them from all\nforeign power, and Jerusalem should rule the world. They were very\nsure that this would come sometime. God would not always let a heathen\narmy keep the castle which overlooked his own temple in Jerusalem.\nThey read in the prophets of the Old Testament about a Prince and a\nSaviour whom God would send some day. This Prince was called the\nMessiah, and the hope of his coming was the Messianic hope. Every\ngeneration hoped that he would come in their day. Year by year they\nsaid, \"It must be before long. God cannot wait much longer.\" Some of\nthem thought that Israel itself was not pure enough, and that this\nkept back the Messiah. \"If Israel kept the law perfectly for one day,\"\nso they said, \"the Messiah would come.\" Others thought that they ought\nnot to sit still and do nothing, but should be brave and strike a blow\nfor their own liberty. Such men were looking for a leader, but no\nleader had yet been found. So all the people, with their various ways\nof thinking, were looking and longing and waiting for the Messiah. Is\nit any wonder that, when Jesus began to teach and do cures, the\npeople asked one another if this might not be the Messiah, and that\nthey sometimes tried to make him a leader to free them from the\nRomans? To understand what the people thought of Jesus and how Jesus\ntalked to the people, one must know how this hope of the Messiah was\nall the time in the people's minds. They were ever saying, \"Is not\nthis the Messiah?\" Jesus was ever answering, \"Not the Messiah you\nexpect.\" They were ever asking him, \"Will you now found the kingdom?\"\n\n{21}{22}\n\n[Illustration]\n GATHERING TARES IN THE STONY FIELDS NEAR BETHEL.\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n This would look like a very scanty harvest to eyes accustomed to\n fruitful fields. There are four species of tares in Palestine. The\n seeds are poisonous to man and to beasts, producing serious sickness\n and sometimes death. They are, however, harmless to fowls and are\n sold as food for poultry. It is customary to gather out the tares\n when the grain is nearly ready for harvest. Then the women and\n children go into the fields and carefully remove not only the tares\n but all the weeds as well.\n[End illustration]\n\n{23}\n\nJesus was ever replying, \"The kingdom of God is not outward, with\ncourts and armies and a great parade. It is inward, and means obeying\nthe will of God.\" So Jesus lived in that busy world of his day, but\nfew understood him. At last, because he would not be the kind of a\nMessiah they wanted, they crucified him. About forty years after this,\nthe busy, proud people attempted to fight the Romans. They were\ndefeated, and Jerusalem was taken. The temple was burned, the stone\nwalls were thrown down, and the Jews were killed or sent away. So the\nstory of Palestine and of its great hope ends very sadly for the Jews,\nwho so looked and longed for their freedom. But we shall always love\nthe land where the Lord Jesus lived and the people among whom he\nworked, because he loved them so much himself.\n\n{24}\n\n[Illustration]\n Map of Palestine at the time of the New Testament.\n[End illustration]\n\n{25}\n\nIT CAME UPON THE MIDNIGHT CLEAR\n\n It came upon the midnight clear,\n That glorious song of old,\n From angels bending near the earth\n To touch their harps of gold;\n Peace on the earth, good-will to men.\n From heaven's all-gracious King;\n The world in solemn stillness lay\n To hear the angels sing.\n\n Still through the cloven skies they come,\n With peaceful wings unfurled;\n And still their heavenly music floats\n O'er all the weary world:\n Above its sad and lonely plains\n They bend on hovering wing.\n And ever o'er its Babel sounds\n The blessed angels sing.\n\n O ye beneath life's crushing load,\n Whose forms are bending low,\n Who toil along the climbing way\n With painful steps and slow!\n Look now, for glad and golden hours\n Come swiftly on the wing:\n Oh, rest beside the weary road,\n And hear the angels sing.\n\n For lo, the days are hastening on,\n By prophets seen of old,\n When with the ever-circling years,\n Shall come the time foretold,\n When the new heaven and earth shall own\n The Prince of Peace their King,\n And the whole world send back the song\n Which now the angels sing.\n --_Edmund H. Sears_.\n\n{26}\n\nBRIGHTEST AND BEST\n\n Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,\n Dawn on our darkness, and lend us thine aid.\n Star of the East, the horizon adorning,\n Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.\n\n Cold on His cradle the dew-drops are shining,\n Low lies His head with the beasts of the stall;\n Angels adore Him in slumber reclining,\n Maker, and Monarch, and Saviour of all.\n\n Say, shall we yield Him, in costly devotion,\n Odors of Edam, and offerings divine,\n Gems of the mountain, and pearls of the ocean,\n Myrrh from the forest, or gold from the mine?\n\n Vainly we offer each ample oblation;\n Vainly with gifts would His favor secure:\n Richer by far is the heart's adoration;\n Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.\n\n Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,\n Dawn on our darkness, and lend us thine aid.\n Star of the East, the horizon adorning,\n Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.\n --_Reginald Heber_.\n\n{27}{28}\n\n[Illustration]\n BETHLEHEM.\n\n From a picture owned by the Detroit Photograph Company,\n and used by its kind permission.\n\n This picture shows the town, looking in\n from the Church of the Nativity.\n[End illustration]\n\n{29}\n\nTHE THREE KINGS.\n\n There came three kings, ere break of day,\n All on Epiphanie;\n Their gifts they bare all rich and rare,\n All, all, Lord Christ, for Thee:\n Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are there,\n Where is the King? O where? O where?\n\n The star shone brightly overhead,\n The air was calm and still,\n O'er Bethlehem fields its rays were shed,\n The dew lay on the hill:\n We see no throne, no palace fair,\n Where is the King? O where? O where?\n\n An old man knelt at a manger low,\n A Babe lay in the stall;\n The starlight played on the infant brow,\n Deep silence lay o'er all.\n A maiden bent o'er the Babe in prayer:--\n There is the King! O there! O there!\n --_Christmas Hymn of the 16th Century_.\n\n{30}\n\nJOY TO THE WORLD\n\n Joy to the world, the Lord is come:\n Let earth receive her King;\n Let every heart prepare Him room,\n And heaven and nature sing.\n\n Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns:\n Let men their songs employ;\n While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,\n Repeat the sounding joy.\n\n No more let sins and sorrows grow,\n Nor thorns infest the ground:\n He comes to make His blessings flow\n Far as the curse is found.\n\n He rules the world with truth and grace,\n And makes the nations prove\n The glories of His righteousness,\n And wonders of His love.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n{31}{32}\n\n[Illustration]\n BETHLEHEM.\n\n The large building to the left is the Church of the Nativity.\n\n \"See how far upon the Eastern road\n The star-led wizards haste with odours sweet.\n O run, present them with thy humle ode,\n And lay it lowly at his blessed feet;\n Have thou the honour first thy Lord to greet,\n And join thy voices with the angel quire\n From out his secret altar touched with hallow'd fire.\"\n --_John Milton_\n\n{33}\n\nHow the Lord Jesus Spent His Boyhood.\n\n{34}\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n\n _The CHILD JESUS_.\n _Joseph_.\n _Mary_.\n _King Herod_.\n _Angels, wise men, shepherds, soldiers, teachers in the temple_.\n\nPLACES OF THE STORY.\n\n _Bethlehem of Judaea_.\n _Jerusalem_.\n _Egypt_.\n _The village of Nazareth in Galilee_.\n\n{35}{36}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY AT BETHLEHEM.\n Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.\n\n This marble star marks the place of Jesus' birth according to the\n belief of many.\n[End illustration]\n\n{37}\n\nI\n\nTHE NATIVITY\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Was Born in a Stable_.\n\n\n(In the days of the Roman Emperor Augustus, a census of all the people\nof the empire was taken. Everyone went to his own city to be counted\nin the census. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city\nof Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called\nBethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; to enroll\nhimself with Mary.)\n\n\nAnd it came to pass while they were there that she brought forth her\nfirstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him\nin a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.\n\nAnd there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and\nkeeping watch by night over their flock. And an angel of the Lord\nstood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and\nthey were much afraid.\n\nAnd the angel said unto them, \"Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you\ngood tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there\nis born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is\nChrist the Lord. And this is the sign unto you; Ye shall find a babe\nwrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.\"\n\nAnd suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host\npraising God, and saying,--\n{38}\n\n \"Glory to God in the highest,\n And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven,\nthe shepherds said one to another, \"Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,\nand see what has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto\nus.\"\n\nAnd they came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe\nlying in the manger. And when they saw it, they made public the saying\nwhich was spoken to them about this child. And all that heard it\nwondered at the things which were spoken unto them by the shepherds.\nBut Mary kept all these sayings, and pondered them in her heart. And\nthe shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things\nthat they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken unto them.\n\n{39}{40}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT.\n\n By W. A. Bouguereau (1825-1905)\n\n \"Thou wayfaring Jesus, a pilgrim and stranger,\n Exiled from heaven by love at thy birth,\n Exiled again from thy rest in the manger,\n A fugitive child 'mid the perils of earth.\n\n \"Cheer with thy fellowship all who are weary,\n Wandering far from the land that they love;\n Guide every heart that is homeless and dreary\n Safe to thy home in thy presence above.\"\n --_Van Dyke_\n\n{41}\n\nII\n\nTHE WISE MEN\n\n_How They Came from Afar to See the Lord Jesus_.\n\n\nNow when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod\nthe king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,\n\"Where is he who is born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the\neast, and have come to worship him.\"\n\nAnd when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem\nwith him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of\nthe people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born.\n\nAnd they said unto him, \"In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is\nwritten by the prophet,--\n\n 'And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah,\n Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah:\n For out of thee shall come forth a governor,\n Which shall be shepherd of my people Israel.'\"\n\nThen Herod secretly called the wise men, and inquired of them\ncarefully what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem,\nand said, \"Go and search out carefully concerning the young child; and\nwhen ye have found him, bring me word, that I also may come and\nworship him.\"\n\nAnd they, having heard the king, went their way; and {42} lo, the\nstar, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and\nstood over where the young child was. And when they saw the star, they\nrejoiced with exceeding great joy. And they came into the house and\nsaw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and\nworshiped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him\ngifts; gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned of God in a\ndream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their\nown country another way.\n\n{43}{44}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE REPOSE IN EGYPT.\n This picture shows the Holy Family resting on the long journey to Egypt.\n\n They are within the borders of the land of the Pharaohs, and are\n passing the night in the shadow of one of the great sphinxes\n[End illustration]\n\n{45}\n\nIII\n\nA JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF THE PHARAOHS.\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Was Taken to Egypt, How He Was Brought Back, and\nHow He Lived in Nazareth_.\n\nNow when the wise men had departed behold, an angel of the Lord\nappeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, \"Arise and take the young child\nand his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell\nthee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.\"\n\nAnd he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and\ndeparted into Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod: that it\nmight be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet,\nsaying,--\n\n \"Out of Egypt did I call my son.\"\n\nThen Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was\nexceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the male children that\nwere in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old\nand under, according to the time which he had carefully learned of the\nwise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the\nprophet, saying,--\n\n \"A voice was heard in Ramah,\n Weeping and great mourning,\n Rachel weeping for her children;\n And she would not be comforted, because they are not.\"\n\n{46}\n\nBut when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a\ndream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, \"Arise and take the young child and\nhis mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead that\nsought the young child's life.\"\n\nAnd he arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into\nthe land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over\nJudaea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither; and\nbeing warned of God in a dream, he withdrew into Galilee, and came and\ndwelt in a city called Nazareth.\n\nAnd the child grew, and waxed strong, becoming full of wisdom: and the\ngrace of God was upon him.\n\n{47}{48}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE BOY JESUS ON HIS WAY TO JERUSALEM.\n By O. Mengelberg\n\n \"Oh! say not, dream not, heavenly notes\n To childish ears are vain,\n That the young mind at random floats\n And cannot reach the strain.\n\n \"Was not our Lord a little child,\n Taught by degrees to pray,\n By father dear and mother mild\n Instructed day by day?\"\n --_John Keble_\n[End illustration]\n\n{49}\n\nIV\n\nTHE BOYHOOD OF JESUS\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Went to a Feast at Jerusalem for the\nFirst Time_.\n\nAnd his parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the\nPassover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up after the\ncustom of the feast; and when the feast was over, as they were\nreturning, the boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and his parents\nknew it not; but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day's\njourney; and they sought for him among their kinsfolk and\nacquaintance: and when they found him not, they returned to Jerusalem,\nseeking for him.\n\nAnd it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple,\nsitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing them, and asking\nthem questions: and all that heard him were amazed at his\nunderstanding and his answers.\n\nAnd when they saw him, they were astonished: and his mother said unto\nhim, \"Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I\nsought thee sorrowing.\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that\nI must be in my Father's house?\"\n\nAnd they understood not the saying which he spoke unto them. And he\nwent down with them, and came to {50} Nazareth; and he was subject\nunto them: and his mother kept all these things in her heart.\n\nAnd Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and\nmen.\n\n\n The New Testament tells us very little about the boyhood of Jesus,\n but fortunately we know from other sources much of the life of\n children in Palestine in those days. Among the earliest memories of\n the boy Jesus must have been the tender voice of his mother, as she\n sang or repeated to him the beautiful songs which we call psalms,\n and told him those wonderful stories of the heroism and faith of his\n ancestors, of which we read in the Old Testament. When he was five\n or six years old, he began to go to school. There he sat on the\n floor with the other little children of the village, forming a\n semicircle about their master. He was taught at school to read and\n write, and to repeat from memory large portions of the Old\n Testament. He no doubt had a boy's gladness in freedom and play when\n school was out. It must have been very pleasant to sit in Joseph's\n shop, and watch the shavings curl from the plane, to see the wood\n fashioned into various shapes of usefulness. When he grew older he\n learned the carpenter's trade in this shop. Every Jewish boy had to\n learn a trade. The home life was very simple. The family was poor,\n and it was not always easy to make both ends meet. Jesus no doubt\n helped his mother about her work, especially in drawing water from\n the village well. Every Sabbath he went to the village church, or\n synagogue, as it was called, and listened attentively to the\n service. In the village he often caught glimpses of the outside\n world, for Nazareth was on one of the main caravan routes. Here he\n would see merchants from the far East, strange, bearded, swarthy men\n with trains of camels, laden with bundles of precious merchandise,\n rugs, and gems, and sweet smelling sandal wood. Here he might see a\n company of Roman soldiers, marching under command of a centurion,\n short, stern men, helmeted, with shining armor, sword, and spear, in\n perfect discipline, showing the pride of the race which had\n conquered the world by force of arms. Here he saw, too, the poor and\n the suffering, the beggar, the outcast.\n\n{51}{52}\n\n[Illustration]\n FINDING OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE.\n Holman Hunt (1821-1910)\n\n From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton,\n Mass., and used by special permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n{53}\n\n He began to see, no doubt, as a boy, how much the world needed a\n saviour, and he began to form his resolution to be a hero, not a\n hero like the Roman soldier, but a hero of peace, one who should\n help and uplift humanity. So the days of his boyhood passed, in\n study, and work, and play, as he steadily grew toward manhood.\n\n Every year three great feasts were kept by the Jews. The greatest of\n these was the Passover. People who could do so, left their homes,\n and journeyed to Jerusalem, the great sacred city of the Jews, to\n keep this feast; so that all the houses of the city were full of\n guests, all the villages near by were crowded with people, and the\n hills about were covered with the tents of those who could find no\n shelter in the houses. Women and little children were not required\n to take the hard journey, though they sometimes went. The journey\n had to be made on foot, or on the backs of horses or mules, the men\n carrying their food with them, and stopping at night where the dark\n found them. When they could arrange it, groups of friends and\n neighbors liked to go together, for company and safety. It was then\n often a happy journey, though it was never easy, and much as the\n boys looked forward to it, they often found that it was tiresome to\n tramp all day over the hills, and that they did not sleep as well at\n night on the open ground, with the cold stars looking down at them,\n as they did in their own beds at home. Yet the boys liked to go.\n Boys no doubt liked to \"camp out\" then, as they do now, and there\n was always a touch of adventure; the possibility of meeting robbers,\n or wild beasts. Besides, it was taking a part in man's work; for\n they were sometimes allowed to go when they were twelve years old.\n When they reached this age, they were to \"keep the law,\" as their\n fathers did, and that made them feel like men. So it must have been\n a great day for Jesus, when he, now twelve years old, was allowed\n for the first time to start by his father's side, while his mother\n rode on an ass beside them, for the long walk of sixty miles in the\n soft spring air, over the hills to the city and the temple of which\n he had heard so much.\n\n{54}\n\nIMMORTAL LOVE\n\n Immortal love, forever full,\n Forever flowing free,\n Forever shared, forever whole,\n A never-ebbing sea.\n\n Blow, winds of God, awake and blow\n The mists of earth away!\n Shine out, O Light Divine, and show\n How wide and far we stray!\n\n We may not climb the heavenly steeps\n To bring the Lord Christ down:\n In vain we search the lowest deeps,\n For Him no depths can drown.\n\n But warm, sweet, tender, even yet\n A present help is He;\n And faith has still its Olivet,\n And love its Galilee.\n\n The healing of His seamless dress\n Is by our beds of pain;\n We touch Him in life's throng and press,\n And we are whole again.\n\n Through Him the first fond prayers are said\n Our lips of childhood frame,\n The last low whispers of our dead\n Are burdened with His name.\n\n O Lord and Master of us all!\n Whate'er our name or sign,\n We own Thy sway, we hear Thy call,\n We test our lives by Thine.\n --_John Greenleaf Whittier_.\n\n{55}{56}\n\n[Illustration]\n A CARPENTER SHOP.\n\n From a photograph taken by Prof. Lewis Bayles Paton of Hartford\n Theological Seminary, and used by his kind permission.\n\n This is a most interesting picture of an Eastern carpenter's shop.\n Some of the young workmen look very keen and intelligent. So the boy\n Jesus must have looked in the little shop of Joseph at Nazareth.\n[End illustration]\n\n{57}\n\nJESUS, I MY CROSS HAVE TAKEN\n\n Jesus, I my cross have taken,\n All to leave and follow Thee;\n Destitute, despised, forsaken,\n Thou from hence my all shalt be:\n Perish every fond ambition,\n All I've sought and hoped and known;\n Yet how rich is my condition,\n God and heaven are still my own.\n\n Let the world despise and leave me,\n They have left my Saviour, too;\n Human hearts and looks deceive me;\n Thou art not, like man, untrue;\n And while Thou shalt smile upon me,\n God of wisdom, love, and might,\n Foes may hate, and friends may shun me,\n Show Thy face, and all is bright.\n\n Go, then, earthly fame and treasure;\n Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!\n In Thy service, pain is pleasure;\n With Thy favor, loss is gain.\n I have called Thee, Abba, Father;\n I have stayed my heart on Thee:\n Storms may howl, and clouds may gather,\n All must work for good to me.\n\n Man may trouble and distress me,\n 'Twill but drive me to Thy breast;\n Life with trials hard may press me,\n Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.\n O 'tis not in grief to harm me,\n While Thy love is left to me;\n O 'twere not in joy to charm me,\n Were that joy unmixed with Thee.\n --_Henry Francis Lyte_.\n\n{58}\n\nAM I A SOLDIER OF THE CROSS\n\n Am I a soldier of the cross,\n A follower of the Lamb?\n And shall I fear to own His cause,\n Or blush to speak His name?\n\n Must I be carried to the skies\n On flowery beds of ease,\n While others fought to win the prize,\n And sailed through bloody seas?\n\n Are there no foes for me to face?\n Must I not stem the flood?\n Is this vile world a friend to grace,\n To help me on to God?\n\n Sure I must fight, if I would reign;\n Increase my courage, Lord;\n I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,\n Supported by Thy word.\n\n Thy saints, in all this glorious war,\n Shall conquer, though they die;\n They view the triumph from afar,\n And seize it with their eye.\n\n When that illustrious day shall rise,\n And all Thine armies shine\n In robes of victory through the skies,\n The glory shall be Thine.\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n{59}{60}\n\n[Illustration]\n NAZARETH.\n\n The village of Nazareth itself lies in a basin, but from the hills\n all about it the most extended view can be obtained. The scenes of\n many of the most thrilling episodes in the history of Israel are in\n sight. In Jesus' time it was near the great caravan roads, and the\n center of a busy civilization.\n\n \"It was not as a rustic preaching to rustics that our Lord went\n about. He went forth in a part of the Roman empire full of Roman\n civilization, busy and populous.\"--_Walter Besant_\n[End illustration]\n\n{61}\n\nHow the Lord Jesus Began to Win the Love of Many People.\n\n{62}\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n\n _The LORD JESUS_.\n _John the Baptist_.\n _The Disciples of Jesus_.\n _Mary, the Mother of Jesus_.\n _Nicodemus, a great teacher at Jerusalem_.\n _A woman of Samaria_.\n _A king's officer_.\n _The Evil One_.\n _Pharisees, Sadducees_.\n _Soldiers, a wedding party, money changers, priests, Samaritans_.\n\nPLACES OF THE STORY.\n\n _The Jordan River. The Wilderness_.\n _Cana in Galilee. Jerusalem. Samaria_.\n _Galilee_.\n\n\n{63}{64}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE LOWER FORDS OF THE JORDAN.\n Photograph taken by Mrs. Frank L. Goodspeed of Springfield, Mass.,\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n This fine picture shows the traditional place of the baptism of\n Jesus. The river has been at flood, as often happens in its\n impetuous torrent, and quantities of driftwood are shown along\n its banks.\n[End illustration]\n\n{65}\n\nI\n\nTHE BAPTISM OF JESUS\n\n_How John Preached to the People, and How the Lord Jesus Was Baptized\nby Him in the River Jordan_.\n\nIn those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of\nJudaea, saying, \"Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For\nthis is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,--\n\n 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness,\n Make ye ready the way of the Lord,\n Make his paths straight.'\"\n\nNow John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern\ngirdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then\nwent out unto him the people of Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the\nregion round about Jordan; and they were baptized by him in the river\nJordan, confessing their sins.\n\nBut when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his\nbaptism, he said unto them, \"Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to\nflee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of\nrepentance: and think not to say within yourselves, 'We have Abraham\nto our father': for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones\nto raise up children unto Abraham.\n\n{66}\n\n\"And even now is the axe laid unto the root of the trees: every tree\ntherefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast\ninto the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he\nwho cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to\nbear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire: whose\nfan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his\nthreshing-floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the\nchaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.\"\n\nAnd the multitudes asked him, saying, \"What then must we do?\"\n\nAnd he answered and said unto them, \"He that hath two coats, let him\nimpart to him that hath none; and he that hath food, let him do\nlikewise.\"\n\nAnd there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said unto him,\n\"Master, what must we do?\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Extort no more than that which is appointed\nyou.\"\n\nAnd soldiers also asked him, saying, \"And we, what must we do?\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Do violence to no man, neither take anything\nwrongfully; and be content with your wages.\"\n\nThen cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized\nby him. But John would have hindered him, saying, \"I have need to be\nbaptized by thee, and comest thou to me?\"\n\nBut Jesus answering said unto him, \"Permit it now: for thus it\nbecometh us to fulfill all righteousness.\"\n\n{67}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS TAKING LEAVE OF HIS MOTHER.\n By Bernard Plockhorst\n\n This picture shows Jesus taking leave of Mary before beginning his\n ministry.\n[End illustration]\n\n{69}\n\nThen he permitted him. And Jesus, when he was\nbaptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the\nheavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of\nGod descending as a dove, and coming upon him; and lo,\na voice out of the heavens, saying,--\n\n \"This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.\"\n\n\n{70}\n\nII\n\nTHE TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS.\n\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Fought with a Great Foe_.\n\n\nAnd Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was\nled by the Spirit in the wilderness during forty days, being tempted\nof the devil. And he ate nothing in those days: and when they were\ncompleted, he hungered.\n\nAnd the devil said unto him, \"If thou art the Son of God, command this\nstone that it become bread.\"\n\nAnd Jesus answered unto him, \"It is written. 'Man shall not live by\nbread alone.'\"\n\nAnd he led him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a\nmoment of time.\n\nAnd the devil said unto him, \"To thee will I give all this authority,\nand the glory of them: for it hath been delivered unto me; and to\nwhomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship before me,\nit shall all be thine.\"\n\nAnd Jesus answered and said unto him, \"It is written, 'Thou shalt\nworship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.'\"\n\n\n\n{71}{72}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE WILDERNESS OF THE TEMPTATION.\n\n This wild and desolate region accords very well with our ideas of\n the place of the temptation of Jesus. The great cliff in the picture\n faces a narrow ravine not far from Jericho\n[End illustration]\n\n{73}\n\nAnd he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the\ntemple, and said unto him, \"If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself\ndown from hence: for it is written,--\n\n 'He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to guard thee:\n\nand,\n\n 'On their hands they shall bear thee up,\n Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.'\"\n\nAnd Jesus answering said unto him, \"It is said, 'Thou shalt not tempt\nthe Lord thy God.'\"\n\nAnd he was in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan; and he was\nwith wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.\n\n\n{74}\n\nIII\n\nTHE FIRST DISCIPLES.\n\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Began to Win the Love of His Friends_.\n\n\nOne day after Jesus had returned from the wilderness, where he had met\nthe temptation, John the Baptist saw him approaching, and said,\n\"Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This\nis he of whom I said, 'After me cometh a man which is become before\nme: for he was before me.' And I knew him not; but that he should be\nmade manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing with water.\"\n\nAgain on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples; and\nhe looked upon Jesus as he walked, and said, \"Behold, the Lamb of\nGod!\"\n\nAnd the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.\n\nAnd Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them,\n\"What seek ye?\"\n\nAnd they said unto him, \"Rabbi (that is, Master), where abidest thou?\"\n\nHe saith unto them, \"Come, and ye shall see.\"\n\nThey came therefore and saw where he abode; and they abode with him\nthat day: it was about the tenth hoar.\n\nOne of the two that heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew,\nSimon Peter's brother. He findeth first his own brother Simon, and\nsaith unto him, \"We have found the Messiah\" (that is, Christ).\n\n{75}{76}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS AND THE FISHERMEN.\n By Zimmermann\n[End illustration]\n\n{77}\n\nHe brought him unto Jesus. Jesus looked upon him, and said, \"Thou art\nSimon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas\" (that is, Peter).\n\nOn the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth\nPhilip: and Jesus saith unto him, \"Follow me.\" Now Philip was from\nBethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.\n\nPhilip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, \"We have found him, of\nwhom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth,\nthe son of Joseph.\"\n\nAnd Nathanael said unto him, \"Can any good thing come out of\nNazareth?\" Philip saith unto him, \"Come and see.\"\n\nJesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, \"Behold, an\nIsraelite indeed, in whom is no guile!\"\n\nNathanael saith unto him, \"Whence knowest thou me?\" Jesus answered and\nsaid unto him, \"Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the\nfig tree, I saw thee.\"\n\nNathanael answered him, \"Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art King\nof Israel.\"\n\nJesus answered and said unto him, \"Because I said unto thee, I saw\nthee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater\nthings than these. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the\nheaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the\nSon of man.\"\n\n{78}\n\nIV\n\nTHE FIRST MIRACLE.\n\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Went to a Wedding_.\n\n\nThe third day after Jesus had started for Galilee with his new\nfriends, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of\nJesus was there: and Jesus also was bidden, with his disciples, to the\nmarriage.\n\nAnd when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said unto him, \"They\nhave no wine.\"\n\nAnd Jesus said unto her, \"Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine\nhour is not yet come.\"\n\nHis mother said unto the servants, \"Whatsoever he saith unto you, do\nit.\"\n\nNow there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews' custom\nof purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece.\n\nJesus said unto them, \"Fill the waterpots with water.\" And they filled\nthem up to the brim. And he said unto them, \"Draw out now, and bear\nunto the ruler of the feast.\"\n\nAnd they bore it. And when the ruler of the feast tasted the water now\nbecome wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants which had\ndrawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom,\nand said unto him, \"Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when\nmen have drunk freely, then that which is worse: thou hast kept the\ngood wine until now.\"\n\nThis beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and\nmanifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.\n\n\n{79}\n\nV\n\nAT THE PASSOVER.\n\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Went Again to Jerusalem, What He Did, and the\nFriends He Made There_.\n\n\nAnd the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to\nJerusalem. And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep\nand doves, and the changers of money sitting: and he made a scourge of\ncords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen;\nand he poured out the changers' money and overthrew their tables; and\nto them that sold the doves he said, \"Take these things hence; make\nnot my Father's house a house of merchandise.\"\n\nNow when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many\nbelieved on his name, beholding his signs which he did.\n\nNow there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the\nJews: the same came unto him by night, and said to him, \"Rabbi, we\nknow that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these\nsigns that thou doest, except God be with him.\"\n\nJesus answered and said unto him, \"Verily, verily, I say unto thee,\nExcept a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.\"\n\n{80}\n\nNicodemus said unto him, \"How can a man be born when he is old? can he\nenter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?\"\n\nJesus answered, \"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born\nof water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That\nwhich is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the\nSpirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, 'Ye must be born\nanew.' The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice\nthereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is\neveryone that is born of the Spirit.\"\n\nNicodemus answered and said unto him, \"How can these things be?\" Jesus\nreplied to him, \"Art thou the teacher of Israel, and understandest not\nthese things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do\nknow, and bear witness of that we have seen; and ye receive not our\nwitness. If I told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall\nye believe, if I tell you heavenly things? And no man hath ascended\ninto heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man,\nwhich is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the\nwilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever\nbelieveth may in him have eternal life.\"\n\n(This is the end of the story of the Lord Jesus and Nicodemus. What\nfollows is added by the writer of the gospel.)\n\nFor God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that\nwhosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.\nFor God sent not the Son {81} into the world to judge the world; but\nthat the world should be saved through him. He that believeth on him\nis not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because\nhe hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. And\nthis is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men\nloved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.\nFor every one that doeth ill hateth the light, and cometh not to the\nlight, lest his works should be reproved. But he that doeth the truth\ncometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they\nhave been wrought in God.\n\n\n{82}\n\nVI\n\nJESUS AT JACOB'S WELL.\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Made Much of Two Days in Samaria_.\n\nAfterward Jesus left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he\nmust needs pass through Samaria. So he cometh to a city of Samaria,\ncalled Sychar, near to the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son\nJoseph: and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied\nwith his journey, sat by the well.\n\nIt was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw\nwater: Jesus saith unto her, \"Give me to drink.\"\n\nFor his disciples were gone away into the city to buy food. The\nSamaritan woman therefore saith unto him, \"How is it that thou, being\na Jew, askest drink of me, which am a Samaritan woman?\" (For Jews have\nno dealings with Samaritans.)\n\nJesus answered and said unto her, \"If thou knewest the gift of God,\nand who it is that saith to thee, 'Give me to drink'; thou wouldest\nhave asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.\"\n\nThe woman saith unto him, \"Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and\nthe well is deep. Whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou\ngreater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank\nthereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle?\"\n\n{83}{84}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA.\n By Heinrich Hofmann\n\n \"Sweet was the hour, O Lord! to thee\n At Sychor's lonely well,\n When a poor outcast heard thee there\n Thy great salvation tell.\n There Jacob's erring daughter found\n Those streams unknown before,\n The water brooks of life, that make\n The weary thirst no more.\"\n --_Sir Edward Demey_\n\n{85}\n\nJesus answered and said unto her, \"Everyone that drinketh of this\nwater shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I\nshall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him\nshall become in him a well of water, springing up unto eternal life.\"\n\nThe woman saith unto him, \"Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not,\nneither come all the way hither to draw.\"\n\nJesus saith unto her, \"Go, call thy husband, and come hither.\"\n\nThe woman answered and said unto him, \"I have no husband.\"\n\nJesus saith unto her, \"Thou saidst well, 'I have no husband': for thou\nhast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband:\nthis hast thou said truly.\"\n\nThe woman saith unto him, \"Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.\nOur fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem\nis the place where men ought to worship.\"\n\nJesus saith unto her, \"Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when\nneither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the\nFather. Ye worship that which ye know not: we worship that which we\nknow: for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is,\nwhen the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth:\nfor such doth the Father seek to be his worshipers. God is a Spirit:\nand they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.\"\n\n{86}\n\nThe woman saith unto him, \"I know that Messiah cometh (which is called\nChrist): when he is come, he will declare unto us all things.\"\n\nJesus saith unto her, \"I that speak unto thee am he.\" And upon this\ncame his disciples; and they marveled that he was speaking with a\nwoman; yet no man said, \"What seekest thou?\" or, \"Why speakest thou\nwith her?\"\n\nSo the woman left her waterpot, and went away into the city, and saith\nto the men, \"Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did:\ncan this be the Christ?\"\n\nThey went out of the city, and were coming to him. In the mean while\nthe disciples prayed him, saying, \"Rabbi, eat.\" But he said unto them,\n\"I have meat to eat that ye know not.\"\n\nThe disciples therefore said one to another, \"Hath any man brought him\naught to eat?\"\n\nJesus saith unto them, \"My meat is to do the will of him that sent me,\nand to accomplish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and\nthen cometh the harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes,\nand look on the fields, that they are white already unto harvest. He\nthat reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal;\nthat he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. For\nherein is the saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you\nto reap that whereon ye have not labored: others have labored, and ye\nare entered into their labor.\"\n\nAnd from that city many of the Samaritans believed on him because of\nthe word of the woman, who testified, {87} \"He told me all things that\never I did.\" So when the Samaritans came unto him, they besought him\nto abide with them: and he abode there two days. And many more\nbelieved because of his word; and they said to the woman, \"Now we\nbelieve, not because of thy speaking: for we have heard for ourselves,\nand know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world.\"\n\n\n{88}\n\nVII\n\nTHE GOOD SAMARITAN\n\n\n(At another time, Jesus, who had been so kindly treated by the\nSamaritans, told this story to show how everyone ought to treat others\nkindly. This is how he happened to tell the story):--\n\nA teacher asked Jesus, to test him, what he should do to inherit\neternal life. Jesus answered, \"What does the law say?\"\n\nThe teacher replied, \"The law says, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God\nwith all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength,\nand with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.'\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou\nshalt live.\"\n\nBut he, desiring to justify himself, said unto Jesus, \"And who is my\nneighbor?\"\n\nJesus made answer and said, \"A certain man was going down from\nJerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and\nbeat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance a certain\npriest was going down that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on\nthe other side. And in like manner a Levite also, when he came to the\nplace, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain\nSamaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he\nwas moved with compassion, and came to him, and bound up his wounds,\npouring on them oil and wine; and he set him on his own beast, and\nbrought him to an inn, and took care of him.\n\n{89}{90}\n\n[Illustration]\n \"INN OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN\"\n\n From a photograph taken by Louis L. Tribus, Consulting Engineer and\n Commissioner of Public Works of the Borough of Richmond, City of New\n York, and used by his kind permission.\n\n This is the traditional site of the \"Inn of the Good Samaritan,\" on\n the pilgrim road the \"Ascent of Blood,\" which leads from Jericho to\n Jerusalem. When taken upwards, a more hot and heavy way it is\n impossible to conceive--between blistered limestones and rocks, and\n in front the bare hills piled high, without shadow or verdure. There\n is no water from Jericho till you reach the roots of the Mount of\n Olives. Curious red streaks appear from time to time on the stones,\n and perhaps account for the sanguinary names which attach to the\n road,--but the crimes committed here make these doubly deserved.\n[End illustration]\n\n{91}\n\nAnd on the morrow he took out two pence, and gave them to the host,\nand said, 'Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, I,\nwhen I come back again, will repay thee.'\n\n\"Which of these three, thinkest thou, proved neighbor unto him that\nfell among the robbers?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"He that showed mercy on him.\"\n\nAnd Jesus said unto him, \"Go, and do thou likewise.\"\n\n\n{92}\n\nVIII\n\nJESUS AND THE KING'S OFFICER\n\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Went Back to Galilee, and How He Healed the Son of\na King's Officer_.\n\n\nAnd after the two days in Samaria he went forth from thence into\nGalilee. For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honor in\nhis own country. So when he came into Galilee, the Galilaeans received\nhim, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast:\nfor they also went unto the feast.\n\nHe came therefore again unto Cana of Galilee, where he made the water\nwine. And there was a certain king's officer whose son was sick at\nCapernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judaea into\nGalilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down,\nand heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Jesus therefore\nsaid unto him, \"Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will in no wise\nbelieve.\"\n\nThe king's officer saith unto him, \"Sir, come down ere my child die.\"\n\nJesus saith unto him, \"Go thy way; thy son liveth.\" The man believed\nthe word that Jesus spoke unto him, and he went his way. And as he was\nnow going down, his servants met him, saying, that his son lived. So\nhe {93} inquired of them the hour when he began to recover. They said\ntherefore unto him, \"Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left\nhim.\"\n\nSo the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said unto\nhim, \"Thy son liveth\": and himself believed, and his whole house.\n\n\n{94}\n\nIX\n\nTHE CHOOSING OF THE TWELVE DISCIPLES.\n\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Gathered About Him the Men Who Were to Be His\nClosest Friends_.\n\n\nPassing along by the sea of Galilee, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew the\nbrother of Simon casting a net in the sea: for they were fishers. And\nhe said unto them, \"Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of\nmen.\"\n\nAnd straightway they left the nets, and followed him.\n\nAnd going on a little further, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and\nJohn his brother, who also were in the boat mending the nets. And\nstraightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the\nboat with the hired servants, and went after him.\n\nAnd he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude\nresorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw\nLevi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the place of toll, and he saith\nunto him, \"Follow me.\" And he arose and followed him. And it came to\npass, that he was sitting at meat in his house, and many publicans and\nsinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many,\nand they followed him. And the Pharisees, when they saw that he was\neating with the sinners and publicans, said unto his disciples, \"He\neateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners.\"\n\n{95}\n\nAnd when Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, \"They that are whole have\nno need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the\nrighteous, but sinners.\"\n\nAnd he went up into the mountain, and called unto him whom he himself\nwould: and they went unto him. And he appointed twelve, that they\nmight be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to\nhave authority to cast out demons: and Simon he surnamed Peter; and\nJames the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and them he\nsurnamed Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder: and Andrew, and Philip,\nand Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of\nAlphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who\nalso betrayed him.\n\n{96}\n\nThe Glorious Company of the Apostles\n Simon Peter.\n Andrew.\n James.\n John.\n Philip.\n Bartholomew.\n Thomas.\n Matthew.\n James \"the less\".\n Thaddaeus\n Simon the Zealot.\n Judas Iscariot, the traitor.\n\n{97}\n\n_Simon Peter_. Brother of Andrew. Fisherman. Residence Bethsaida. One\nof the leaders of the apostles. Said to have founded the church at\nRome and to have suffered martyrdom under Nero.\n\n_Andrew_. Brother of Simon Peter. Fisherman. Residence Bethsaida.\nTradition says he was crucified at Patrae by the proconsul AEgeas.\n\n_James_. Brother of John. Son of Zebedee. Fisherman. Home Bethsaida.\nBeheaded by Herod Agrippa only fourteen years after the crucifixion.\nThe first of the \"glorious company of the apostles\" to join \"the noble\narmy of martyrs.\"\n\n_John_. \"The beloved Disciple.\" Fisherman. Brother of James. Son of\nZebedee. Home Bethsaida. Reputed author of Gospel of St. John, the\nEpistles of John and the Apocalypse. Said to have lived to an extreme\nold age, dying a natural death at Ephesus.\n\n_Philip_. Fellow townsman of Peter and Andrew, and probably, like\nthem, a fisherman. Said by tradition to have been crucified head\ndownwards in the reign of Domitian.\n\n_Bartholomew_. Native of Cana of Galilee. Tradition says that he\nsuffered martyrdom in India.\n\n_Thomas_. \"The Doubter.\" Occupation unknown. Residence unknown.\nTradition says that he was sold as a slave to an Indian merchant; that\nhe preached the gospel there with great effect and died a natural\ndeath at an advanced age.\n\n_Matthew_. \"The Publican.\" A customs officer near Capernaum. Author of\nthe Gospel of Matthew. Nothing is known of his subsequent life or of\nhis death.\n\n_James_. The son of Alphaeus. Called \"the less.\" No details of his\nhistory are known.\n\n_Thaddaeus_. Occupation not known. Thought to have lived at Jerusalem.\nTradition says he preached the gospel in Africa. Fate unknown.\n\n_Simon, the Zealot_. No details are known of his life.\n\n_Judas Iscariot_. The Traitor and Betrayer of Jesus. Iscariot means\n\"the man of Karioth.\" He was the only Judaean among the apostles. He\ncommitted suicide by hanging after the crucifixion.\n\n{98}\n\n{99}\n\nOH, WHERE IS HE THAT TROD THE SEA?\n\n Oh, where is He that trod the sea?\n Oh, where is He that spake?\n And demons from their victims flee,\n The dead their slumbers break;\n The palsied rise in freedom strong,\n The dumb men talk and sing,\n And from blind eyes, benighted long,\n Bright beams of morning spring.\n\n Oh, where is He that trod the sea?\n 'T is only He can save;\n To thousands hungering wearily,\n A wondrous meal He gave:\n Full soon, celestially fed,\n Their mystic fare they take;\n 'T was springtide when He blest the bread,\n 'T was harvest when He brake.\n\n Oh, where is He that trod the sea?\n My soul, the Lord is here:\n Let all thy fears be hushed in thee;\n To leap, to look, to hear,\n Be thine: thy needs He'll satisfy:\n Art thou diseased, or dumb?\n Or dost thou in thy hunger cry?\n \"I come,\" saith Christ, \"I come.\"\n --_Thomas T. Lynch_.\n\n{100}\n\nJESUS, SAVIOUR, PILOT ME\n\n Jesus, Saviour, pilot me,\n Over life's tempestuous sea;\n Unknown waves before me roll,\n Hiding rock and treacherous shoal;\n Chart and compass came from Thee:\n Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.\n\n As a mother stills her child,\n Thou canst hush the ocean wild;\n Boisterous waves obey Thy will\n When Thou say'st to them \"Be still!\"\n Wondrous Sovereign of the sea.\n Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.\n\n When at last I near the shore,\n And the fearful breakers roar\n 'Twixt me and the peaceful rest,\n Then, while leaning on Thy breast,\n May I hear Thee say to me,\n \"Fear not, I will pilot thee!\"\n --_E. Hopper_.\n\n{101}\n\nJESUS CALLS US\n\n Jesus calls us: o'er the tumult\n Of our life's wild, restless sea,\n Day by day His sweet voice soundeth,\n Softly, clearly--\"Follow Me.\"\n\n Jesus calls us, from the evil\n In a world we cannot flee,\n From each idol that would keep us,\n Softly, clearly--\"Follow Me.\"\n\n Still in joy and still in sadness\n We discern our own decree;\n Still He calls, in cares and pleasures,\n Softly, clearly--\"Follow Me.\"\n\n Thou dost call us! may we ever\n To Thy call attentive be;\n Give our hearts to Thine obedience,\n Rise, leave all, and follow Thee.\n --_Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander._\n\n{102}\n\nHAIL TO THE LORD'S ANOINTED.\n\n Hail to the Lord's Anointed,\n Great David's greater Son;\n Hail, in the time appointed,\n His reign on earth begun!\n He comes to break oppression,\n To set the captive free,\n To take away transgression,\n And rule in equity.\n\n He comes with succor speedy\n To those who suffer wrong;\n To help the poor and needy,\n And bid the weak be strong;\n To give them songs for sighing,\n Their darkness turn to light,\n Whose souls, condemned and dying,\n Were precious in His sight.\n\n For Him shall prayer unceasing\n And daily vows ascend;\n His kingdom still increasing,\n A kingdom without end.\n The tide of time shall never\n His covenant remove;\n His name shall stand forever;\n That name to us is Love!\n --_James Montgomery_.\n\n{103}\n\nHow the Lord Jesus went about doing good, teaching and healing,\nand how He grew in favor with the people.\n\n{104}\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n\n _The LORD JESUS_.\n _A Roman Captain and his servant_.\n _The Disciples of Jesus_.\n _Peter's mother-in-law_.\n _A widow of Nain and her son_.\n _Jairus, his wife and little daughter_.\n _John the Baptist_.\n _Herod_.\n _Herodias and her daughter_.\n _A little lad with loaves and fishes_.\n _Multitudes of people, lepers, palsied, and those having all\n manner of diseases_.\n\nPLACES OF THE STORY.\n\n _The \"Mount of Beatitudes_.\"\n _Capernaum_.\n _The region of Galilee_.\n _The lake of Gennesaret_.\n _Gadara_.\n _The city of Nain_.\n _The Jordan_.\n _The prison in the \"Black Fortress\" of Machaerus_.\n _The banquet hall of Herod_.\n\n\n{105}\n\nI\n\nTHE SERMON ON THE MOUNT\n\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Taught the People the Way of Right Living_.\n\n\nAnd seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: and when he\nhad sat down, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth and\ntaught them, saying,--\n\n\nTHE BEATITUDES.\n\n \"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of\n heaven.\n\n \"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.\n\n \"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.\n\n \"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they\n shall be filled.\n\n \"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.\n\n \"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.\n\n \"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.\n\n \"Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake:\n for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall\n reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of {106} evil\n against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:\n for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the\n prophets which were before you.\"\n\n\n\"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor,\nwherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but\nto be cast out and trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the\nworld. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a\nlamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth\nunto all that are in the house. Even so let your light shine before\nmen, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which\nis in heaven.\"\n\n\nTHE NEW WAY OF RIGHT LIVING.\n\n_Be Right in the Heart, and Not in Outward Appearance Only_.\n\n\"Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not\nto destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and\nearth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from\nthe law, till all things be accomplished. Whosoever therefore shall\nbreak one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall\nbe called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and\nteach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I\nsay unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the\nrighteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter\ninto the kingdom of heaven.\"\n\n{107}{108}\n\n[Illustration]\n LOOKING NORTHEAST FROM THE MOUNT OF BEATITUDES TO\n CAPERNAUM AND THE SEA OF GALILEE.\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n \"Kurn Hattin,\" the \"Horns of Hattin,\" a double-peaked hill four\n miles back from the sea and about eight miles southwest from\n Capernaum, is the traditional location of the mountain from which\n Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{109}\n\n_It is a Sin to Get Angry_.\n\n\"Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, 'Thou shalt not\nkill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment':\nbut I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall\nbe in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother,\n'Worthless fellow,' shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever\nshall say, 'Thou fool,' shall be in danger of the hell of fire. If\ntherefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there\nrememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy\ngift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy\nbrother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary\nquickly, while thou art with him in the way; lest the adversary\ndeliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer,\nand thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no\nmeans come out thence, till thou hast paid the last farthing.\"\n\n\n_It is a Sin to Swear_.\n\n\"Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, 'Thou\nshalt not perjure thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine\noaths': but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven,\nfor it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is the footstool\nof his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.\nNeither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair\nwhite or black. But let your speech be, 'Yea, yea; Nay, nay': and\nwhatsoever is more than these is of the evil one.\"\n\n\n{110}\n\n_It is a Sin to Be Revengeful_.\n\n\"Ye have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a\ntooth': but I say unto you, Resist not evil: but whosoever smiteth\nthee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man\nwould go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy\ncloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with\nhim two. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow\nof thee turn not thou away.\"\n\n\n_It is a Sin to Think Evil of Others_.\n\n\"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye\nshall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured\nunto you. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's\neye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how\nwilt thou say to thy brother, 'Let me cast out the mote out of thine\neye'; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out\nfirst the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly\nto cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.\"\n\n\n_The Right Way is to Love Your Enemies_.\n\n\"Ye have heard that it was said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and\nhate thine enemy': but I say unto you, Love your enemies, and pray for\nthem that persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father who is in\nheaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and\nsendeth rain on the just and the unjust. For if ye love them {111}\nthat love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the\nsame? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than\nothers? do not even the Gentiles the same? Ye therefore shall be\nperfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.\"\n\n\n_The Right Way to Do Good Deeds_.\n\n\"Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of\nthem: else ye have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.\n\n\"When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as\nthe hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may\nhave glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their\nreward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy\nright hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father who\nseeth in secret shall recompense thee.\"\n\n\n_The Right Way to Pray_.\n\n\"And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to\nstand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets,\nthat they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have\nreceived their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine\ninner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in\nsecret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee. And\nin praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they\nthink that they shall be heard {112} for their much speaking. Be not\ntherefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have\nneed of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye:\"--\n\nTHE LORD'S PRAYER.\n\n \"Our Father which art in heaven,\n Hallowed be thy name.\n Thy kingdom come.\n Thy will be done\n In earth, as it is in heaven.\n Give us this day our daily bread,\n And forgive us our debts,\n As we forgive our debtors.\n And lead us not into temptation,\n But deliver us from evil:\n For thine is the kingdom, and the power,\n and the glory, for ever, Amen.\"\n\n\"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will\nalso forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither\nwill your Father forgive your trespasses.\n\n\"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and\nit shall be opened unto you: for everyone that asketh receiveth; and\nhe that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.\nOr what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf,\nwill give him a stone; or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a\nserpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your\nchildren, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good\nthings to them that ask him?\"\n\n{113}{114}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS PREACHING THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.\n[End illustration]\n\n{115}\n\nTHE GOLDEN RULE.\n\n\"All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you,\nthen so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets.\"\n\n\n_The Right Way to Be Rich_.\n\n\"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and\nrust doth consume, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay\nup for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust\ndoth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for\nwhere thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also.\"\n\n\n_Trust God, and He Will Take Care of You_.\n\n\"The lamp of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be right, thy\nwhole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole\nbody shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee\nbe darkness, how great is the darkness!\n\n\"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and\nlove the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the\nother. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.\n\n\"Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall\neat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for {116} your body, what ye\nshall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than\nthe raiment? Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not,\nneither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father\nfeedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they? And which of\nyou by being anxious can add one cubit unto his stature? And why are\nye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how\nthey grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: yet I say unto you,\nthat even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.\nBut if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and\nto-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O\nye of little faith?\n\n\"Be not therefore anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or, 'What\nshall we drink?' or, 'Wherewithal shall we be clothed?' For after all\nthese things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth\nthat ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first his kingdom,\nand his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.\nBe not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be\nanxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.\"\n\n\n_God Wants Deeds, Not Words_.\n\n\"Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is\nthe way, that leadeth to destruction, and many be they that enter in\nthereby. For narrow is the gate, and strait the way, that leadeth unto\nlife, and few be they that find it.\n\n{117}\n\n\"For there is no good tree that bringeth forth corrupt fruit; nor\nagain a corrupt tree that bringeth forth good fruit. For each tree is\nknown by its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a\nbramble bush gather they grapes. The good man out of the good treasure\nof his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out\nof the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the\nabundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.\n\n\"Not everyone that saith unto me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the\nkingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in\nheaven.\n\n \"Many will say unto me in that day, 'Lord, Lord,\n Did we not prophesy in thy name,\n And by thy name cast out demons,\n And by thy name do many mighty works?'\n And then I will profess unto them, 'I never knew you;\n Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.'\n\n \"Everyone therefore who heareth these words of mine,\n And doeth them,\n Shall be likened unto a wise man,\n Which built his house upon the rock:\n And the rain descended, and the floods came,\n And the winds blew, and beat upon that house:\n And it fell not, for it was founded upon the rock.\n\n \"And everyone who heareth these words of mine,\n And doeth them not, {118}\n Shall be likened unto a foolish man,\n Which built his house upon the sand:\n And the rain descended, and the floods came,\n And the wind blew, and smote upon that house;\n And it fell, and great was the fall thereof.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Jesus ended these words,\nthe multitudes were astonished at his teaching: for he\ntaught them as one having authority, and not as their\nscribes.\n\n{119}{120}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF THE SYNAGOGUE AT CAPERNAUM.\n From a photograph of the Palestine Exploration Fund,\n and used by special permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{121}\n\nII\n\nTHE ROMAN SOLDIER'S FAITH\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Healed the Captain's Servant_.\n\nAnd when he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed\nhim, and he entered into Capernaum.\n\nAnd a certain Roman captain's servant, who was dear to him, was sick\nand at the point of death. And when he heard concerning Jesus, he sent\nunto him elders of the Jews, asking him that he would come and save\nhis servant.\n\nAnd they, when they came to Jesus, besought him earnestly, saying, \"He\nis worthy that thou shouldest do this for him: for he loveth our\nnation, and himself built us our synagogue.\"\n\nAnd Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house,\nthe Roman captain sent friends to him, saying unto him, \"Lord, trouble\nnot thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my\nroof: wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but\nsay the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set\nunder authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one,\n'Go,' and he goeth; and to another, 'Come,' and he cometh; and to my\nservant, 'Do this,' and he doeth it.\"\n\nAnd when Jesus heard these things, he marveled at {122} him, and\nturned and said unto the multitude that followed him, \"I say unto you,\nI have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.\"\n\nAnd they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant\nwhole.\n\n{123}\n\n[Illustration]\n Map of Palestine showing Christ's Journey to Jerusalem.\n by E. R. Hooker\n[End illustration]\n\n{124}\n\n{125}\n\nIII\n\nDAYS OF SERVICE\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Healed Many People_.\n\n_A Sabbath Day at Capernaum_.\n\nOn the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. And they\nwere astonished at his teaching: for he taught them as having\nauthority, and not as the scribes.\n\nAnd there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he\ncried out, saying, \"What have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of\nNazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the\nHoly One of God.\"\n\nAnd Jesus rebuked him, saying, \"Hold thy peace, and come out of him.\"\n\nAnd the unclean spirit, tearing him and crying with a loud voice, came\nout of him.\n\nAnd they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among\nthemselves, saying, \"What is this? a new teaching! with authority he\ncommandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.\"\n\nAnd the news went out straightway everywhere into all the region of\nGalilee round about.\n\nAnd when they were come out of the synagogue, they came into the house\nof Simon and Andrew, with James {126} and John. Now Simon's wife's\nmother lay sick of a fever; and they told him of her: and he came and\ntook her by the hand, and raised her up; and the fever left her, and\nshe ministered unto them.\n\nAnd at even, when the sun set, they brought unto him all that were\nsick, and them that were possessed with demons. And all the city was\ngathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick with\ndivers diseases, and cast out many demons; and he suffered not the\ndemons to speak, because they knew him.\n\nAnd in the morning, a great while before day, he rose up and went out,\nand departed into a desert place, and there prayed. And Simon and they\nthat were with him followed after him; and they found him, and said\nunto him, \"All are seeking thee.\"\n\nAnd he saith unto them, \"Let us go elsewhere into the next towns, that\nI may preach there also; for to this end came I forth.\"\n\nAnd he went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching\nand casting out demons.\n\n\n_Healing a Leper_.\n\nAnd there came to him a leper, beseeching him, and kneeling down to\nhim, and saying unto him, \"If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.\"\n\nAnd being moved with compassion, he stretched forth his hand, and\ntouched him, and said unto him, \"I will; be thou made clean.\"\n\nAnd straightway the leprosy departed from him, and {127} he was made\nclean. And he strictly charged him, and sent him out, and saith unto\nhim, \"See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, show thyself to\nthe priest, and offer for thy cleansing the things which Moses\ncommanded, for a testimony unto them.\"\n\nBut he went out, and began to publish it much, and to spread abroad\nthe matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into a\ncity, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from\nevery quarter.\n\n\n_The Man Let Down Through the Roof_.\n\nAnd when he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was\nnoised that he was in the house. And many were gathered together, so\nthat there was no longer room for them, no, not even about the door:\nand he spoke the word unto them. And they came, bringing unto him a\nman sick of the palsy, borne by four. And when they could not come\nnigh unto him for the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was: and\nwhen they had broken through it, they let down the bed whereon the\nsick of the palsy lay.\n\nAnd Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy, \"Son,\nthy sins are forgiven.\"\n\nBut there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in\ntheir hearts, \"Why doth this man thus speak? he blasphemeth: who can\nforgive sins but one, even God?\"\n\nAnd straightway Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned\nwithin themselves, said unto them, \"Why reason ye these things in your\nhearts? Which is easier, {128} to say to the sick of the palsy, 'Thy\nsins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk'?\nBut that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to\nforgive sins (he saith to the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee,\nArise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house.\"\n\nAnd he arose, and straightway took up the bed, and went forth before\nthem all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God,\nsaying, \"We never saw it in this fashion.\"\n\n\n_The Two Blind Men_.\n\nAnd as Jesus passed by from thence, two blind men followed him, crying\nout, and saying, \"Have mercy on us, thou son of David.\"\n\nAnd when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and\nJesus said unto them, \"Believe ye that I am able to do this?\"\n\nThey say unto him, \"Yea, Lord.\"\n\nThen touched he their eyes, saying, \"According to your faith be it\ndone unto you.\" And their eyes were opened.\n\nAnd Jesus strictly charged them, saying, \"See that no man know it.\"\n\nBut they went forth, and spread abroad his fame in all that land.\n\n\n_The Throngs About the Master_.\n\nAnd Jesus with his disciples withdrew to the sea: and a great\nmultitude from Galilee followed: and from Judaea, and from Jerusalem,\nand from Idumaea, and beyond Jordan, and about Tyre and Sidon, a great\nmultitude, {129} hearing what great things he did, came unto him. And\nhe spoke to his disciples, that a little boat should wait on him\nbecause of the crowd, lest they should throng him: for he had healed\nmany; insomuch that as many as had plagues pressed upon him that they\nmight touch him. And the unclean spirits, whensoever they beheld him,\nfell down before him, and cried, saying, \"Thou art the Son of God.\"\nAnd he charged them much that they should not make him known.\n\n\n{130}\n\nIV\n\nTHE MIRACLE AT NAIN\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Raised a Widow's Son from the Dead_.\n\nAnd it came to pass soon afterwards, that he went to a city called\nNain; and his disciples went with him, and a great multitude. Now when\nhe drew near to the gate of the city, behold, there was carried out\none that was dead, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow:\nand many people of the city were with her.\n\nAnd when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto\nher, \"Weep not.\"\n\nAnd he came nigh and touched the bier: and the bearers stood still.\nAnd he said, \"Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.\" And he that was dead\nsat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.\n\nAnd fear took hold on all: and they glorified God,\nsaying, \"A great prophet is arisen among us\": and, \"God hath\nvisited his people.\" And this report went forth concerning\nhim in the whole of Judaea, and all the region round about.\n\n{131}{132}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS PREACHING BY THE SEASIDE\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{133}\n\nV\n\nTHE GREAT TEACHER\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Told the People Stories by the Sea_.\n\n\nAnd again he began to teach by the sea side. And there was gathered\nunto him a very great multitude, so that he entered into a boat, which\nwas on the sea, and sat in it; and all the multitude were by the sea\non the land. And he taught them many things in stories, and told them\nin his teaching,--\n\n\n_The Story of the Sower_.\n\n\"Behold, the sower went forth to sow: and, as he sowed, some seed fell\nby the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it. And other seed\nfell on the rocky ground, where it had not much earth; and straightway\nit sprang up, because it had no deepness of earth: and when the sun\nwas risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered\naway. And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up,\nand choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other seed fell into the\ngood ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing; and brought\nforth, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.\" (Afterward he\nexplained the parable to them thus):--\n\n\"The sower soweth the word. And these are they by {134} the wayside,\nwhere the word is sown; and when they have heard, straightway cometh\nSatan, and taketh away the word which hath been sown in them. And\nthese in like manner are they that are sown upon the rocky places,\nwho, when they have heard the word, straightway receive it with joy;\nand they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then,\nwhen tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word,\nstraightway they stumble. And others are they that are sown among the\nthorns; these are they that have heard the word, and the cares of the\nworld, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things\nentering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And those are\nthey that were sown upon the good ground; such as hear the word, and\naccept it; and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a\nhundredfold.\"\n\n\n_The Story of the Growing Grain_.\n\nAnd he said, \"The kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed upon\nthe earth; and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed\nshould spring up and grow, he knoweth not how. The earth beareth fruit\nof herself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the\near. But when the fruit is ripe, straightway he putteth forth the\nsickle, because the harvest is come.\"\n\n\n_The Story of the Mustard Seed_.\n\nAnd he said, \"How shall we liken the kingdom of God? or in what story\nshall we set it forth? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when\nit is sown upon the earth, {135} though it he less than all the seeds\nthat are upon the earth, yet when it is sown, groweth up, and becometh\ngreater than all the herbs, and putteth out great branches; so that\nthe birds of the heaven can lodge under the shadow thereof.\"\n\n\n{136}\n\nVI\n\nTHE TEMPEST\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Stilled the Storm, and Did Miracles by the Sea_.\n\n\nAnd on that day, when even was come, he saith unto them, \"Let us go\nover unto the other side.\"\n\nAnd leaving the multitude, they took him with them in the boat. And\nother boats were with him. And there arose a great storm of wind, and\nthe waves beat into the boat, that the boat was now filling. And he\nhimself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion: and they awake him,\nand say unto him, \"Master, carest thou not that we perish?\"\n\nAnd he awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, \"Peace, be\nstill.\" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Why are ye fearful? have ye not yet faith?\"\n\nAnd they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, \"Who then is\nthis, that even the wind and the sea obey him?\"\n\nAnd they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the\nGerasenes. And when he was come out of the boat, straightway there met\nhim out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his\ndwelling in the tombs: and no man could bind him, no, not with a\nchain; because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and\nthe chains had been rent asunder by him, and the fetters broken in\npieces: and no man had strength to tame him. And always, night and\nday, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting\nhimself with stones.\n\n{137}{138}\n\n[Illustration]\n HOUSETOPS AT TIBERIAS, LOOKING OVER SEA OF GALILEE.\n[End illustration]\n\n{139}\n\nAnd when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed down to him; and\ncrying out with a loud voice, he saith, \"What have I to do with thee,\nJesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, torment me\nnot.\"\n\nFor he said unto him, \"Come forth, thou unclean spirit, out of the\nman.\"\n\nAnd he asked him, \"What is thy name?\"\n\nAnd he saith unto him, \"My name is Legion; for we are many.\"\n\nAnd he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the\ncountry. Now there was there on the mountain side a great herd of\nswine feeding. And they besought him, saying, \"Send us into the swine,\nthat we may enter into them.\"\n\nAnd he gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered\ninto the swine: and the herd rushed down the steep into the sea, in\nnumber about two thousand; and they were drowned in the sea.\n\nAnd they that fed them fled, and told it in the city, and in the\ncountry. And they came to see what it was that had come to pass. And\nthey came to Jesus, and beheld him who was possessed by demons\nsitting, clothed and in his right mind, even him that had the legion:\nand they were afraid. And they that saw it declared unto them what\n{140} had happened to him that was possessed with demons, and\nconcerning the swine. And they began to beseech him to depart from\ntheir borders. And as he was entering into the boat, he that had been\npossessed with demons besought him that he might be with him. And he\nsuffered him not, but saith unto him, \"Go to thy house unto thy\nfriends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee,\nand how he had mercy on thee.\"\n\nAnd he went his way, and began to publish in Decapolis how great\nthings Jesus had done for him: and all men marveled.\n\nAnd a woman who had been an invalid for twelve years, and had suffered\nmany things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and\nwas no better, but rather grew worse, having heard the things\nconcerning Jesus, came in the crowd behind, and touched his garment.\n\nFor she said; \"If I touch but his garments, I shall be made whole.\"\nAnd straightway she felt in her body that she was healed of her\ndisease.\n\nAnd straightway Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power proceeding\nfrom him had gone forth, turned about in the crowd, and said, \"Who\ntouched my garments?\"\n\nAnd his disciples said unto him, \"Thou seest the multitude thronging\nthee, and sayest thou, 'Who touched me?'\"\n\nAnd he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the\nwoman fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came\nand fell down before him, and told him all the truth.\n\nAnd he said unto her, \"Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in\npeace, and be whole of thy disease.\"\n\n\n{141}\n\nVII\n\nTHE LITTLE GIRL WHO DIED\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Brought to Life Jairus' Little Daughter_.\n\n\nAnd when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat unto the other side,\na great multitude was gathered unto him: and he was by the sea.\n\nAnd there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name;\nand seeing him, he falleth at his feet, and beseecheth him much,\nsaying, \"My little daughter is at the point of death: I pray thee,\ncome and lay thy hand on her, that she may be made whole, and live.\"\n\nAnd he went with him; and a great multitude followed him, and they\nthronged him.\n\nWhile he was on the way, they come from the ruler of the synagogue's\nhouse, saying, \"Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master\nany further?\"\n\nBut Jesus, not heeding the word spoken, saith unto the ruler of the\nsynagogue, \"Fear not, only believe.\"\n\nAnd he allowed no man to follow with him, save Peter, and James, and\nJohn the brother of James. And they come to the house of the ruler of\nthe synagogue; and he beholdeth a tumult, and many weeping and wailing\ngreatly.\n\nAnd when he was entered in, he saith unto them, \"Why make ye a tumult,\nand weep? the child is not dead, but sleepeth.\"\n\n{142}\n\nAnd they laughed him to scorn. But he, having put them all forth,\ntaketh the father of the child and her mother and them that were with\nhim, and goeth in where the child was. And taking the child by the\nhand, he said unto her, \"Talitha cumi\"; that is, \"Little girl, I say\nunto thee, Arise.\"\n\nAnd straightway the little girl rose up, and walked; for she was\ntwelve years old. And they were greatly amazed. And he charged them\nmuch that no man should know this: and he commanded that something\nshould be given her to eat.\n\n\n{143}\n\nVIII\n\nLEARNING TO SERVE.\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Sent His Disciples Out to Tell of Him_.\n\n\nAnd he called to him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two\nand two; and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits; and he\ncharged them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a\nstaff only; no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse; but to go\nshod with sandals: and, said he, \"Put not on two coats.\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Wheresoever ye enter into a house, there abide\ntill ye depart thence. And whatsoever place shall not receive you, and\nthey hear you not, as ye go forth thence, shake off the dust that is\nunder your feet for a testimony unto them.\"\n\nAnd they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast\nout many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed\nthem.\n\n\n{144}\n\nIX\n\nTHE FEEDING OF THE MULTITUDE\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Invited the Multitude to a Supper, and How, Having\nWon Great Fame, the People Would Have Made Him King, but He Refused_.\n\n\nAnd the apostles gathered about Jesus; and they told him all things,\nwhatsoever they had done, and whatsoever they had taught.\n\nAnd he saith unto them, \"Come ye apart into a desert place, and rest\nawhile.\"\n\nFor there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much\nas to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desert place. And the\npeople saw them going, and many knew them, and they ran there together\non foot from all the cities, and arrived before them.\n\nAnd he came forth and saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on\nthem, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began\nto teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his\ndisciples came unto him, and said, \"The place is desert, and the day\nis now far spent: send them away, that they may go into the country\nand villages round about, and buy themselves something to eat.\"\n\nBut he answered and said unto them, \"Give ye them to eat.\"\n\n{145}{146}\n\n[Illustration]\n FISHING BOAT ON THE SEA OF GALILEE.\n\n \"He who shall search for cities famed of yore,\n Few wrecks will find on lone Tiberias' shore:\n Where stood tower-crowned Chorazin, men forget;\n A palm tree marks thy site, Gennesaret.\n Tiberias, Herod's pride, still flaunteth fair,\n But not the cross, the crescent triumphs there.\"\n --_Nicolas Michell_\n\n{147}\n\nAnd they say unto him, \"Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of\nbread, and give them to eat?\"\n\nAnd he saith unto them, \"How many loaves have ye? go and see.\"\n\nOne of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said unto him,\n\"There is a lad here, who has five barley loaves, and two fishes: but\nwhat are these among so many?\"\n\nAnd he commanded them that all should sit down by companies upon the\ngreen grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.\nAnd he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to\nheaven, he blessed, and broke the loaves; and he gave to the disciples\nto set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And\nthey all ate, and were filled. And they took up broken pieces, twelve\nbasketfuls, and also of the fishes. And those who ate the loaves were\nfive thousand men.\n\nAnd straightway he told his disciples to enter into the boat, and to\ngo before him unto the other side to Bethsaida, while he himself sent\nthe multitude away. But when the people saw the sign which he did,\nthey said, \"This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the\nworld.\"\n\nJesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take him\nby force, to make him king, withdrew into the mountain himself alone.\n\nAnd when even was come, the boat in which his disciples had embarked\nwas in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And seeing them\ndistressed in rowing, for the wind was against them, about the fourth\nwatch of the night {148} he came unto them, walking on the sea; and he\nwould have passed by them: but they, when they saw him walking on the\nsea, supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out: for they all saw\nhim, and were troubled.\n\nBut he straightway spoke with them, and said unto them, \"Be of good\ncheer: it is I; be not afraid.\"\n\nAnd he went into the boat with them; and the wind ceased: and they\nwere sore amazed.\n\n\n{149}\n\nX\n\nJESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST.\n\n_How the Heroic Friend of Jesus Was Basely Murdered,\nand How the Two Men Had Loved Each Other_.\n\n\n(Before Jesus began his preaching, a man named John had begun to tell\nthe people that God would soon send them a great prophet. He himself\nseemed to the people to be like one of the old prophets. His dress and\nhis way of living were simple, and he spoke as though God were\nspeaking through him. How he preached, and how he baptized Jesus,\ntelling his disciples that this was the man of whose coming he had\nbeen speaking, has all been told in a previous chapter. After the\nbaptism John watched the career of Jesus with great interest. Before\nlong John was seized and cast into prison. He became despondent, and\nbegan to doubt if Jesus was indeed the one of whom he was sent to\ntell. He sent messengers to Jesus, and Jesus sent back a comforting\nand reassuring message to the prisoner. Jesus loved John and spoke in\nthe highest terms of his work and character. This chapter tells of the\nrelations between the two men after Jesus' baptism, and how John met\nat last a shameful death.)\n\n\n_John Acknowledges the Leadership of Jesus_.\n\nAfter these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of\nJudaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. And John also\nwas baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there:\nand they came, and were baptized. For John was not yet cast into\nprison.\n\n{150}\n\nThere arose therefore a questioning on the part of John's disciples\nwith a Jew about purifying. And they came unto John, and said to him,\n\"Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou hast borne\nwitness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.\"\n\nJohn answered and said, \"A man can receive nothing, except it have\nbeen given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I\nsaid, 'I am not the Christ, but, that I am sent before him.' He that\nhath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom,\nwho standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the\nbridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must\nincrease, but I must decrease.\"\n\n\n_Imprisoned, John Begins to Lose Faith_.\n\nFor a time he continued to preach good tidings unto the people; but\nHerod, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother's wife, and for\nall the evil things which Herod had done, added yet this above all,\nthat he shut up John in prison.\n\nAnd the disciples of John told him in prison of the works of Jesus.\nAnd John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to the Lord,\nsaying, \"Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?\"\n\nAnd when the men were come unto him, they said, \"John the Baptist hath\nsent us unto thee, saying, 'Art thou he that cometh, or look we for\nanother?'\"\n\nIn that hour, he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits;\nand on many that were blind he bestowed sight.\n\n{151}{152}\n\n[Illustration]\n CHRIST AND JOHN THE BAPTIST.\n By Guido Reni (1575-1642)\n[End illustration]\n\n{153}\n\nAnd he answered and said unto them, \"Go, and tell John what things ye\nhave seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the\nlepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the\npoor have good tidings preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever\nshall find no occasion of stumbling in me.\"\n\n\n_Jesus Speaks of the Greatness of John_.\n\nAnd when the messengers of John were departed, he began to say unto\nthe multitudes concerning John, \"What went ye out into the wilderness\nto behold? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out to see? a\nman clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those who are gorgeously\nappareled, and live luxuriously, are in kings' houses. But what went\nye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a\nprophet. This is he of whom it is written,--\n\n 'Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,\n Who shall prepare thy way before thee.'\n\n\"I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there is none\ngreater than John: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of God is\ngreater than he.\"\n\n\"Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation, and to what\nare they like? They are like unto children who sit in the marketplace,\nand call one to another; who say, 'We piped unto you, and ye did not\ndance; we wailed, and ye did not weep.' For John the Baptist is come\neating no bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, 'He hath a demon.' The\nSon of man is come eating and {154} drinking; and ye say, 'Behold, a\ngluttonous man, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and\nsinners!' And wisdom is justified of all her children.\"\n\n\n_The Cruel Murder of John_.\n\nWhen a convenient day was come, Herod on his birthday made a supper to\nhis lords, and the high captains, and the chief men of Galilee; and\nwhen the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased\nHerod and those who sat at meat with him; and the king said unto the\nmaiden, \"Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.\"\n\nAnd he swore unto her, \"Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give\nit thee, unto the half of my kingdom.\"\n\nAnd she went out, and said unto her mother, \"What shall I ask?\"\n\nAnd she said, \"The head of John the Baptist.\"\n\nAnd she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked,\nsaying, \"I wish that thou forthwith give me in a platter the head of\nJohn the Baptist.\"\n\nAnd the king was exceeding sorry; but for the sake of his promises,\nand of those who sat and feasted with him, he would not reject her.\nAnd straightway the king sent forth a soldier of his guard, and\ncommanded to bring the head of John: and he went and beheaded him in\nthe prison, and brought his head in a platter, and gave it to the\nmaiden; and the maiden gave it to her mother. And when his disciples\nheard thereof, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a\ntomb.\n\n{155}\n\nO LOVE DIVINE\n\n O Love Divine, that stooped to share\n Our sharpest pang, our bitterest tear,\n On Thee we cast each earth-born care:\n We smile at pain while Thou art near.\n\n Though long the weary way we tread,\n And sorrow crown each lingering year;\n No path we shun, no darkness dread,\n Our hearts still whispering, Thou art near!\n\n When drooping pleasure turns to grief,\n And trembling faith is changed to fear;\n The murmuring wind, the quivering leaf,\n Shall softly tell us, Thou art near!\n\n On Thee we fling our burdening woe,\n O Love Divine, for ever dear;\n Content to suffer, while we know,\n Living and dying, Thou art near!\n --_Oliver Wendell Holmes_.\n\n{156}\n\nO MASTER, LET ME WALK WITH THEE\n\n O Master, let me walk with Thee\n In lowly paths of service free;\n Tell me Thy secret; help me bear\n The strain of toil, the fret of care.\n\n Help me the slow of heart to move\n By some clear winning word of love;\n Teach me the wayward feet to stay,\n And guide them in the homeward way.\n\n Teach me Thy patience! still with Thee\n In closer, dearer company,\n In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,\n In trust that triumphs over wrong;\n\n In hope that sends a shining ray\n Far down the future's broadening way;\n In peace that only Thou canst give,\n With Thee, O Master, let me live!\n --_Washington Gladden_.\n(Used by the kind permission of the author.)\n\n{157}\n\nTHE ELIXIR\n\n Teach me, my God and King,\n In all things Thee to see,\n And what I do in anything\n To do it as for Thee.\n\n Not rudely, as a beast,\n To runne into an action,\n But still to make Thee prepossest\n And give it His perfection.\n\n A man that looks on glasse,\n On it may stay his eye,\n Or if he pleaseth, through it passe,\n And then the leav'n espie.\n\n All may of Thee partake,\n Nothing can be so mean\n Which, with his tincture (for Thy sake),\n Will not grow bright and clean.\n\n A servant with this clause\n Makes drudgery divine;\n Who sweeps a room, as for Thy laws,\n Makes that and th' action fine.\n\n This is the famous stone\n That turneth all to gold,\n For that which God doth touch and own\n Cannot for lesse be told.\n --_George Herbert_.\n\n{158}\n\nI HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS SAY\n\n I heard the voice of Jesus say,\n \"Come unto me and rest;\n Lay down, thou weary one, lay down\n Thy head upon my breast.\"\n I came to Jesus as I was,\n Weary, and worn, and sad;\n I found in Him a resting place,\n And He has made me glad.\n\n I heard the voice of Jesus say,\n \"Behold, I freely give\n The living water: thirsty one,\n Stoop down, and drink, and live.\"\n I came to Jesus, and I drank\n Of that life-giving stream;\n My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,\n And now I live in Him.\n\n I heard the voice of Jesus say,\n \"I am this dark world's Light;\n Look unto me, thy morn shall rise,\n And all thy day be bright.\"\n I looked to Jesus, and I found\n In Him my Star, my Sun;\n And in that light of life I'll walk\n Till traveling days are done.\n --_Horatius Bonar_.\n\n{159}\n\nHow, while He was still teaching and healing, many\n began to turn against Him, and He, seeing\n that He must suffer to save the\n people, took up the\n journey to the\n cross.\n\n{160}\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n _The LORD JESUS_.\n _The Disciples_.\n _A man born blind_.\n _A woman who was a sinner_.\n _A Syro-Phoenician woman and her daughter_.\n _Lazarus_.\n _Mary_.\n _Martha_.\n _Zaccheus_.\n _Bartimeus_.\n _Scribes, Pharisees, lawyers_.\n _Afflicted people, little children, priests, officers_.\n\n\nPLACES OF THE STORY.\n _The Sea of Galilee_.\n _A rich man's feast_.\n _The country to the north of Galilee_.\n _Caesarea Philippi_.\n _The \"Mount of Transfiguration.\"_\n _Bethany_.\n\n{161}\n\nI\n\nTHE BEGINNING OF THE END\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Tried to Turn the Minds of the People to Things\nHigher Than Crowns and Kingdoms, and How They Could Not Understand_.\n\n\nWhen the Lord Jesus disappeared from the multitude, after he had fed\nthem by the sea, they sought for him, and not finding him, they\nthemselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.\nAnd when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto\nhim, \"Rabbi, when earnest thou hither?\"\n\nJesus answered them and said, \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek\nme, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves, and\nwere filled. Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food\nwhich abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto\nyou.\"\n\nThey said therefore unto him, \"What must we do, that we may work the\nworks of God?\"\n\nJesus answered and said unto them, \"This is the work of God, that ye\nbelieve on him whom he hath sent.\"\n\nThey said therefore unto him, \"What then doest thou {162} for a sign,\nthat we may see, and believe thee? what workest thou? Our fathers ate\nthe manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread out\nof heaven to eat.'\"\n\nJesus therefore said unto them, \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, It\nwas not Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven; but my Father\ngiveth you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is he\nwho cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world.\"\n\nThey said therefore unto him, \"Lord, evermore give us this bread.\"\n\nJesus said unto them, \"I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me\nshall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But\nI said unto you, that ye have seen me, and yet believe not. All that\nwhich the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to\nme I will in no wise cast out. For I am come down from heaven, not to\ndo mine own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the\nwill of him who sent me, that of all those whom he hath given me I\nshould lose none, but should raise them up at the last day. For this\nis the will of my Father, that everyone who beholdeth the Son, and\nbelieveth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at\nthe last day.\"\n\nThe Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, \"I am the\nbread which came down out of heaven.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and\nmother we know? how doth he now say, 'I am come down out of heaven'?\"\n\n{163}{164}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE LORD JESUS\n By Heinrich Hofmann (1824-\n[End illustration]\n\n{165}\n\nJesus answered and said unto them, \"Murmur not among yourselves. No\nman can come to me, except the Father who sent me draw him: and I will\nraise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they\nshall all be taught of God.' Everyone that hath heard from the Father,\nand hath learned, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the\nFather, save he which is from God, he hath seen the Father. Verily,\nverily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life. I am the\nbread of life. Your fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and\nthey died. This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a\nman may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came\ndown out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live\nforever: yea, and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the\nlife of the world.\"\n\nMany therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, \"This is\na hard saying; who can hear it?\"\n\nBut Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said\nunto them, \"Doth this cause you to stumble? What then if ye should\nbehold the Son of man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit\nthat giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have\nspoken unto you are spirit, and are life. But there are some of you\nwho believe not.\"\n\nFor Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and\nwho it was who should betray him.\n\nAnd he said, \"For this cause have I said unto you, that no man can\ncome unto me, except it be given unto him of the Father.\"\n\n{166}\n\nUpon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with\nhim. Jesus said therefore unto the twelve, \"Would ye also go away?\"\nSimon Peter answered him, \"Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the\nwords of eternal life. And we have believed and know that thou art the\nHoly One of God.\"\n\n\n{167}\n\nII\n\nTHE ENEMIES OF JESUS\n\n_How the Leaders of the People Had Already Begun to Turn Against the\nLord Jesus and to Dispute His Teaching_.\n\n_Conflict About the Sabbath_.\n\nThere was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.\n\nNow there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in\nHebrew Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a multitude of\nthose who were sick, blind, lame, withered. And a certain man was\nthere, who had been thirty-eight years in his infirmity. When Jesus\nsaw him lying, and knew that he had been ill a long time, he saith\nunto him, \"Wouldest thou be made whole?\" The sick man answered him,\n\"Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the\npool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.\"\n\nJesus saith unto him, \"Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.\" And\nstraightway the man was made whole, and took up his bed and walked.\n\nNow it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews said unto him who was\ncured, \"It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for thee to take up\nthy bed.\"\n\nBut he answered them, \"He that made me whole, the same said unto me,\n'Take up thy bed, and walk.'\"\n\n{168}\n\nThey asked him, \"Who is the man that said unto thee, 'Take up thy bed,\nand walk'?\"\n\nBut he that was healed knew not who it was: for Jesus had gone away, a\nmultitude being in the place.\n\nAfterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, \"Behold,\nthou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee.\"\n\nThe man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made\nhim whole. And for this cause did the Jews persecute Jesus, because he\ndid these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, \"My Father\nworketh even until now, and I work.\"\n\nFor this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because\nhe not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father,\nmaking himself equal with God.\n\nAt another time he was going on the Sabbath day through the\ncornfields; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears\nof corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, \"Behold, why do they on the\nSabbath day that which is not lawful?\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Did ye never read what David did, when he had\nneed, and was hungry, he, and those who were with him? How he entered\ninto the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the\nshowbread, which it is not lawful to eat save for the priests, and\ngave also to those who were with him?\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for\nthe Sabbath: so that the Son of man is lord even of the Sabbath.\"\n\n{169}\n\nAnd he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there who\nhad his hand withered. And they watched him, whether he would heal him\non the Sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the\nman who had his hand withered, \"Stand forth.\"\n\nAnd he saith unto them, \"Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good,\nor to do harm? to save a life, or to kill?\"\n\nBut they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them\nwith anger, being grieved at their hard-heartedness, he said to the\nman, \"Stretch forth thy hand.\" And he stretched it forth: and his hand\nwas restored.\n\nAnd the Pharisees went out, and straightway with the Herodians took\ncounsel against him, how they might destroy him.\n\n\n_Conflict About the Treatment of Sinful People_.\n\nAnd one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him. And he entered\ninto the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.\n\nAnd behold, a woman who was in the city, a sinner, when she knew that\nhe was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster cruse of\nointment, and standing behind at his feet, weeping, began to wet his\nfeet with her tears, and wipe them with the hair of her head, and\nkissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the\nPharisee who had invited him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying,\n\"This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what\nmanner of woman this is who toucheth him, that she is a sinner.\"\n\n{170}\n\nAnd Jesus answering said unto him, \"Simon, I have something to say\nunto thee.\"\n\nAnd he saith, \"Master, say on.\"\n\nJesus said, \"A certain lender had two debtors: the one owed five\nhundred pence, and the other fifty. When they had nothing with which\nto pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him\nmost?\"\n\nSimon answered and said, \"He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most.\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"Thou hast rightly judged.\" And turning to the\nwoman, he said unto Simon, \"Seest thou this woman? I entered into\nthine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath wet my\nfeet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. Thou gavest me no\nkiss: but she, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my\nfeet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but she hath anointed my\nfeet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are\nmany, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is\nforgiven, the same loveth little.\"\n\nAnd he said unto her, \"Thy sins are forgiven.\"\n\nAnd they that were at the feast with him began to say within\nthemselves, \"Who is this who even forgiveth sins?\"\n\nAnd he said unto the woman, \"Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.\"\n\n\n_Conflict About the Wonderful Deeds of Jesus_.\n\nThere was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb:\nand he healed him, insomuch that {171} the dumb man spoke and saw. And\nall the multitude were amazed, and said, \"Is this the son of David?\"\nBut when the Pharisees heard it, they said, \"This man doth not cast\nout demons but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons.\"\n\nAnd knowing their thoughts he said unto them, \"Every kingdom divided\nagainst itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house\ndivided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan casteth out\nSatan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom\nstand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons\ncast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I by the\nSpirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon\nyou.\"\n\n\n{172}\n\nIII\n\nA LONG JOURNEY\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Traveled to the North to be Alone with His\nDisciples, and How the People Still Thronged Him_.\n\nAnd Jesus went out thence, and withdrew into the parts of Tyre and\nSidon.\n\nAnd he entered into a house, and would have no one know it: but he\ncould not be hid. Soon a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean\nspirit, having heard of him, came and fell down at his feet. Now the\nwoman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. And she besought him that\nhe would cast forth the demon out of her daughter.\n\nAnd he said unto her, \"Let the children first be filled: for it is not\nfitting to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs.\"\n\nBut she answered and saith unto him, \"Yea, Lord: even the little dogs\nunder the table eat of the children's crumbs.\"\n\nAnd he said unto her, \"For this saying go thy way; the demon is gone\nout of thy daughter.\"\n\nAnd she went away unto her house, and found the child laid upon the\nbed, and the demon gone out.\n\nAnd again he went out from the borders of Tyre, and came through Sidon\nto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis.\nAnd they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in\nhis speech; and they beseech him to lay his hand upon him.\n\n{173}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF THE CASTLE AT CAESAREA-PHILIPPI.\n A magnificent fortress at the head of the Jordan.\n\n From a photograph of the Palestine Exploration Fund, and used by\n special permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n{175}\n\nAnd he took him aside from the multitude privately, and put his\nfingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue; and\nlooking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, \"Ephphatha,\" that\nis, \"Be opened.\" And his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue\nwas loosed, and he spoke plainly.\n\nAnd he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he\ncharged them, so much the more a great deal they published it. And\nthey were beyond measure astonished, saying, \"He hath done all things\nwell: he maketh even the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.\"\n\nIn those days, when there was again a great multitude, and they had\nnothing to eat, he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them,\n\"I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now\nthree days, and have nothing to eat: and if I send them away fasting\nto their home, they will faint in the way; and some of them are come\nfrom far.\"\n\nAnd his disciples answered him, \"Whence shall one be able to fill\nthese men with bread here in a desert place?\"\n\nAnd he asked them, \"How many loaves have ye?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"Seven.\"\n\nAnd he commandeth the multitude to sit down on the ground: and he took\nthe seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke the bread, and\ngave to his disciples, to set before them; and they set them before\nthe multitude.\n\nAnd they had a few small fishes: and having blessed {176} them, he\ncommanded to set these also before them. And they ate, and were\nfilled: and they took up, of broken pieces that remained over, seven\nbaskets. And they were about four thousand: and he sent them away. And\nstraightway he entered into the boat with his disciples, and came into\nthe parts of Dalmanutha.\n\nAnd the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking\nof him a sign from heaven, trying him. And he sighed deeply in his\nspirit, and saith, \"Why doth this generation seek a sign? verily I say\nunto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.\" And he\nleft them, and again entering into the boat departed to the other\nside.\n\nAnd they forgot to take bread; and they had not in the boat with them\nmore than one loaf. And he charged them, saying, \"Take heed, beware of\nthe leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.\"\n\nAnd they reasoned one with another, saying, \"It is because we have no\nbread.\" And Jesus perceiving it saith unto them, \"Why reason ye,\nbecause ye have no bread? do ye not yet perceive, neither understand?\nhave ye your heart hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears,\nhear ye not? and do ye not remember? When I broke the five loaves\namong the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces took\nye up?\"\n\nThey say unto him, \"Twelve.\"\n\n\"And when the seven among the four thousand, how many baskets full of\nbroken pieces took ye up?\"\n\nAnd they say unto him, \"Seven.\"\n\n{177}\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Do ye not yet understand?\" Then understood\nthey that he bade them not to beware of the leaven of bread, but of\nthe teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.\n\nAnd they come unto Bethsaida. And they bring to him a blind man, and\nbeseech him to touch him. And he took hold of the blind man by the\nhand, and brought him out of the village; and when he had spit on his\neyes, and laid his hands upon him, he asked him, \"Seest thou aught?\"\n\nAnd he looked up, and said, \"I see men; but I behold them as trees,\nwalking.\"\n\nThen again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he looked steadfastly,\nand was restored, and saw all things clearly. And he sent him away to\nhis home, saying, \"Do not even enter into the village.\"\n\n\n{178}\n\nIV\n\nTHE SHADOW OF THE CROSS\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Spoke Sad News to His Disciples_.\n\n\nAnd Jesus went forth with his disciples, into the villages of Caesarea\nPhilippi: and on the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them,\n\"Who do men say that I am?\"\n\nAnd they told him, saying, \"John the Baptist: and others, Elijah; but\nothers, One of the prophets.\"\n\nAnd he asked them, \"But who say ye that I am?\" Peter answereth and\nsaith unto him, \"Thou art the Christ.\"\n\nAnd he charged them that they should tell no man of him. And he began\nto teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be\nrejected by the elders, and the chief priests, and the scribes, and be\nkilled, and after three days rise again. And he spoke the saying\nopenly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But he turning\nabout, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and saith, \"Get thee\nbehind me, Satan: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the\nthings of men.\"\n\nAnd he called unto him the multitude with his disciples, and said unto\nthem, \"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take\nup his cross, and follow me. For whosoever would save his life shall\nlose it; and {179} whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the\ngospel's shall save it. For what doth it profit a man, to gain the\nwhole world, and lose his life? For what should a man give in exchange\nfor his life? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in\nthis sinful generation, the Son of man also shall be ashamed of him,\nwhen he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.\" And\nhe said unto them, \"Verily I say unto you, There are some here of them\nthat stand by, who shall in no wise taste death, till they see the\nkingdom of God come with power.\"\n\nAnd they went forth from thence, and passed through Galilee; and he\nwould not that any man should know it. For he taught his disciples,\nand said unto them, \"The Son of man is delivered up into the hands of\nmen, and they shall kill him; and when he is killed, after three days\nhe shall rise again.\"\n\nBut they understood not the saying, and were afraid to ask him.\n\nSometime later Jesus again tried to make them understand. Then they\nwere going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus was going before them: and they\nwere amazed; and they that followed were afraid. And he took again the\ntwelve, and began to tell them the things that were to happen unto\nhim, saying, \"Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall\nbe delivered unto the chief priests and the scribes; and they shall\ncondemn him to death, and shall deliver him unto the Gentiles: and\nthey shall mock him, and shall spit upon him, and shall scourge him,\nand shall kill him; and after three days he shall rise again.\"\n\n\n{180}\n\nV\n\nTHE TRANSFIGURATION\n\n_How the Disciples Caught a Vision of the Lord Jesus' Glory and How\nThey Were Afterward Taught a Lesson in Faith and Service_.\n\nSoon after he spoke of what he must suffer Jesus took with him Peter,\nand James, and John, and brought them up into a high mountain apart by\nthemselves: and he was transfigured before them: and his garments\nbecame shining, exceeding white; so as no fuller on earth can whiten\nthem. And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses: and they were\ntalking with Jesus.\n\nAnd Peter saith to Jesus, \"Rabbi, it is good for us to be here: and\nlet us make three lodging places; one for thee, and one for Moses, and\none for Elijah.\" For he knew not what to answer; for they became\ngreatly afraid.\n\nAnd there came a cloud overshadowing them: and there came a voice out\nof the cloud, \"This is my beloved Son: hear ye him.\" And suddenly\nlooking round about, they saw no one any more, save Jesus only with\nthemselves.\n\nAnd as they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them that\nthey should tell no man what things they had seen, until the Son of\nman should have risen again from the dead. And they kept the saying,\nquestioning among themselves what the rising again from the dead might\nmean.\n\n{181}\n\nAnd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great multitude about\nthem, and scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the\nmultitude, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and running to him\nsaluted him. And he asked them, \"What question ye with them?\" And one\nof the multitude answered him, \"Master, I brought unto thee my son,\nwho hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever it taketh him, it dasheth him\ndown: and he foameth, and grindeth his teeth and pineth away: and I\nspoke to thy disciples that they should cast it out; and they were not\nable.\"\n\nAnd he answereth them and saith, \"O faithless generation, how long\nshall I be with you? how long shall I bear with you? bring him unto\nme.\"\n\nAnd they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, at once the spirit\ntore him grievously; and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming.\nAnd he asked his father, \"How long is it since this hath come unto\nhim?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"From a child. And oft-times it hath cast him both into\nthe fire and into the water, to destroy him: but if thou canst do\nanything, have compassion on us, and help us.\"\n\nAnd Jesus said unto him, \"If thou canst! All things are possible to\nhim that believeth.\"\n\nStraightway the father of the child cried out, and said, \"I believe;\nhelp thou mine unbelief.\"\n\nAnd when Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked\nthe unclean spirit, saying unto him, \"Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I\ncommand thee, come out {182} of him, and enter no more into him.\" And\nhaving cried out, and torn him much, the demon came out: and the child\nbecame as one dead; insomuch that most said, \"He is dead.\" But Jesus\ntook him by the hand, and raised him up; and he arose.\n\nAnd when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him\nprivately, saying, \"How is it that we could not cast it out?\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"This kind can come out by nothing, save by\nprayer.\"\n\n{183}{184}\n\n[Illustration]\n \"LO! I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK\"\n By Carl Schoenherr\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{185}\n\nVI\n\nTEACHING THE DISCIPLES\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Spoke of Humility and of Forgiveness_.\n\n\nAnd there come near unto him James and John, the sons of Zebedee,\nsaying unto him, \"Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us\nwhatsoever we shall ask of thee.\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"What would ye that I should do for you?\" And\nthey said unto him, \"Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right\nhand, and one on thy left hand, in thy glory.\"\n\nBut Jesus said unto them, \"Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to\ndrink the cup that I drink? or to be baptized with the baptism that I\nam baptized with?\"\n\nAnd they said unto him, \"We are able.\"\n\nAnd Jesus said unto them, \"The cup that I drink ye shall drink; and\nwith the baptism with which I am baptized shall ye be baptized: but to\nsit on my right hand or on my left hand is not mine to give: but it is\nfor those for whom it hath been prepared.\"\n\nAnd when the ten heard it, they began to be moved with indignation\nconcerning James and John.\n\nAnd Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, \"Ye know that they\nwho rule over the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great ones\nexercise authority over them. {186} But it is not so among you: but\nwhosoever would become great among you, shall be your minister: and\nwhosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all. For\nverily the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister,\nand to give his life a ransom for many.\"\n\n\n_The Story of the Ungrateful Servant_.\n\nAt another time came Peter, and said to him, \"Lord, how often shall my\nbrother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times?\"\n\nJesus saith unto him, \"I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but,\nUntil seventy times seven.\n\n\"Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, who\nwould make an accounting with his servants. And when he had begun to\nreckon, one was brought unto him, who owed him ten thousand talents.\nBut because he had nothing with which to pay, his lord commanded him\nto be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and\npayment to be made. The servant therefore fell down before him,\nsaying, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.' And\nthe lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him,\nand forgave him the debt. But that servant went out, and found one of\nhis fellow-servants, who owed him a hundred pence: and he laid hold of\nhim, and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay what thou owest.'\n\n\"So his fellow-servant fell down and besought him, saying, 'Have\npatience with me, and I will pay thee.' And he would not: but went and\ncast him into prison, till he {187} should pay that which was due. So\nwhen his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were exceeding sorry,\nand came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord\ncalled him unto him, and saith to him, 'Thou wicked servant, I forgave\nthee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me: shouldest not thou\nalso have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on\nthee?' And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the torturers,\ntill he should pay all that was due. So shall also my heavenly Father\ndo unto you, if ye forgive not everyone his brother from your hearts.\"\n\n\n{188}\n\nVII\n\nJESUS AND LITTLE CHILDREN\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Spoke of Little Children, and How He Gave Them His\nBlessing_.\n\n\nThe disciples came unto Jesus, saying, \"Who then is greatest in the\nkingdom of heaven?\"\n\nAnd he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them,\nand said, \"Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little\nchildren, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.\nWhosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the\nsame is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive\none such little child in my name receiveth me: but whoso shall cause\none of these little ones who believe on me to stumble, it would be\nbetter for him if a great millstone should be hanged about his neck,\nand he were sunk in the depth of the sea.\n\n\"See that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you,\nthat in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father who\nis in heaven. How think ye? if any man have a hundred sheep, and one\nof them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and go\nunto the mountains, and seek that which goeth astray? And if so be\nthat he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth {189} over it\nmore than over the ninety and nine which have not gone astray. Even so\nit is not the will of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these\nlittle ones should perish.\"\n\nAnd they brought unto him little children, that he should touch them:\nand the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was moved\nwith indignation, and said unto them,--\n\n \"Suffer the little children to come unto me:\n forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.\"\n\n\"Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God\nas a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein.\" And he took\nthem in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.\n\n\n{190}\n\nVIII\n\nJESUS AT JERUSALEM\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Visited Jerusalem at the Feast of\nTabernacles, and How He Taught of Light and Freedom_.\n\n\nAnd after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk\nin Judaea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the feast of the\nJews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand. His brethren therefore\nsaid unto him, \"Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples\nalso may behold thy works which thou doest. For no man doeth anything\nin secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these\nthings, manifest thyself to the world.\" For even his brethren did not\nbelieve on him.\n\nJesus therefore saith unto them, \"My hour is not yet come; but your\ntime is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth,\nbecause I testify of it, that its works are evil. Go ye up to the\nfeast: I go not up yet to this feast; because my time is not yet\nfulfilled.\"\n\nAnd having said these things to them, he remained still in Galilee.\n\n\n_Jesus Goes Secretly to Jerusalem_.\n\nBut when his brethren were gone up to the feast, then went he also up,\nnot publicly, but in secret. The Jews {191} therefore sought him at\nthe feast, and said, \"Where is he?\" And there was much discussion\namong the multitudes concerning him: some said, \"He is a good man\";\nothers said, \"Not so, but he leadeth the multitude astray.\" Howbeit no\nman spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews.\n\nBut when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the\ntemple, and taught. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, \"How knoweth\nthis man letters, having never learned?\" Jesus therefore answered\nthem, and said, \"My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me. If any\nman willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it\nbe of God, or whether I speak from myself. He that speaketh from\nhimself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh the glory of him\nthat sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.\"\n\nSome therefore of them of Jerusalem said, \"Is not this he whom they\nseek to kill? And lo, he speaketh openly, and they say nothing unto\nhim. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is the Christ?\nHowbeit we know this man whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no\none knoweth whence he is.\"\n\nJesus therefore spoke in the temple, teaching and saying, \"Ye both\nknow me, and know whence I am; and I am not come of myself, but he\nthat sent me is true, whom ye know not. I know him; because I am from\nhim, and he sent me.\"\n\nThey sought therefore to take him: but no man laid his hand on him,\nbecause his hour was not yet come. But of the multitude many believed\non him; and they said, {192} \"When the Christ shall come, will he do\nmore signs than those which this man hath done?\"\n\nThe Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning\nhim; and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to take\nhim. Jesus therefore said, \"Yet a little while am I with you, and I go\nunto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and\nwhere I am, ye cannot come.\"\n\n\n\"_Is this the Christ?_\"\n\nNow on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and\ncried, saying, \"If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He\nthat believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him\nshall flow rivers of living water.\"\n\nSome of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said,\n\"This is of a truth the prophet.\" Others said, \"This is the Christ.\"\nBut some said. \"What, doth the Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not\nthe scripture said that the Christ cometh of the line of David, and\nfrom Bethlehem, the village where David was?\" So there arose a\ndivision in the multitude because of him. And some of them would have\ntaken him; but no man laid hands on him.\n\nThe officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and\nthey said unto them, \"Why did ye not bring him?\" The officers\nanswered, \"Never man so spoke.\"\n\nThe Pharisees therefore answered them, \"Are ye also led astray? Hath\nany of the rulers believed on him, or of the Pharisees? But this\nmultitude which knoweth not the law are accursed.\"\n\n{193}\n\nNicodemus saith unto them, \"Doth our law judge a man, except it first\nhear from himself and know what he doeth?\"\n\nThey answered and said unto him, \"Art thou also of Galilee? Search,\nand see that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.\"\n\nAgain therefore Jesus spoke unto them, saying, \"I am the light of the\nworld: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have\nthe light of life.\"\n\nThe Pharisees therefore said unto him, \"Thou bearest witness of\nthyself; thy witness is not true.\"\n\nJesus answered and said unto them, \"Even if I bear witness of myself,\nmy witness is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye\nknow not whence I come, or whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh; I\njudge no man. Yea and if I judge, my judgment is true; for I am not\nalone, but I and the Father that sent me. Yea and in your law it is\nwritten, that the witness of two men is true. I am he that beareth\nwitness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.\"\n\nThey said therefore unto him, \"Where is thy Father?\"\n\nJesus answered, \"Ye know neither me, nor my Father: if ye knew me, ye\nwould know my Father also.\" These words spoke he in the treasury, as\nhe taught in the temple: and no man took him; because his hour was not\nyet come.\n\n\n_\"The Truth Shall Make You Free.\"_\n\nJesus therefore said to those Jews which had believed him, \"If ye\nabide in my word, then are ye truly my {194} disciples; and ye shall\nknow the truth, and the truth shall make you free.\"\n\nThey answered unto him, \"We are Abraham's children, and have never yet\nbeen in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, 'Ye shall be made free'?\"\n\nJesus answered them, \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Everyone that\ncommitteth sin is the bondservant of sin. And the bondservant abideth\nnot in the house for ever: the son abideth for ever. If therefore the\nSon shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are\nAbraham's children; yet ye seek to kill me, because my word hath not\nfree course in you. I speak the things which I have seen with my\nFather: and ye also do the things which ye heard from your father.\"\n\nThey answered and said unto him, \"Our father is Abraham.\"\n\nJesus saith unto them, \"If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the\nworks of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you\nthe truth, which I heard from God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the\nworks of your father.\"\n\nThey said unto him, \"We have one Father, even God.\" Jesus said unto\nthem, \"If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I came forth and\nam come from God; for neither have I come of myself, but he sent me.\nWhy do ye not understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my\nword. Ye are of your father the devil, and the evil desires of your\nfather it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning,\nand stood not in the truth, {195} because there is no truth in him.\nWhen he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and\nthe father thereof. But because I say the truth, ye believe me not.\nWhich of you convicteth me of sin? If I say truth, why do ye not\nbelieve me? He that is of God heareth the words of God: for this cause\nye hear them not, because ye are not of God.\"\n\nThe Jews answered and said unto him, \"Say we not well that thou art a\nSamaritan, and hast a demon?\"\n\nJesus answered, \"I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and ye\ndishonor me. But I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh\nand judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word he\nshall never see death.\"\n\nThe Jews said unto him, \"Now we know that thou hast a demon. Abraham\nis dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, 'If a man keep my word, he\nshall never taste of death.' Art thou greater than our father Abraham,\nwho is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?\"\n\nJesus answered, \"If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing: it is my\nFather that glorifieth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God; and ye\nhave not known him: but I know him; and if I should say, I know him\nnot, I shall be like unto you, a liar: but I know him, and keep his\nword. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and\nwas glad.\"\n\nThe Jews therefore said unto him, \"Thou art not yet fifty years old,\nand hast thou seen Abraham?\"\n\n{196}\n\nJesus said unto them, \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham\nwas, I am.\"\n\nThey took up stones therefore to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself,\nand went out of the temple.\n\n\n{197}\n\nIX\n\nAT THE FEAST OF THE DEDICATION\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Visited Jerusalem Yet Again, How He Restored Sight\nto the Blind, and How He Taught of the Good Shepherd_.\n\nAt the feast of the dedication in the winter season, Jesus came again\nto Jerusalem. And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth.\nAnd his disciples asked him, saying, \"Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or\nhis parents, that he should be born blind?\"\n\nJesus answered, \"Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but this\nhappened that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must\nwork the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh,\nwhen no man can work. When I am in the world, I am the light of the\nworld.\"\n\nWhen he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the\nspittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay, and said unto him, \"Go,\nwash in the pool of Siloam.\"\n\nHe went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing. The neighbors\ntherefore, and they which saw him before, and knew him as a beggar,\nsaid, \"Is not this he that sat and begged?\"\n\nSome said, \"It is he\": others said, \"No, but he is like him.\"\n\n{198}\n\nHe said, \"I am he,\"\n\nThey said therefore unto him, \"How then were thine eyes opened?\"\n\nHe answered, \"The man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed\nmine eyes, and said unto me, 'Go to Siloam, and wash': so I went away\nand washed, and I received sight.\"\n\nAnd they said unto him, \"Where is he?\"\n\nHe saith, \"I know not.\"\n\nThey brought to the Pharisees him that before was blind.\n\nNow it was the Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay, and opened\nhis eyes. Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received\nhis sight. And he said unto them, \"He put clay upon mine eyes, and I\nwashed, and see.\"\n\nSome therefore of the Pharisees said, \"This man is not from God,\nbecause he keepeth not the Sabbath.\"\n\nBut others said, \"How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?\"\n\nAnd there was a division among them. They said therefore unto the\nblind man again, \"What sayest thou of him, now that he has opened\nthine eyes?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"He is a prophet.\"\n\nThe Jews did not believe that he had been blind, and had received his\nsight, until they called the parents of him that had received his\nsight, and asked them, saying, \"Is this your son, who ye say was born\nblind? how then doth he now see?\"\n\nHis parents answered and said, \"We know that this is {199} our son,\nand that he was born blind: but how he now seeth, we know not; or who\nopened his eyes, we know not; ask him; he is of age; he shall speak\nfor himself.\"\n\nThese things said his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the\nJews had agreed already, that if any man should confess Jesus to be\nChrist, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his\nparents, \"He is of age; ask him.\" So they called a second time the man\nthat was blind, and said unto him, \"Give glory to God: we know that\nthis man is a sinner.\"\n\nHe therefore answered, \"Whether he is a sinner, I know not: one thing\nI know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.\"\n\nThey said therefore unto him, \"What did he to thee? how opened he\nthine eyes?\"\n\nHe answered them, \"I told you even now, and ye did not hear: wherefore\nwould ye hear it again? would ye also become his disciples?\"\n\nAnd they reviled him, and said, \"Thou art his disciple; but we are\ndisciples of Moses. We know that God hath spoken unto Moses: but as\nfor this man, we know not whence he is.\"\n\nThe man answered and said unto them, \"Why, herein\nis the marvel, that ye know not whence he is, and yet he\nopened mine eyes. We know that God heareth not sinners:\nbut if any man be a worshiper of God, and do his will, him\nhe heareth. Since the world began it was never heard that\nanyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man\nwere not from God, he could do nothing.\"\n\n{200}\n\nThey answered and said unto him, \"Thou wast altogether born in sins,\nand dost thou teach us?\" And they cast him out.\n\nJesus heard that they had cast him out; and finding him, he said,\n\"Dost thou believe on the Son of God?\"\n\nHe answered and said, \"And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on\nhim?\"\n\nJesus said unto him, \"Thou hast both seen him, and he it is that\nspeaketh with thee.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Lord, I believe.\" And he worshiped him. And Jesus said,\n\"For judgment came I into this world, that they which see not may see;\nand that they which see may become blind.\"\n\nThose of the Pharisees which were with him heard these things, and\nsaid unto him, \"Are we also blind?\"\n\nJesus said unto them, \"If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now\nye say, 'We see': your sin remaineth.\" Jesus then told them of--\n\n\n_The Good Shepherd and the Sheep_.\n\n\"Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into\nthe fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a\nthief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the\nshepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear\nhis voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.\nWhen he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the\nsheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they\nnot follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of\nstrangers.\n\n\"Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the {201} sheep. All\nthat came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not\nhear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be\nsaved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture. The thief\ncometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that\nthey may have life, and may have it abundantly. I am the good\nshepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. He\nthat is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not,\nbeholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the\nwolf snatcheth them, and scattereth them: he fleeth because he is a\nhireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I\nknow mine own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me,\nand I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other\nsheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and\nthey shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock, one\nshepherd. Therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down my\nlife, that I may take it again. No one taketh it away from me, but I\nlay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power\nto take it again. This commandment received I from my Father.\"\n\nAfter these and other sayings, the Jews being angry with him, sought\nagain to take him, but he escaped from them.\n\nAnd he went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John was at\nthe first baptizing; and there he abode. And many came unto him; and\nthey said, \"John indeed did no sign: but all things whatsoever John\nspoke of this man were true.\" And many believed on him there.\n\n\n{202}\n\nX\n\nSTORIES OF THE DIVINE FORGIVENESS\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Spoke of the Love of God for Poor Sinners_.\n\n\nNow all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear\nhim. And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, \"This\nman receiveth sinners? and eateth with them.\"\n\nAnd he told them--\n\n\n_The Story of the Lost Sheep_.\n\nHe said, \"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one\nof them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go\nafter that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it,\nhe layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he\ncalleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them,\n'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.' I say\nunto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner\nthat repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons,\nwhich need no repentance.\"\n\n\n_The Story of the Lost Money_.\n\n\"What woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth\nnot light a lamp, and sweep the house, and {203} seek diligently until\nshe find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth together her\nfriends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the\npiece which I had lost.' Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the\npresence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.\"\n\n\n_The Story of the Prodigal Son_.\n\n\"A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his\nfather, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.' And\nhe divided unto them his property. And not many days after the younger\nson gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country;\nand there he wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had\nspent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began\nto be in want. And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens\nof that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.\n\n\"And he would fain have been filled with the husks that the swine did\neat: and no man gave unto him. But when he came to himself he said,\n'How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to\nspare, and I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my\nfather, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven,\nand in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as\none of thy hired servants.'\n\n\"And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet a great\nway off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran,\nand fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him,\n'Father, I have sinned against {204} heaven, and in thy sight: I am no\nmore worthy to be called thy son.' But the father said to his\nservants, 'Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and\nput a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring the fatted\ncalf, and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry: for this my son was\ndead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began\nto be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and\ndrew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called to\nhim one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be.\n\n\"And he said unto him, 'Thy brother is come; and thy father hath\nkilled the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.'\nBut he was angry, and would not go in: and his father came out, and\nintreated him. But he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many\nyears do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of\nthine: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry\nwith my friends: but when this thy son came, who hath devoured thy\nliving with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf.'\n\n\"And he said unto him, 'Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is\nmine is thine. But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy\nbrother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.'\"\n\n\n_The Story of the Dishonest Steward_.\n\n\"There was a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the same was\naccused unto him that he was wasting {205} his goods. And he called\nhim, and said unto him, 'What is this that I hear of thee? render the\naccount of thy stewardship; for thou canst be no longer steward.' And\nthe steward said within himself, 'What shall I do, seeing that my lord\ntaketh away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to dig; to\nbeg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of\nthe stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' And calling\nto him each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, 'How much\nowest thou unto my lord?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'\nAnd he said unto him, 'Take thy account and sit down quickly and write\nfifty.' Then said he to another, 'And how much owest thou?' And he\nsaid, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He saith unto him, 'Take thy\naccount, and write fourscore.' And his lord commended the unrighteous\nsteward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this world are for\ntheir own generation wiser than the sons of the light. And I say unto\nyou, Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of\nunrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into\nthe eternal habitations. He that is faithful in a very little is\nfaithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is\nunrighteous also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in\nthe unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?\nAnd if ye have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will\ngive you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for\neither he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold\nto one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.\"\n\n{206}\n\nAnd the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things;\nand they scoffed at him. And he said unto them, \"Ye are they that\njustify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts:\nfor that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of\nGod.\"\n\n\n_The Story of the Rich Man and the Poor Man_.\n\n\"Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and\nfine linen, faring sumptuously every day: and a certain beggar named\nLazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed\nwith the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs\ncame and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died,\nand that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom: and\nthe rich man also died, and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his\neyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in\nhis bosom. And he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me,\nand send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and\ncool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.'\n\n\"But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime\nreceivedest thy good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things:\nbut now here he is comforted, and thou art in anguish. And beside all\nthis, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they who\nwould pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross\nover from thence to us.'\n\n\"And he said, 'I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send\nhim to my father's house; for I have five {207} brethren; that he may\ntestify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.'\n\n\"But Abraham saith, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear\nthem.'\n\n\"And he said, 'Nay, father Abraham: but if one go to them from the\ndead, they will repent.'\n\n\"And he said unto him, 'If they hear not Moses and the prophets,\nneither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead.'\"\n\n\n_The Story of the Men Who Made Excuses_.\n\nAnd it came to pass, at another time, when he went into the house of\none of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, that\nthey were watching him.\n\nAnd he said unto those which were bidden, when he marked how they\nchose out the chief seats, \"When thou art bidden of any man to a\nmarriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more\nhonorable man than thou be bidden of him, and he that bade thee and\nhim shall come and say to thee, 'Give this man place'; and then thou\nshalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art\nbidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath\nbidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, 'Friend, go up higher': then\nshalt thou have glory in the presence of all who are at the feast with\nthee. For everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that\nhumbleth himself shall be exalted.\"\n\nAnd he said to him also that had bidden him, \"When thou makest a\ndinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor {208} thy brethren, nor\nthy kinsmen, nor rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a\nrecompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, bid the poor,\nthe maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; because\nthey have not wherewith to recompense thee: for thou shalt be\nrecompensed in the resurrection of the just.\"\n\nAnd when one of those who sat at the feast with him heard these\nthings, he said unto him, \"Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the\nkingdom of God.\" But he said unto him, \"A certain man made a great\nsupper; and he bade many: and he sent forth his servant at supper time\nto say to them that were bidden, 'Come; for all things are now ready.'\nAnd they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said\nunto him, 'I have bought a field, and I must needs go out and see it:\nI pray thee have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five\nyoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.'\nAnd another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot\ncome.'\n\n\"And the servant came and told his lord these things. Then the master\nof the house being angry said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the\nstreets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and maimed\nand blind and lame.' And the servant said, 'Lord, what thou didst\ncommand is done, and yet there is room.' And the lord said unto the\nservant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come\nin, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of\nthose men who were bidden shall taste of my supper.'\"\n\n{209}{210}\n\n[Illustration]\n CHRIST AND THE RICH RULER\n By Heinrich Hofmann (1824- )\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{211}\n\nXI\n\nTHE RICH YOUNG MAN.\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Spoke of the Evil of Pride, and of the Dangers of\nthe Love of Riches_.\n\nAnd as he was going forth, there ran one to him, and kneeled to him,\nand asked him, \"Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit\neternal life?\"\n\nAnd Jesus said unto him, \"Why callest thou me good? none is good save\none, even God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not kill, Do not\ncommit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not\ndefraud, Honor thy father and mother.\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"Master, all these things have I observed from\nmy youth.\" And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said unto him,\n\"One thing thou lackest: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to\nthe poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow\nme.\" But his countenance fell at the saying, and he went away\nsorrowful: for he was one that had great possessions.\n\nAnd Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, \"With what\ndifficulty shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!\"\n\nAnd the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answereth again,\nand saith unto them, \"Children, how hard is it for them that trust in\nriches to enter into the {212} kingdom of God! It is easier for a\ncamel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into\nthe kingdom of God.\"\n\nAnd they were astonished exceedingly, saying unto him, \"Then who can\nbe saved?\" Jesus looking upon them saith, \"With men it is impossible,\nbut not with God: for all things are possible with God.\"\n\nAnd one of the multitude said unto him, \"Master, bid my brother divide\nthe inheritance with me.\"\n\nBut he said unto him, \"Man, who made me a judge or a divider over\nyou?\" And he said unto them, \"Take heed, and keep yourselves from all\ncovetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the\nthings which he possesseth.\"\n\n\n_The Story of the Foolish Rich Man_.\n\nJesus said, \"The ground of a certain rich man brought forth\nplentifully: and he reasoned within himself, saying, 'What shall I do,\nbecause I have not where to bestow my harvests?' And he said, 'This\nwill I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there\nwill I bestow all my corn and my goods. And I will say to my soul,\nSoul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease,\neat, drink, be merry.' But God said unto him, 'Thou fool, this night\nis thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared,\nwhose shall they be?'\n\n\"So is he that layeth up treasures for himself, and is\nnot rich toward God.\"\n\n{213}\n\n[Illustration]\n Map of Palestine showing Jesus' last Journey.\n by E. R. Hooker\n[End illustration]\n\n{214}\n\n{215}\n\nXII\n\nTHE RAISING OF LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD.\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Showed His Love for His Friends_.\n\nNow a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary\nand her sister Martha. The sisters therefore sent unto him, saying,\n\"Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.\"\n\nBut when Jesus heard it, he said, \"This sickness is not unto death,\nbut for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified\nthereby.\"\n\nNow Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When therefore he\nheard that he was sick, he abode yet two days in the place where he\nwas. Then after this he saith to the disciples, \"Let us go into Judaea\nagain.\"\n\nThe disciples saith unto him, \"Rabbi, the Jews were but now seeking to\nstone thee; and goest thou thither again?\"\n\nJesus answered, \"Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walk\nin the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this\nworld. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because the light\nis not in him.\"\n\nThese things spake he: and after this he saith unto them, \"Our friend\nLazarus is fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awake him out of\nsleep.\"\n\n{216}\n\nThe disciples therefore said unto him, \"Lord, if he is fallen asleep,\nhe will recover.\"\n\nNow Jesus had spoken of his death: but they thought that he spoke of\ntaking rest in sleep.\n\nThen Jesus therefore said unto them plainly, \"Lazarus is dead. And I\nam glad for your sakes that I was not there, that ye may believe;\nnevertheless let us go unto him.\"\n\nThomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said unto his\nfellow-disciples, \"Let us also go, that we may die with him.\"\n\nSo when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb four\ndays already. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs\noff; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them\nconcerning their brother. Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus\nwas coming, went and met him: but Mary still sat in the house. Martha\ntherefore said unto Jesus, \"Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother\nhad not died. And even now I know that, whatsoever thou shalt ask of\nGod, God will give thee.\"\n\nJesus saith unto her, \"Thy brother shall rise again.\" Martha saith\nunto him, \"I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the\nlast day.\"\n\nJesus said unto her, \"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that\nbelieveth on me, though he die, yet shall he live: and whosoever\nliveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this?\"\n\nShe saith unto him, \"Yea, Lord: I have believed that thou art the\nChrist, the Son of God, even he that cometh into the world.\"\n\n{217}{218}\n\n[Illustration]\n BETHANY.\n\n The ruins to the right are the traditional house of Mary and Martha\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Julia W. Snow, and used by her\n kind permission.\n\n The little town of Bethany, nestling among the hills, was one of the\n favorite resting places of Jesus. Here he would come when weary of\n the world and his incessant struggle against evil, and seek the\n peace and quiet of the home of his friends.\n[End illustration]\n\n{219}\n\nAnd when she had said this, she went away, and called Mary her sister\nsecretly, saying, \"The Master is here, and calleth thee.\"\n\nAnd she, when she heard it, arose quickly, and went unto him.\n\n(Now Jesus was not yet come into the village, but was still in the\nplace where Martha met him.)\n\nThe Jews then which were with her in the house, and were comforting\nher, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out,\nfollowed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.\nMary therefore, when she came where Jesus was, and saw him, fell down\nat his feet, saying unto him, \"Lord, if thou hadst been here, my\nbrother had not died.\"\n\nWhen Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which\ncame with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said,\n\"Where have ye laid him?\" They say unto him, \"Lord, come and see.\"\n\nJesus wept. The Jews therefore said, \"Behold how he loved him!\"\n\nBut some of them said, \"Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him\nthat was blind, have caused that this man also should not die?\"\n\nJesus therefore again groaning cometh to the tomb. Now it was a cave,\nand a stone lay against it. Jesus saith, \"Take ye away the stone.\"\n\nMartha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, \"Lord, by\nthis time it will be offensive: for he hath been dead four days.\"\n\n{220}\n\nJesus saith unto her, \"Said I not unto thee, that, if thou believedst,\nthou shouldest see the glory of God?\"\n\nSo they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said,\n\"Father, I thank thee that thou heardest me. And I knew that thou\nhearest me always: but because of the multitude which standeth around\nI said it, that they may believe that thou didst send me.\"\n\nAnd when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, \"Lazarus,\ncome forth.\"\n\nHe that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes;\nand his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them,\n\"Loose him, and let him go.\"\n\nMany therefore of the Jews, which came to Mary and beheld that which\nhe did, believed on him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees,\nand told them the things which Jesus had done.\n\nThe rulers of the Jews then began to plot to kill Jesus. Jesus\ntherefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed thence\ninto the country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim;\nand there he tarried with the disciples.\n\n\n{221}\n\nXIII\n\nZACCHAEUS THE PUBLICAN.\n\n_How the Lord Jesus, Still Doing Loving Deeds, Began the\nJourney Which Was to Lead to the Cross_.\n\n\nAfter some weeks of retirement, Jesus again went to Jerusalem. On the\nway, he and his disciples came to Jericho: and as he went out from\nJericho, with his disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus,\nBartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the wayside. And when he\nheard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say,\n\"Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.\"\n\nAnd many rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried out\nthe more a great deal, \"Thou son of David, have mercy on me.\"\n\nAnd Jesus stood still, and said, \"Call ye him.\"\n\nAnd they called the blind man, saying unto him, \"Be of good cheer:\nrise, he calleth thee.\"\n\nAnd he sprang up, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered him, and said,\n\"What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?\" And the blind man said\nunto him, \"Lord, that I may receive my sight.\"\n\nAnd Jesus said unto him, \"Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.\"\nAnd straightway he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.\n\n{222}\n\nAnd he entered and was passing through Jericho. And behold, a man\ncalled by name Zacchaeus; who was a chief publican, and rich. And he\nsought to see who Jesus was; and could not for the crowd, because he\nwas little of stature. And he ran on before, and climbed up into a\nsycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus\ncame to the place, he looked up, and said unto him, \"Zacchaeus, make\nhaste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house.\"\n\nAnd he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when\nthey saw it, they all murmured, saying, \"He is gone in to lodge with a\nman that is a sinner.\"\n\nAnd Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord, \"Behold, Lord, the half\nof my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wrongfully exacted aught\nof any man, I restore fourfold.\"\n\nAnd Jesus said unto him, \"To-day is salvation come to this house,\nforasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to\nseek and to save that which was lost.\"\n\n(This is the close of Jesus' ministry outside Jerusalem. After this he\nand his disciples continued their journey to the city. The enemies of\nJesus were plotting against him, and the storm of their hatred was\nabout to break. Nevertheless, fully conscious of what his fate must\nbe, the hero of humanity took up the journey to the cross.)\n\n{223}\n\nGETHSEMANE\n\n 'Tis midnight,--and on Olive's brow,\n The star is dimmed that lately shone;\n 'Tis midnight--In the garden now\n The suffering Saviour prays alone.\n\n 'Tis midnight,--and, from all removed,\n Immanuel wrestles, lone with fears;\n E'en the disciple that He loved\n Heeds not his Master's grief and tears.\n\n 'Tis midnight,--and for others' guilt\n The Man of sorrows weeps in blood;\n Yet He, who hath in anguish knelt,\n Is not forsaken by his God.\n\n 'Tis midnight,--and, from ether-plains,\n Is borne the song that angels know;\n Unheard by mortals are the strains\n That sweetly soothe the Saviour's woe.\n --_W. B. Tappan_.\n\n{224}\n\nRIDE ON IN MAJESTY\n Ride on! ride on in majesty!\n In lowly pomp ride on to die.\n O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin\n O'er captive death and conquered sin.\n\n Ride on! ride on in majesty!\n The winged squadrons of the sky\n Look down with sad and wondering eyes\n To see the approaching sacrifice.\n\n Ride on! ride on in majesty!\n The last and fiercest strife is nigh:\n The Father on His sapphire throne\n Expects His own anointed Son.\n\n Ride on! ride on in majesty!\n In lowly pomp ride on to die;\n Bow Thy meek head to mortal pain;\n Then take, O God, Thy power, and reign.\n --_H. H. Milman_.\n\n{225}\n\nCALVARY\n\n There is a green hill far away,\n Without a city wall,\n Where the dear Lord was crucified\n Who died to save us all.\n\n We may not know, we cannot tell\n What pains He had to bear;\n But we believe it was for us\n He hung and suffered there.\n\n He died that we might be forgiven,\n He died to make us good,\n That we might go at last to Heaven,\n Saved by His precious blood.\n\n There was no other good enough\n To pay the price of sin;\n He only could unlock the gate\n Of Heaven, and let us in.\n\n O, dearly, dearly has He loved,\n And we must love Him, too,\n And trust in His redeeming blood,\n And try His works to do.\n --_Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander_.\n\n{226}\n\nTHE VICTOR\n\n Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious,\n See the \"Man of Sorrows\" now;\n From the fight returned victorious,\n Every knee to Him shall bow:\n Crown Him, crown Him;\n Crowns become the Victor's brow.\n\n Crown the Saviour, angels, crown Him:\n Rich the trophies Jesus brings:\n In the seat of power enthrone Him,\n While the vault of Heaven rings:\n Crown Him, crown Him;\n Crown the Saviour \"King of kings.\"\n\n Sinners in derision crowned Him,\n Mocking thus the Saviour's claim;\n Saints and angels crowd around Him,\n Own His title, praise His Name:\n Crown Him, crown Him;\n Spread abroad the Victor's fame.\n\n Hark, those bursts of acclamation!\n Hark, those loud triumphant chords!\n Jesus takes the highest station:\n O what joy the sight affords!\n Crown Him, crown Him;\n \"King of kings, and Lord of lords.\"\n --_Thomas Kelly_.\n\n{227}\n\nHow the Lord Jesus spent His last days in Jerusalem,\n how He loved His friends unto the end, how He\n fell into the hands of His enemies,\n and how he crowned a life\n of service with a\n heroic death.\n\n\n{228}\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n _The LORD JESUS_.\n _The Disciples_.\n _Lazarus_.\n _Mary_.\n _Martha_.\n _Judas_.\n _Annas_.\n _Caiaphas_.\n _Herod_.\n _Pilate, the Roman Governor_.\n _Joseph of Arimathaea_.\n _The people of Jerusalem, Pharisees, priests, soldiers, the two thieves_.\n _Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary Magdalene and other women_.\n\n\nPLACES OF THE STORY.\n _Jerusalem_.\n _Bethany_.\n _An upper chamber in the city_.\n _Gethsemane_.\n _Palace of the high priest_.\n _The Hall of Judgment_.\n _Pilate's palace_.\n _The palace of Herod_.\n _Pilate's Judgment Hall_.\n _Calvary_.\n\n\n{229}\n\nI\n\nTHE SUPPER AT BETHANY\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Was Bid to a Feast of Loving Tribute_.\n\n\nThe passover of the Jews was at hand: and many went up to Jerusalem\nout of the country before the passover, to purify themselves. They\nsought therefore for Jesus, and spoke one with another, as they stood\nin the temple, \"What think ye? That he will not come to the feast?\"\n\nNow the chief priests and the Pharisees had given commandment, that,\nif any man knew where he was, he should show it, that they might take\nhim.\n\nJesus therefore six days before the passover came to Bethany, where\nLazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead. So they made him a\nsupper there: and Martha served; and Lazarus was one of them that sat\nat meat with him. Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of\nspikenard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped\nhis feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the\nointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, who was about to\nbetray him, saith, \"Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred\npence, and given to the poor?\"\n\n{230}\n\nBut Jesus said, \"Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a\ngood work on me. For ye have the poor always with you, and whensoever\nye will ye can do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done\nwhat she could: she hath anointed my body beforehand for the burying.\nAnd verily I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached\nthroughout the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall\nbe spoken of for a memorial of her.\"\n\n{231}{232}\n\n[Illustration]\nTHE TRIUMPHANT ENTRY OF JESUS INTO JERUSALEM.\n[End illustration]\n\n{233}\n\nII\n\nTHE ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Rode for Once in Triumph_.\n\n(THE WEEK OF THE CRUCIFIXION--SUNDAY.)\n\n\nThe next morning he went to Jerusalem, and when he drew near Bethphage\nand Bethany, at the mount that is called the Mount of Olives, he sent\ntwo of the disciples, saying, \"Go your way into the village over\nagainst you; in which as ye enter ye shall find a colt tied, whereon\nno man ever yet sat: loose him, and bring him. And if any one ask you,\n'Why do ye loose him?' thus shall ye say, 'The Lord hath need of him.'\"\n\nAnd they that were sent went away, and found even as he had said unto\nthem. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto\nthem, \"Why loose ye the colt?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"The Lord hath need of him.\"\n\nAnd they brought him to Jesus: and they threw their garments upon the\ncolt, and set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their\ngarments in the way. And as he was now drawing nigh, at the descent of\nthe Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to\nrejoice {234} and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty\nworks which they had seen; saying,--\n\n \"Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord:\n peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!\"\n\nAnd some of the Pharisees from the multitude said unto him, \"Master,\nrebuke thy disciples.\"\n\nAnd he answered and said, \"I tell you that, if these shall hold their\npeace, the stones will cry out.\"\n\nAnd when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, \"If\nthou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto\npeace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come\nupon thee, when thine enemies shall besiege thee, and keep thee in on\nevery side, and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within\nthee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because\nthou knewest not the time of thy visitation.\"\n\nAnd he entered into Jerusalem, into the temple; and when he had looked\nround about upon all things, it being now eventide, he went out unto\nBethany with the twelve.\n\nAnd every day he was teaching in the temple; and every night he went\nout, and lodged in the Mount of Olives. And all the people came early\nin the morning to him in the temple, to hear him.\n\nBut the chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the\npeople sought to destroy him: and they could not find what they might\ndo; for the people all hung upon him, listening.\n\n{235}{236}\n\n[Illustration]\n JESUS AND THE MONEY-CHANGERS.\n By Heinrich Hofmann\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{237}\n\nIII\n\nIN THE TEMPLE.\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Drove the Money Changers from the House of God_.\n\n(THE WEEK OF THE CRUCIFIXION--MONDAY.)\n\n\nOn Monday, Jesus came into the city, and taught, but we know\nlittle of what he said on this day. Perhaps it was on this day that\nthe following incident occurred, by which he taught that God's\nhouse should be pure:--\n\nAnd Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all them that\nsold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the\nmoney-changers, and the seats of them that sold the doves; and he\nsaith unto them, \"It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of\nprayer: but ye make it a den of robbers.'\"\n\nAnd the blind and the lame came to him in the temple: and he healed\nthem. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful\nthings that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple\nand saying, \"Hosanna to the son of David\"; they were moved with\nindignation, and said unto him, \"Hearest thou what these are saying?\"\n\nAnd Jesus saith unto them, \"Yea: did ye never read, 'Out of the mouth\nof babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise'?\"\n\nAnd he left them, and went forth out of the city to Bethany, and\nlodged there.\n\n\n{238}\n\nIV\n\nLAST DAYS IN JERUSALEM\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Spoke with Those that Hated Him_.\n\n(THE WEEK OF THE CRUCIFIXION--TUESDAY.)\n\nAnd it came to pass, on one of the days, as he was teaching the people\nin the temple, and preaching the gospel, there came upon him the chief\npriests and the scribes with the elders; and they spoke, saying unto\nhim, \"Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he\nthat gave thee this authority?\"\n\nAnd he answered and said unto them, \"I also will ask you a question;\nand tell me: The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?\"\n\nAnd they reasoned with themselves, saying, \"If we shall say, 'From\nheaven'; he will say, 'Why did ye not believe him?' But if we shall\nsay, 'From men'; all the people will stone us: for they are persuaded\nthat John was a prophet.\"\n\nAnd they answered that they knew not whence it was.\n\nAnd Jesus said unto them, \"Neither tell I you by what authority I do\nthese things.\" And he told them--\n\n\n_The Story of the Wicked Husbandmen_.\n\nJesus said, \"A man planted a vineyard, and let it out to husbandmen,\nand went into another country for a long {239} time. And at the season\nhe sent unto the husbandmen a servant, that they should give him of\nthe fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him\naway empty. And he sent yet another servant: and him also they beat,\nand handled him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And he sent yet a\nthird: and him also they wounded, and cast him forth. And the lord of\nthe vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it\nmay be they will reverence him.'\n\n\"But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned one with another,\nsaying, 'This is the heir: let us kill him, that the inheritance may\nbe ours.' And they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What\ntherefore will the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He will come and\ndestroy these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.\"\n\nAnd when they heard it they said, \"God forbid.\" But he looked upon\nthem, and said, \"What then is this that is written,--\n\n 'The stone which the builders rejected,\n The same was made the head of the corner'?\n\n\"Everyone that falleth on that stone shall be broken to pieces; but on\nwhomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust.\"\n\nAnd the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him in\nthat very hour; and they feared the people: for they saw that he spoke\nthis parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies,\nwhich pretended to be righteous, that they might take hold of his\n{240} speech, so as to deliver him up to the authority of the\ngovernor.\n\n\n_The Question About Tribute_.\n\nAnd they asked him, saying, \"Master, we know that thou sayest and\nteachest rightly, and acceptest not the person of any, but of a truth\nteachest the way of God: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto\nCaesar, or not?\"\n\nBut he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, \"Show me a\npenny. Whose image and superscription hath it?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"Caesar's.\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Then render unto Caesar the things that are\nCaesar's, and unto God the things that are God's.\"\n\nAnd they were not able to take hold of the saying before the people:\nand they marveled at his answer, and held their peace.\n\n\n_The Greatest of All Commandments_.\n\nAnd one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and\nknowing that he had answered them well, asked him, \"What commandment\nis the first of all?\"\n\nJesus answered, \"The first is, 'Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the\nLord is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,\nand with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy\nstrength.' The second is this, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as\nthyself.' There is none other commandment greater than these.\"\n\n\n{241}{242}\n\n[Illustration]\n ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Fontaine Meriwether, and used by her\n kind permission\n\n This view is near the top of the mountain on the road which winds\n over it towards Bethany.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{243}\n\nAnd the scribe said unto him, \"Of a truth, Master, thou hast well said\nthat he is one; and there is none other but he: and to love him with\nall the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the\nstrength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is much more than all\nwhole burnt offerings and sacrifices.\"\n\nAnd when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him,\n\"Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.\"\n\nAnd no man after that durst ask him any question.\n\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Spoke with Those that Loved Him_.\n\n\n_The Poor Widow_.\n\nAnd he sat down over against the treasury, and beheld how the\nmultitude cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast\nin much. And there came a poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which\nmake a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and said unto\nthem, \"Verily I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than all\nthey which are casting into the treasury: for they all did cast in of\ntheir abundance; but she of her want cast in all that she had, even\nall her living.\"\n\n\n\"_We Would See Jesus_.\"\n\nNow there were certain Greeks among those who went up to worship at\nthe feast: these therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of\nGalilee, and said, \"Sir, we would see Jesus.\"\n\nPhilip cometh and telleth Andrew: Andrew cometh, and Philip, and they\ntell Jesus. And Jesus answereth them, saying, \"The hour is come, that\nthe Son of man should {244} be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto\nyou, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth\nby itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. He that loveth\nhis life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world\nshall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow\nme; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve\nme, him will the Father honor. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall\nI say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto\nthis hour. Father, glorify thy name.\" There came therefore a voice out\nof heaven saying, \"I have both glorified it, and will glorify it\nagain.\"\n\nThe multitude therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it had\nthundered: others said, \"An angel hath spoken to him.\"\n\nJesus answered and said, \"This voice hath not come for my sake, but\nfor your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the\nprince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the\nearth, will draw all men unto myself.\"\n\n\n_The Story of the Faithful Servant_.\n\nJesus said, \"A certain man going into another country, called his own\nservants, and delivered unto them his goods. And to one he gave five\ntalents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his\nseveral ability; and he went on his journey. Straightway he who\nreceived the five talents went and traded with them, and made other\nfive talents. In like manner he also who received the two {245} gained\nother two. But he who received the one went away and digged in the\nearth, and hid his lord's money.\n\n\"Now after a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and maketh a\nreckoning with them. And he who received the five talents came and\nbrought other five talents, saying, 'Lord, thou deliveredst unto me\nfive talents: lo, I have gained other five talents.'\n\n\"His Lord said unto him, 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant:\nthou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many\nthings: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.'\n\n\"And he also who received the two talents came and said, 'Lord, thou\ndeliveredst unto me two talents: lo, I have gained other two talents.'\n\n\"His lord said unto him, 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant;\nthou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many\nthings: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.'\n\n\"And he also who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I\nknew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow,\nand gathering where thou didst not scatter: and I was afraid, and went\naway and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own.'\n\n\"But his lord answered and said unto him, 'Thou wicked and slothful\nservant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where\nI did not scatter; thou oughtest therefore to have given my money to\nthe bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own\nwith interest. Take ye away therefore the talent from him, {246} and\ngive it unto him that hath the ten talents. For unto everyone that\nhath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that\nhath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away. And cast ye out\nthe unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be\nweeping and gnashing of teeth.'\"\n\n\n_The Judgment of the King_.\n\nThen said Jesus, \"But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and\nall the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory:\nand before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall\nseparate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep\nfrom the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the\ngoats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right\nhand, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for\nyou from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye gave me\nmeat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye\ntook me in; naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I\nwas in prison, and ye came unto me.'\n\n\"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, 'Lord, when saw we thee\nhungry, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? And when saw we\nthee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? And\nwhen saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?'\n\n\"And the King shall answer and say unto them, 'Verily I say unto you,\nInasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye\ndid it unto me.'\n\n{247}\n\n\"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, 'Depart from me,\nye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and\nhis angels: for I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty,\nand ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in;\nnaked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me\nnot.'\n\n\"Then shall they also answer, saying, 'Lord, when saw we thee hungry,\nor thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did\nnot minister unto thee?'\n\n\"Then shall he answer them, saying, 'Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch\nas ye did it not unto one of the least of these, ye did it not unto\nme. And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous\ninto eternal life.'\"\n\n\n{248}\n\nV\n\nTHE LAST SUPPER\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Showed His Love for His Friends on the Last Night\nof Their Fellowship_.\n\n(THE WEEK OF THE CRUCIFIXION--WEDNESDAY--THURSDAY.)\n\n(We do not know how Jesus spent Wednesday. Perhaps he did not go to\nthe city, but remained in loving talk with his disciples and friends\nat Bethany. We do not know what he did on Thursday, until night. Then\ncomes the story of the Last Supper, and the long talk between Jesus\nand his disciples.)\n\n\n_Judas Plans to Betray Jesus_.\n\nNow after two days was the feast of the passover and the unleavened\nbread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might\ntake him by treachery, and kill him: but they said, \"Not during the\nfeast, lest haply there shall be a tumult of the people.\"\n\nAnd Judas Iscariot, he that was one of the twelve, went away unto the\nchief priests, that he might deliver him unto them. And they, when\nthey heard it, were glad, and promised to give him money. And he\nsought how he might conveniently deliver him unto them.\n\n\n_The Preparation for the Supper_.\n\nAnd on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the\npassover, his disciples say unto him, \"Where {249} wilt thou that we\ngo and make ready that thou mayest eat the passover?\"\n\nAnd he sendeth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, \"Go into the\ncity, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water:\nfollow him; and wheresoever he shall enter in, say to the goodman of\nthe house, 'The Master saith, Where is my guest-chamber, where I shall\neat the passover with my disciples?' And he will himself show you a\nlarge upper room furnished and ready: and there make ready for us.\"\n\nAnd the disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he\nhad said unto them: and they made ready the passover.\n\n\n_The Last Supper_.\n\nAnd when the hour was come, he sat down, and the apostles with him.\nAnd he said unto them, \"I have earnestly desired to eat this passover\nwith you before I suffer.\"\n\nAnd he received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, \"Take\nthis, and divide it among yourselves: for I say unto you, I will not\ndrink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of\nGod shall come.\"\n\nAnd he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave\nto them, saying, \"This is my body which is given for you: this do in\nremembrance of me.\"\n\nAnd the cup in like manner after supper, saying, \"This cup is the new\ncovenant in my blood, even that which is poured out for you.\"\n\nAnd during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of\nJudas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, {250} Jesus, knowing that\nthe Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came forth\nfrom God, and goeth unto God, riseth from supper, and layeth aside his\ngarments; and he took a towel, and girded himself. Then he poureth\nwater into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to\nwipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. So he cometh to\nSimon Peter. He saith unto him, \"Lord, dost thou wash my feet?\"\n\nJesus answered and said unto him, \"What I do thou knowest not now; but\nthou shalt understand hereafter.\"\n\nPeter saith unto him, \"Thou shalt never wash my feet.\"\n\nJesus answered him, \"If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.\"\n\nSimon Peter saith unto him, \"Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands\nand my head.\"\n\nJesus saith to him, \"He that is bathed needeth only to wash his feet,\nand is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.\"\n\nFor he knew him that should betray him; therefore said he, \"Ye are not\nall clean.\"\n\nSo when he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and sat down\nagain, he said unto them, \"Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me\n'Master,' and, 'Lord': and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, the\nLord and the Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one\nanother's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye also should\ndo as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, A servant is\nnot greater than his lord; neither one that is sent greater than he\nthat sent him. If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them.\"\n\n\n{251}{252}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE LAST SUPPER.\n By Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)\n\n This was painted on the wall of a monastery in Milan. It has been\n damaged and mutilated, and now is almost faded out.\n\n This is one of the greatest pictures ever painted. The following is\n an explanation of the picture: \"Judas half turns to discover of whom\n St. Peter is speaking so passionately, and is preparing himself to\n deny everything. But he is already discovered. St. James the Less,\n passing his arm over the shoulder of St. Andrew, touches St. Peter\n to tell him that the traitor is at his side. St. Andrew looks at\n Judas with horror, and St. Bartholomew, at the end of the table, has\n started up from his seat to regard him more intently. At the left of\n Christ, St. James protests his innocence by a natural gesture. St.\n Thomas, pressing near to Christ, seems to ask 'One of us?' St.\n Philip, the youngest of the apostles, places his hand over his heart\n and rises to protest his fidelity. St. Matthew repeats the terrible\n words to the indignant St. Simon, who refuses to believe them. St.\n Thaddeus, who has first told them to him, points to Matthew to\n confirm them. The dying rays of evening light add deeper somberness\n to the sad face of the Christ.\"\n --_Stendhal, \"History of Italian Painters\"_\n[End illustration]\n\n{253}\n\nWhen Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and said,\n\"Verily, verily, I say unto you, one of you shall betray me.\"\n\nThe disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spoke. There\nwas at the table reclining in Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom\nJesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoneth to him, and saith unto\nhim, \"Tell us who it is of whom he speaketh.\"\n\nHe leaning back, as he was, on Jesus' breast, said unto him, \"Lord,\nwho is it?\"\n\nJesus therefore answereth, \"He it is, for whom I shall dip the sop,\nand give it him.\"\n\nSo when he had dipped the sop, he took and gave it to Judas, the son\nof Simon Iscariot. And after the sop, then entered Satan into him.\nJesus therefore saith unto him, \"What thou doest, do quickly.\"\n\nNow no man at the table knew why he spoke this to him. For some\nthought, because Judas had the bag, Jesus said unto him, \"Buy what\nthings we have need of for the feast\"; or, that he should give\nsomething to the poor. He then having received the sop went out\nstraightway: and it was night.\n\nWhen therefore he was gone out, Jesus said, \"Now is the Son of man\nglorified, and God is glorified in him. Little children, yet a little\nwhile I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews,\n'Whither I go, ye cannot come'; so now I say unto you. A new\ncommandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have\nloved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all {254} men\nknow that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another.\"\n\nSimon Peter saith unto him, \"Lord, whither goest thou?\"\n\nJesus answered, \"Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou\nshalt follow afterwards.\"\n\nPeter saith unto him, \"Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay\ndown my life for thee.\"\n\nJesus answereth, \"Wilt thou lay down thy life for me? Verily, verily,\nI say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, before thou hast denied me\nthrice.\"\n\n\n\"_Let Not Your Heart be Troubled_.\"\n\n\"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in\nme. In my father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would\nhave told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to\nprepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto\nmyself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go, ye\nknow the way.\"\n\nThomas saith unto him, \"Lord, we know not whither thou goest; how know\nwe the way?\"\n\nJesus saith unto him, \"I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no\none cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye would\nhave known my Father also: from henceforth ye know him, and have seen\nhim.\"\n\nPhilip saith unto him, \"Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth\nus.\"\n\nJesus saith unto him, \"Have I been so long time with you, and dost\nthou not know me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father;\nhow sayest thou, 'Show us the Father?'\n\n{255}{256}\n\n[Illustration]\n HEAD OF CHRIST.\n By Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)\n\n This was a study made by the great master for his picture, \"The Last\n Supper.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{257}\n\nBelievest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The\nwords that I say unto you I speak not from myself: but the Father\nabiding in me doeth his works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and\nthe Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily,\nverily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do\nshall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I\ngo unto the Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will\nI do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask me\nanything in my name, that will I do. If ye love me, ye will keep my\ncommandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you\nanother Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, even the Spirit\nof truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not,\nneither knoweth him: ye know him; for he abideth with you, and shall\nbe in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I come unto you. Yet a\nlittle while, and the world beholdeth me no more; but ye behold me:\nbecause I live, ye shall live also. In that day ye shall know that I\nam in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my\ncommandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that\nloveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will\nmanifest myself unto him.\"\n\nJudas (not Iscariot) said unto him, \"Lord, why is it that thou wilt\nmanifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?\"\n\nJesus answered and said unto him, \"If a man love me, he will keep my\nword: and my Father will love him, and {258} we will come unto him,\nand make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my\nwords: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's who\nsent me.\n\n\"These things have I spoken unto you, while yet abiding with you. But\nthe Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my\nname, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all\nthat I said unto you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto\nyou: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be\ntroubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye heard how I said to you, 'I go\naway, and I come unto you.' If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced,\nbecause I go unto the Father: for the Father is greater than I. And\nnow I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to\npass, ye may believe. I will no more speak much with you, for the\nprince of the world cometh: and he hath nothing in me; but that the\nworld may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me\ncommandment, even so I do.\"\n\n\n_Jesus is the True Vine_.\n\n\"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in\nme that beareth not fruit, he taketh away: and every branch that\nbeareth fruit, he cleanseth, that it may bear more fruit. Already ye\nare clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in\nme, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it\nabide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the\nvine, ye are the branches:\n\n{259}{260}\n\n[Illustration]\n MOUNT OF OLIVES--GETHSEMANE.\n\n The Mount of Olives, the traditional site of Gethsemane, on the\n right--the space inclosed by a wall.\n\n \"It was a garden or orchard marked probably by some slight\n inclosure. The name Gethsemane means 'the oil press,' and doubtless\n it was so called from a press to crush the olives yielded by the\n countless trees from which the hill derives its designation.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{261}\n\nHe that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for\napart from me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast\nforth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them and cast them\ninto the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words\nabide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you.\nHerein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and so shall\nye be my disciples. Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have\nloved you: abide ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall\nabide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and\nabide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy\nmay be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment,\nthat ye love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love hath\nno man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are\nmy friends, if ye do the things which I command you. No longer do I\ncall you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:\nbut I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my\nFather I have made known unto you. Ye did not choose me, but I chose\nyou, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that\nyour fruit should abide: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in\nmy name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye may\nlove one another.\"\n\n\n_Jesus Prays for His Disciples_.\n\nThese things spoke Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said,\n\"Father, the hour is come; glorify thy {262} Son, that the Son may\nglorify thee: even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, that\nto all whom thou hast given him, he should give eternal life. And this\nis life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and\nJesus Christ whom thou didst send. I have glorified thee on the earth,\nI have accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do. And now,\nO Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I\nhad with thee before the world was. I manifested thy name unto the men\nwhom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest\nthem to me; and they have kept thy word. Now they know that all things\nwhatsoever thou hast given me are from thee: for the words which thou\ngavest me I have given unto them; and they received them, and knew of\na truth that I came forth from thee, and they believed that thou didst\nsend me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for those whom\nthou hast given me; for they are thine: and all things that are mine\nare thine, and thine are mine: and I am glorified in them. And I am no\nmore in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee.\nHoly Father, keep them in thy name whom thou hast given me, that they\nmay be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept in thy\nname those whom thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of\nthem perished, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be\nfulfilled. But now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the\nworld, that they may have my joy made full in themselves. I have given\nthem thy word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the\n{263} world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou\nshouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them\nfrom the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the\nworld. Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth. As thou didst\nsend me into the world, even so sent I them into the world. And for\ntheir sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be\nsanctified in truth. Neither for these only do I pray, but for them\nalso that believe on me through their word; that they may all be one;\neven as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be\nin us: that the world may believe that thou didst send me. And the\nglory which thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they may\nbe one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may\nbe perfected into one; that the world may know that thou didst send\nme, and lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me. Father, I desire that\nthose whom thou hast given me should be with me to behold the glory,\nwhich thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of\nthe world. O righteous Father, the world knew thee not, but I knew\nthee; and these knew that thou didst send me; and I made known unto\nthem thy name, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou\nlovedst me may be in them, and I in them.\"\n\n\n{264}\n\nVI\n\nTHE BETRAYAL\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Fell into the Hands of His Enemies_.\n\n(FRIDAY, THE DAY OF THE CRUCIFIXION.)\n\n\nAnd he came out, and went, as his custom was, to the Mount of Olives;\nand the disciples also followed him.\n\nAnd they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith unto\nhis disciples, \"Sit ye here, while I pray.\"\n\nAnd he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be\nheavy-hearted, and deeply troubled. And he saith unto them, \"My soul\nis exceeding sorrowful even unto death: abide ye here, and watch.\"\n\nAnd he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that,\nif it were possible, the hour might pass away from him.\n\nAnd he said, \"Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; remove\nthis cup from me: howbeit not what I will, but what thou wilt.\"\n\nAnd he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter,\n\"Simon, sleepest thou? couldest thou not watch one hour? Watch and\npray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing,\nbut the flesh is weak.\"\n\n\n{265}{266}\n\n[Illustration]\n CHRIST IN GETHSEMANE.\n By Heinrich Hofmann (1824-\n[End illustration]\n\n{267}\n\nAnd again he went away, and prayed, saying the same words. And again\nhe came, and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and\nthey knew not what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and\nsaith unto them, \"Sleep on now, and take your rest: It is enough; the\nhour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of\nsinners. Arise, let us be going: behold, he that betrayeth me is at\nhand.\".\n\nAnd straightway, while he yet spoke, came Judas, one of the twelve,\nand with him a multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests\nand the scribes and the elders. Now he that betrayed him had given\nthem a token, saying, \"Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he; take him,\nand lead him away safely.\"\n\nAnd when he was come, straightway he came to him, and saith, \"Rabbi\";\nand kissed him.\n\nSimon Peter therefore having a sword drew it, and struck the high\npriest's servant, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant's name\nwas Malchus. Jesus therefore said unto Peter, \"Put up the sword into\nthe sheath: the cup which the Father hath given me, shall I not drink\nit?\"\n\nThen Jesus said. \"Suffer ye thus far.\" And he touched his ear, and\nhealed him.\n\nAnd Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and\nelders, which were come against him, \"Are ye come out, as against a\nrobber, with swords and clubs? When I was daily with you in the\ntemple, ye stretched not forth your hands against me: but this is your\nhour, and the power of darkness.\"\n\n\n{268}\n\nVII\n\nTHE TRIAL\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Was Falsely Charged with Crime_.\n\n_The Trial Before Annas._\n\n\nSo the soldiers and the chief captain, and the officers of the Jews,\nseized Jesus and bound him, and led him to Annas first; for he was\nfather-in-law to Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.\n\nAnnas therefore asked Jesus about his disciples, and his teaching.\nJesus answered him, \"I have spoken openly to the world; I ever taught\nin synagogues, and in the temple, where all the Jews come together;\nand in secret spoke I nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them that have\nheard me, what I spoke unto them: behold, these know the things which\nI said.\"\n\nAnd when he had said this, one of the officers standing by struck\nJesus with his hand, saying, \"Answerest thou the high priest so?\"\n\nJesus answered him, \"If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil:\nbut if well, why smitest thou me?\"\n\nAnnas therefore sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.\n\n{269}\n\n_The Trial Before Caiaphas, the High Priest_.\n\nAnd they led Jesus away to the high priest: and there came together\nwith him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.\n\nAnd Peter had followed him afar off, even within, into the court of\nthe high priest; and he was sitting with the officers, and warming\nhimself in the light of the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole\ncouncil sought witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found it\nnot. For many bore false witness against him, and their witness agreed\nnot together. And there stood up certain men, and bore false witness\nagainst him, saying, \"We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple\nthat is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made\nwithout hands.'\"\n\nAnd not even so did their witness agree together. And the high priest\nstood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, \"Answerest thou\nnothing? what is it which these witness against thee?\"\n\nBut he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest\nasked him, and saith unto him, \"Art thou the Christ, the Son of the\nBlessed?\"\n\nAnd Jesus said, \"I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the\nright hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.\"\n\nAnd the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, \"What further need\nhave we of witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye?\"\n\nAnd they all condemned him to be worthy of death.\n\nAnd some began to spit on him, and to cover his eyes, and {270} to\nbuffet him, and to say unto him, \"Prophesy who is it that smote thee,\"\nand the officers received him with blows of their hands.\n\n\n_How Peter Denied His Lord_.\n\nBut Peter had followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in\nthe midst of the court, and had sat down together, Peter sat in the\nmidst of them. And a certain maid seeing him as he sat in the light of\nthe fire, and looking steadfastly upon him, said, \"This man also was\nwith him.\"\n\nBut he denied, saying, \"Woman, I know him not.\"\n\nAnd after a little while another saw him, and said, \"Thou also art one\nof them.\"\n\nBut Peter said, \"Man, I am not.\"\n\nAnd after the space of about one hour another confidently affirmed,\nsaying, \"Of a truth this man also was with him: for he is a\nGalilaean.\"\n\nBut Peter said, \"Man, I know not what thou sayest.\" And immediately,\nwhile he yet spoke, the cock crew.\n\nAnd the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the\nword of the Lord, how that he said unto him, \"Before the cock crow\nthis day, thou shalt deny me thrice.\"\n\nAnd he went out, and wept bitterly.\n\n\n_The Trial Before the Jewish Court_.\n\nAs soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders of the people was\ngathered together, both chief priests and {271} scribes; and they led\nhim away into their council, saying, \"If thou art the Christ, tell\nus.\"\n\nBut he said unto them, \"If I tell you, ye will not believe: and if I\nask you, ye will not answer. But from henceforth shall the Son of man\nbe seated at the right hand of the power of God.\"\n\nAnd they all said, \"Art thou then the Son of God?\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Ye say that I am.\"\n\nAnd they said. \"What further need have we of witness? for we ourselves\nhave heard from his own mouth.\"\n\n\n{272}\n\nVIII\n\nTHE JUDGMENT\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Was Unjustly Condemned to Die_.\n\n\n_The Hearing Before Pilate_.\n\nThey led Jesus therefore into the palace: and it was early; and they\nthemselves entered not into the palace, that they might not be\ndefiled, but might eat the passover. Pilate therefore went out unto\nthem, and saith, \"What accusation bring ye against this man?\"\n\nThey answered and said unto him, \"If this man were not an evil-doer,\nwe should not have delivered him up unto thee.\"\n\nPilate therefore said unto them, \"Take him yourselves, and judge him\naccording to your law.\"\n\nThe Jews said unto him, \"It is not lawful for us to put any man to\ndeath.\"\n\nPilate therefore entered again into the palace, and called Jesus, and\nsaid unto him, \"Art thou the King of the Jews?\"\n\nJesus answered, \"Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it\nthee concerning me?\"\n\nPilate answered, \"Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests\ndelivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?\"\n\n\n{273}{274}\n\n[Illustration]\n CHRIST BEFORE PILATE.\n By Munkacsy\n[End illustration]\n\n{275}\n\nJesus answered, \"My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were\nof this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be\ndelivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.\"\n\nPilate therefore said unto him, \"Art thou a king then?\"\n\nJesus answered, \"Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been\nborn, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear\nwitness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my\nvoice.\"\n\nPilate saith unto him, \"What is truth?\"\n\nAnd when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith\nunto them, \"I find no fault in this man.\"\n\nBut they were the more urgent, saying, \"He stirreth up the people,\nteaching throughout all Judaea, and beginning from Galilee even unto\nthis place.\"\n\nBut when Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean.\nAnd when he knew that he was of Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him unto\nHerod, who himself also was at Jerusalem in these days.\n\n\n_The Trial Before Herod_.\n\nNow when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he had been for a\nlong time desirous of seeing him, because he had heard concerning him;\nand he hoped to see some miracle done by him. And he questioned him in\nmany words; but he answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the\nscribes stood, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers\ntreated him as one of no account, and mocked him, and arraying him in\ngorgeous apparel sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became\n{276} friends with each other that very day: for before they were at\nenmity between themselves.\n\n\n_The Sentence of Death_.\n\nNow at the feast it was Pilate's custom to release unto them one\nprisoner, whom they asked of him. And there was one called Barabbas,\nlying bound with them that had made insurrection, men who in the\ninsurrection had committed murder. And the multitude went up and began\nto ask him to do as he was wont to do unto them. And Pilate answered\nthem, saying, \"Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?\"\n\nFor he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up.\nAnd while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him,\nsaying, \"Have thou nothing to do with that righteous man: for I have\nbeen much disturbed to-day in a dream because of him.\" But the chief\npriests stirred up the multitude, that he should rather release\nBarabbas unto them. And Pilate again answered and said unto them,\n\"What then shall I do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?\"\n\nThen they shouted, saying, \"Crucify him, crucify him.\" And he said\nunto them the third time, \"Why, what evil hath this man done? I have\nfound no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him and\nrelease him.\"\n\nBut they were urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be\ncrucified. And their voices prevailed. And he released him that for\ninsurrection and murder had been cast into prison, whom they asked\nfor.\n\n{277}{278}\n\n[Illustration]\n A STREET IN JERUSALEM, LEADING TO THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER\n\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Julia W. Snow, and used by her\n kind permission\n\n This picture shows the street leading to the Church of the Holy\n Sepulcher, one of those streets which have steps and are therefore\n accessible only to foot passengers.\n[End illustration]\n\n{279}\n\nBut Jesus he scourged. And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and\nput it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple garment; and they came\nunto him, and said, \"Hail, King of the Jews!\" and they struck him with\ntheir hands.\n\nAnd Pilate went out again, and saith unto them, \"Behold, I bring him\nout to you, that ye may know that I find no crime in him.\"\n\nJesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple\ngarment. And Pilate saith unto them, \"Behold, the man!\"\n\nWhen therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried\nout, saying, \"Crucify him, crucify him.\"\n\nPilate saith unto them, \"Take him yourselves, and crucify him: for I\nfind no crime in him.\"\n\nThe Jews answered him, \"We have a law, and by that law he ought to\ndie, because he made himself the Son of God.\"\n\nWhen Pilate therefore heard this saying, he was the more afraid; and\nhe entered into the palace again, and saith unto Jesus, \"Whence art\nthou?\"\n\nBut Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore saith unto him,\n\"Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to\nrelease thee, and have power to crucify thee?\"\n\nJesus answered him, \"Thou wouldest have no power against me, except it\nwere given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee\nhath greater sin.\"\n\nUpon this Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out,\nsaying, \"If thou release this man, thou art not {280} Caesar's friend:\neveryone that maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.\"\n\nWhen Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat\ndown on the judgment-seat at a place called The Pavement, but in\nHebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation of the passover: it was\nabout the sixth hour. And he saith unto the Jews, \"Behold, your King!\"\n\nThey therefore cried out, \"Away with him, away with him, crucify him.\"\n\nPilate saith unto them, \"Shall I crucify your King?\" The chief priests\nanswered, \"We have no king but Caesar.\"\n\nThen therefore he delivered him unto them to be crucified.\n\n\n{281}\n\nIX\n\nTHE CRUCIFIXION\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Died on the Cross_.\n\nThey took Jesus then: and he went out, bearing the cross for himself,\nunto the place called The place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew\nGolgotha.\n\nAnd there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women\nwho bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said,\n\"Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and\nfor your children. For behold, the days are coming, in which they\nshall say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover\nus.' For if they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done\nin the dry?\"\n\nAnd they compelled one passing by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the\ncountry, to go with them, that he might bear his cross.\n\nAnd there were two thieves led with him to be put to death.\n\nAnd they offered him wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.\nAnd they crucified him, and parted his garments among them, casting\nlots upon them, what each should take. And it was the third hour, when\nthey crucified him, and they crucified the thieves, one on the right\nhand and the other on the left.\n\n{282}\n\nAnd Jesus said, \"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they\ndo.\"\n\nAnd the superscription of his accusation was written over him,--\n\n \"Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.\"\n\nThis title therefore read many of the Jews, for the place where Jesus\nwas crucified was nigh to the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and\nin Latin, and in Greek. The chief priests of the Jews therefore said\nto Pilate, \"Write not, 'The King of the Jews'; but, that he said, 'I\nam King of the Jews.'\" Pilate answered, \"What I have written I have\nwritten.\"\n\nAnd they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and\nsaying, \"Ha! thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three\ndays, save thyself, and come down from the cross.\"\n\nIn like manner also the chief priests mocking him among themselves\nwith the scribes said, \"He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let\nthe Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we\nmay see and believe.\"\n\nAnd they that were crucified with him reproached him. And one of the\nthieves railed on him, saying, \"Art not thou the Christ? save thyself\nand us.\"\n\nBut the other answered, and rebuking him said, \"Dost thou not even\nfear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed\njustly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath\ndone nothing amiss.\"\n\n{283}{284}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE FRONT OF THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER, JERUSALEM.\n\n Over the traditional site of Calvary and the tomb of Jesus.\n\n Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.\n[End illustration]\n\n{285}\n\nAnd he said, \"Jesus, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom.\"\n\nAnd Jesus said unto him, \"Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be\nwith me in Paradise.\"\n\nBut there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his\nmother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. When\nJesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he\nloved, he saith unto his mother, \"Woman, behold, thy son!\"\n\nThen saith he to the disciple, \"Behold, thy mother!\" And from that\nhour the disciple took her unto his own home.\n\nAnd when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole\nland until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a\nloud voice, \"_Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?_\" that is, \"My God, my\nGod, why hast thou forsaken me?\"\n\nAnd some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, \"Behold, he\ncalleth Elijah.\"\n\nAnd one ran, and filling a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed,\nand gave him to drink. But others said, \"Let him alone; let us see\nwhether Elijah cometh to take him down.\"\n\nWhen Jesus therefore had received the wine, he said, \"It is finished\":\nand he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.\n\nAnd when the centurion, which stood by over against him, saw that he\nso gave up his spirit, he said, \"Truly this man was the Son of God.\"\n\n\n{286}\n\nX\n\nTHE BURIAL\n\n_How the Body of the Lord Jesus Was Buried in a Rich Man's Tomb_.\n\nThe Jews therefore, because it was the Preparation (that is, the day\nbefore the Sabbath), and because bodies should not remain on the cross\nupon the Sabbath, asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and\nthat they might be taken away. The soldiers therefore came, and broke\nthe legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him:\nbut when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they\nbroke not his legs: but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his\nside, and straightway there came out blood and water.\n\nAnd behold, a man named Joseph, who was a councilor, a good man and a\nrighteous (he had not consented to their counsel and deed), a man of\nArimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was looking for the kingdom of\nGod: this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And he\ntook it down, and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb\nthat was hewn in stone, where never man had yet lain. And he rolled a\ngreat stone to the door of the tomb, and departed. And Mary Magdalene\nand Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid. And they\nreturned, and prepared spices and ointments.\n\n{287}\n\nNow on the morrow, which is the day after the Preparation, the chief\npriests and the Pharisees were gathered together unto Pilate, saying,\n\"Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive,\n'After three days I rise again.' Command therefore that the sepulcher\nbe made sure until the third day, lest haply his disciples come and\nsteal him away, and say unto the people, 'He is risen from the dead':\nand the last error will be worse than the first.\"\n\nPilate said unto them, \"Ye have a guard: go your way, make it as sure\nas ye can.\"\n\nSo they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, the\nguard being with them.\n\n{288}\n\n{289}{290}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE WOMEN AT THE TOMB.\n By Bouguereau (1825-1905)\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{291}\n\nCHRIST, THE LORD, IS RISEN TO-DAY\n\n \"Christ, the Lord, is risen to-day,\"\n Sons of men and angels say.\n Raise your joys and triumphs high;\n Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply.\n\n Love's redeeming work is done,\n Fought the fight, the battle won.\n Lo, our Sun's eclipse is o'er;\n Lo, He sets in blood no more.\n\n Vain the stone, the watch, the seal;\n Christ has burst the gates of hell;\n Death in vain forbids His rise:\n Christ has opened Paradise.\n\n Lives again our glorious King:\n Where, O death, is now thy sting?\n Once He died our souls to save:\n Where thy victory, O grave?\n\n Soar we now where Christ has led,\n Following our exalted Head:\n Made like Him, like Him we rise;\n Ours the cross, the grave, the skies.\n\n Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven!\n Praise to Thee by both be given:\n Thee we greet triumphant now;\n Hail, the Resurrection Thou!\n --_Rev. Charles Wesley_.\n\n{292}\n\nTHE NEAREST FRIEND\n\n Dear Jesus, ever at my side,\n How loving Thou must be,\n To leave Thy home in heaven to guard\n A little child like me.\n\n Thy beautiful and shining face\n I see not, though so near;\n The sweetness of Thy soft voice\n I am too deaf to hear.\n\n I cannot feel Thee touch my hand,\n With pressure light and mild,\n To check me, as my mother did\n When I was but a child.\n\n But I have felt Thee in my thoughts,\n Fighting with sin for me;\n And when my heart loves God, I know\n The sweetness is from Thee.\n\n Yes, when I pray, Thou prayest, too,\n The prayer is all for me;\n But when I sleep Thou sleepest not,\n But watchest patiently.\n --_F. W. Faber_.\n\n{293}\n\nSTILL, STILL WITH THEE\n\n Still, still with Thee, my God.\n I would desire to be;\n By day, by night, at home, abroad,\n I would be still with Thee.\n\n With Thee when dawn comes in,\n And calls me back to care,\n Each day returning to begin\n With Thee, my God, in prayer.\n\n With Thee when day is done,\n And evening calms the mind;\n The setting, as the rising, sun\n With Thee my heart would find.\n\n With Thee, in Thee, by faith\n Abiding I would be;\n By day, by night, in life, in death,\n I would be still with Thee.\n --_James D. Burns_.\n\n{294}\n\nOH, WORSHIP THE KING\n\n Oh, worship the King, all-glorious above,\n And gratefully sing his wonderful love;\n Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of days,\n Pavilioned in splendor, and girdled with praise.\n\n Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?\n It breathes in the air, it shines in the light,\n It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,\n And sweetly distils in the dew and the rain.\n\n Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,\n In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;\n Thy mercies how tender! how firm to the end!\n Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.\n --_R. Grant_.\n\n{295}\n\nHow the Lord Jesus rose again from the dead,\n how He comforted His disciples, and\n how He sent them out to\n teach all men in\n His name.\n\n\n{296}\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n\n The LORD JESUS.\n Mary Magdalene.\n Peter.\n \"The Other Disciple.\"\n Cleopas.\n Thomas.\n Disciples, Angels.\n\n\nPLACES OF THE STORY.\n\n _The Garden of the Tomb_.\n _The Village of Emmaus_.\n _Jerusalem_.\n _The Sea of Galilee_.\n _The Mountain of the Ascension_.\n\n\n{297}\n\nI\n\nTHE RESURRECTION\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Rose from the Dead, and Appeared to Mary of\nMagdala_.\n\nNow on the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it\nwas yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the\ntomb. She runneth therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the\nother disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, \"They have\ntaken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we know not where they have\nlaid him.\"\n\nPeter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they went\ntoward the tomb. And they ran both together: and the other disciple\noutran Peter, and came first to the tomb; and stooping and looking in,\nhe seeth the linen cloths lying; yet entered he not in. Simon Peter\ntherefore also cometh, following him, and entered into the tomb; and\nhe beholdeth the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, that was about\nhis head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by\nitself. Then entered in therefore the other disciple also, which came\nfirst to the tomb, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not\nthe scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. So the disciples\nwent away again unto their own home.\n\n{298}\n\nBut Mary was standing without at the tomb weeping: so, as she wept,\nshe stooped and looked into the tomb; and she beholdeth two angels in\nwhite sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of\nJesus had lain. And they say unto her, \"Woman, why weepest thou?\" She\nsaith unto them, \"Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not\nwhere they have laid him.\"\n\nWhen she had thus said, she turned herself back, and beholdeth Jesus\nstanding, and knew not that it was Jesus.\n\nJesus saith unto her, \"Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?\"\n\nShe, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, \"Sir, if thou\nhast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will\ntake him away.\"\n\nJesus saith unto her, \"Mary.\"\n\nShe turneth herself, and saith unto him in Hebrew, \"Rabboni\"; which is\nto say, \"Master.\"\n\nJesus saith to her, \"Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto the\nFather: but go unto my brethren, and say to them, 'I ascend unto my\nFather and your Father, and my God and your God.'\"\n\nMary Magdalene cometh and telleth the disciples, \"I have seen the\nLord\"; and that he had said these things unto her.\n\n{299}{300}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE WOMEN AT THE TOMB.\n[End illustration]\n\n{301}\n\nII\n\nON THE WAY TO EMMAUS\n\n_How on the Same Day He Joined Two of His Disciples, as They Walked into\nthe Country_.\n\nAnd behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named\nEmmaus, which was three-score furlongs from Jerusalem. And they communed\nwith each other of all these things which had happened. And it came to\npass, while they communed and questioned together, that Jesus himself\ndrew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they\nshould not know him. And he said unto them, \"What communications are\nthese that ye have one with another, as ye walk?\"\n\nAnd they stood still, looking sad. And one of them, named Cleopas,\nanswering said unto him, \"Dost thou alone sojourn in Jerusalem and not\nknow the things which are come to pass there in these days?\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"What things?\"\n\nAnd they said unto him, \"The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who\nwas a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: and\nhow the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to\ndeath, and crucified him. But we hoped that it was he who should redeem\nIsrael. Yea and beside all this, it is now the third day since these\nthings came to pass. Moreover {302} certain women of our company amazed\nus, having been early at the tomb; and when they found not his body,\nthey came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which\nsaid that he was alive. And certain of them that were with us went to\nthe tomb, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw\nnot.\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in\nall the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to suffer these\nthings, and to enter into his glory?\"\n\nAnd beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to\nthem in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew\nnear unto the village, whither they were going: and he made as though he\nwould go further. And they constrained him, saying, \"Abide with us: for\nit is toward evening, and the day is now far spent.\"\n\nAnd he went in to abide with them. And it came to pass, when he had sat\ndown with them to meat, he took the bread, and blessed it, and broke,\nand gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he\nvanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, \"Was not our\nheart burning within us, while he spoke to us on the way, while he\nopened to us the scriptures?\"\n\n{303}{304}\n\n[Illustration]\n CHRIST AND HIS DISCIPLES ON THE WAY TO EMMAUS.\n By Bernard Plockhorst (1825- )\n\n \"He blessed the bread, but vanished at the word\n And left them both exclaiming, \"T was the Lord!\n Did not our hearts feel all he deign'd to say?\n Did they not burn within us by the way?'\n --_Cowper_.\n\n\n{305}\n\nIII\n\nDOUBTING THOMAS\n\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Appeared to His Disciples Twice at Jerusalem_.\n\nThose disciples with whom Jesus had eaten at Emmaus rose up that very\nhour, and returned to Jerusalem, in the evening, and found the eleven\ngathered together, and them that were with them. The eleven told them in\nsecret, the doors being shut for fear of the Jews, \"The Lord is risen\nindeed, and hath appeared to Simon.\" And the two disciples told the\nothers the things that happened on the way, and how he was known of them\nin the breaking of the bread.\n\nAnd as they spoke these things, he himself stood in the midst of them,\nand said unto them, \"Peace be unto you.\"\n\nBut they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they beheld a\nspirit. And he said unto them, \"Why are ye troubled? and wherefore do\nquestionings arise in your heart? See my hands and my feet, that it is I\nmyself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye\nbehold me having.\"\n\nAnd when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And\nwhile they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said unto them,\n\"Have ye here anything to eat?\" And they gave him a piece of a broiled\nfish.\n\n{306}\n\nAnd he took it and did eat before them.\n\nBut Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when\nJesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, \"We have seen\nthe Lord.\" But he said unto them, \"Except I shall see in his hands the\nprint of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and\nput my hand into his side, I will not believe.\"\n\nAnd after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with\nthem. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and\nsaid, \"Peace be unto you.\"\n\nThen said he to Thomas, \"Reach hither thy finger, and see my hands; and\nreach hither thy hand, and put it into my side: and be not faithless,\nbut believing.\"\n\nThomas answered and said unto him, \"My Lord and my God.\"\n\nJesus said unto him, \"Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:\nblessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.\"\n\n\n{307}\n\nIV\n\n\"FEED MY SHEEP.\"\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Appeared to His Disciples as They Fished at the Sea\nof Galilee_.\n\nAfter these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at\nthe sea of Galilee in this way. There were together Simon Peter, and\nThomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of\nZebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter said unto them, \"I\ngo a fishing.\"\n\nThey say unto him, \"We also come with thee.\"\n\nThey went forth, and entered into the boat; and that night they took\nnothing. But when day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach: but\nthe disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said unto\nthem, \"Children, have ye ought to eat?\"\n\nThey answered him, \"No.\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and\nye shall find.\"\n\nThey cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the\nmultitude of fishes. That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved saith unto\nPeter, \"It is the Lord.\"\n\nSo when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his coat about\nhim (for he was naked), and cast himself into the sea. But the other\ndisciples came in the little {308} boat (for they were not far from the\nland, but about two hundred cubits off), dragging the net full of\nfishes. So when they got out upon the land, they saw a fire of coals\nthere, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus said unto them, \"Bring of\nthe fish which ye have now taken.\"\n\nSimon Peter therefore went up, and drew the net to land, full of great\nfishes, a hundred and fifty-three: and for all there were so many, the\nnet was not rent. Jesus said unto them, \"Come and break your fast.\"\n\nAnd none of the disciples dared inquire of him, \"Who art thou?\" knowing\nthat it was the Lord.\n\nJesus came, and took the bread, and gave them, and the fish likewise.\n\nSo when they had broken their fast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, \"Simon,\nson of John, lovest thou me more than these?\"\n\nHe said unto him, \"Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.\"\n\nHe said unto him, \"Feed my lambs.\"\n\nHe said to him again a second time, \"Simon, son of John, lovest thou\nme?\"\n\nHe said unto him, \"Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.\"\n\nHe said unto him, \"Tend my sheep.\"\n\nHe said unto him the third time, \"Simon, son of John, lovest thou me?\"\n\nPeter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, \"Lovest thou\nme?\" And he said unto him, \"Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest\nthat I love thee.\"\n\n{309}\n\nJesus said unto him, \"Feed my sheep.\"\n\nAnd when he had spoken this, he said unto him, \"Follow me.\"\n\nPeter, turning about, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following; and\nsaid to Jesus, \"Lord, and what shall this man do?\"\n\nJesus said unto him, \"If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that\nto thee? Follow thou me.\"\n\n\n{310}\n\nV\n\nTHE ASCENSION\n\n_How the Lord Jesus Appeared Again in Galilee, and How He at Last Went\nAway from Earth to Heaven_.\n\nBut the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus\nhad appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him: but some\ndoubted. And Jesus came to them and spoke unto them, saying,--\n\n \"All authority hath ben given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye\n therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into\n the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching\n them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am\n with you always, even unto the end of the world.\"\n\nThen they all went again to Jerusalem, where Jesus appeared once more to\nthem, and spoke with them about the kingdom of God. They, still thinking\nthat he meant an earthly kingdom of which he would be king at Jerusalem,\nand wondering when it would come, asked him, saying, \"Lord, dost thou at\nthis time restore the kingdom to Israel?\"\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"It is not for you to know times or seasons,\nwhich the Father hath set within his own authority. But ye shall receive\npower, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my\nwitnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the\nuttermost part of the earth.\"\n\n{311}{312}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST.\n By G. Biermann\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{313}\n\nAnd he said unto them, \"These are my words which I spoke unto you, while\nI was yet with you, how that all things must needs be fulfilled, which\nare written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms,\nconcerning me.\"\n\nThen opened he their mind, that they might understand the scriptures;\nand he said unto them, \"Thus it is written, that the Christ should\nsuffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance\nand remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the\nnations, beginning from Jerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these things. And\nbehold, I send forth the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in\nthe city, until ye be clothed with power from on high.\"\n\nAnd he led them out until they were over against Bethany: and he lifted\nup his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass while he blessed\nthem, he departed from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they\nworshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: and were\ncontinually in the temple, blessing God.\n\n{314}\n\n{315}\n\nLeaders and victories of the New Faith.\n\n{316}\n\n{317}\n\nJESUS SHALL REIGN\n\n Jesus shall reign where'er the sun\n Does his successive journeys run;\n His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,\n Till moons shall wax and wane no more.\n\n To Him shall endless prayer be made,\n And endless praises crown His head;\n His name, like sweet perfume, shall rise\n With every morning sacrifice.\n\n People and realms of every tongue\n Dwell on His love, with sweetest song;\n And infant voices shall proclaim\n Their early blessings on His name.\n\n Blessings abound where'er He reigns;\n The prisoner leaps to loose his chains;\n The weary find eternal rest,\n And all the sons of want are blest.\n\n Let every creature rise and bring\n Peculiar honors to our King;\n Angels descend with songs again,\n And earth repeat the loud Amen!\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n{318}\n\nFROM GREENLAND'S ICY MOUNTAINS\n\n From Greenland's icy mountains,\n From India's coral strand,\n Where Afric's sunny fountains\n Roll down their golden sand,--\n From many an ancient river,\n From many a palmy plain,\n They call us to deliver\n Their land from error's chain.\n\n What though the spicy breezes\n Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle;\n Though every prospect pleases,\n And only man is vile;\n In vain with lavish kindness\n The gifts of God are strown;\n The heathen, in his blindness,\n Bows down to wood and stone!\n\n Shall we, whose souls are lighted\n With wisdom from on high,--\n Shall we, to men benighted,\n The lamp of life deny?\n Salvation, oh, salvation!\n The joyful sound proclaim,\n Till earth's remotest nation\n Has learned Messiah's name.\n\n Waft, waft, ye winds, His story,\n And you, ye waters, roll,\n Till, like a sea of glory,\n It spreads from pole to pole;\n Till o'er our ransomed nature\n The Lamb for sinners slain,\n Redeemer, King, Creator,\n In bliss returns to reign!\n --_Reginald Heber_.\n\n\n{319}\n\nGLORIOUS ZION\n\n Glorious things of Thee are spoken,\n Zion, city of our God!\n He, whose word cannot be broken,\n Formed Thee for his own abode:\n On the Rock of Ages founded,\n What can shake Thy sure repose?\n With salvation's walls surrounded,\n Thou may'st smile at all Thy foes.\n\n See! the streams of living waters,\n Springing from eternal love,\n Well supply Thy sons and daughters,\n And all fear of want remove:\n Who can faint, while such a river\n Ever flows their thirst to assuage?--\n Grace, which, like the Lord, the Giver,\n Never fails from age to age.\n\n Round each habitation hovering,\n See the cloud and fire appear\n For a glory and a covering,\n Showing that the Lord is near!\n Thus deriving from their banner,\n Light by night, and shade by day,\n Safe they feed upon the manna\n Which He gives them when they pray.\n --_J. Newton_.\n\n\n{320}\n\nTHE MORNING LIGHT IS BREAKING\n\n The morning light is breaking;\n The darkness disappears!\n The sons of earth are waking\n To penitential tears;\n Each breeze that sweeps the ocean\n Brings tidings from afar,\n Of nations in commotion,\n Prepared for Zion's war.\n\n See heathen nations bending\n Before the God we love,\n And thousand hearts ascending\n In gratitude above;\n While sinners, now confessing,\n The gospel call obey,\n And seek the Saviour's blessing--\n A nation in a day.\n\n Blest river of salvation!\n Pursue thine onward way;\n Flow thou to every nation,\n Nor in thy richness stay:\n Stay not till all the lowly\n Triumphant reach their home:\n Stay not till all the holy\n Proclaim--\"The Lord is come!\"\n --_Samuel F. Smith_.\n\n{321}{322}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE GOLDEN GATE, EAST OF THE TEMPLE AREA.\n JERUSALEM LOOKING TOWARD THE MOUNT OF OLIVES\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{323}\n\nHow the New Faith Spread from Jerusalem.\n\n\n{324}\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY,\n _The Disciples, especially Peter_.\n _A lame man_.\n _Ananias_.\n _Sapphira_.\n _Stephen_.\n _Simon, the Sorcerer_.\n _A Queen's Officer_.\n _Dorcas_.\n _A Roman Captain_.\n _Annas, Caiaphas, Priests, Officers, Messengers_.\n\nPLACES OF THE STORY.\n _Jerusalem_.\n _The country of Palestine and surrounding regions_.\n _Joppa_.\n _Caesarea_.\n _Lydda_.\n\n\n{325}\n\nI\n\nTHE DAY OF PENTECOST\n\n_The First Meeting of the Disciples in Jerusalem_.\n\n(After Jesus had left the company of the apostles, and was seen no more\nby them, they remained quietly in Jerusalem. They chose a man named\nMatthias to take the place of Judas, but they had no definite plan of\naction, not yet quite realizing the importance of the work which they\nwere to do. Suddenly, on the day of Pentecost, there came the great\ninspiration from God to go forward and take up the work of redeeming the\nworld where Jesus laid it down. They began to preach about Jesus, of his\nbeautiful life, and his death for men upon the cross. And everywhere the\npeople listened eagerly and gladly to this wonderful story, and\nbelieving, were baptized, becoming the disciples of the new faith. This\nis the story of the simple beginning of the great movement called\nChristianity, as the experience made its impression upon the disciples\nthemselves.)\n\nAnd when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in\none place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing\nof a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.\nAnd there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like fire; and it\nsat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy\nSpirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them\nutterance.\n\nNow there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation\nunder heaven. And when this {326} sound was heard, the multitude came\ntogether, and were amazed, because every man heard them speaking in his\nown language. And they marveled, saying, \"Behold, are not all these\nwhich speak Galilaeans? And how hear we, every man in our own language,\nwherein we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers\nin Mesopotamia, in Judaea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, in Phrygia\nand Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and\nsojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we\ndo hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God.\"\n\nAnd they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another,\n\"What meaneth this?\"\n\nBut others mocking said, \"They are filled with new wine.\"\n\nBut Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke\nforth unto them, saying, \"Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at\nJerusalem, be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words. For these\nare not drunken, as ye suppose; seeing it is but the third hour of the\nday; but this is that which hath been spoken by the prophet Joel:--\n\n 'And it shall be in the last days, saith God,\n I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh:\n And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,\n And your young men shall see visions,\n And your old men shall dream dreams:\n Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days {327}\n Will I pour forth my spirit; and they shall prophesy.\n And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name\n of the Lord shall be saved.'\n\n\"Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved\nof God unto you by mighty works and wonders and signs, which God did by\nhim in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know; him, being\ndelivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by\nthe hand of lawless men did crucify and slay: whom God raised up, having\nloosed the pangs of death: because it was not possible that he should be\nholden by it. For David said concerning him,--\n\n 'I beheld the Lord always before my face;\n For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:\n Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;\n Moreover my flesh also shall dwell in hope:\n Because thou wilt not leave my soul in Hades,\n Neither wilt thou give thy Holy One to see corruption.\n Thou madest known unto me the ways of life;\n Thou shalt make me full of gladness with thy countenance.'\n\n\"Brethren, I may speak unto you freely of the patriarch David, that he\nboth died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day. Being\ntherefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him,\nthat he would set one of his family upon his throne; he foreseeing this\nspoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he left in\nHades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus did God raise up,\nwhereof we all are {328} witnesses. Being therefore by the right hand\nof God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the\nHoly Spirit, he hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear. For\nDavid ascended not into the heavens: but he said himself,--\n\n 'The Lord said unto my Lord,\n Sit thou on my right hand,\n Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet.'\n\n\"Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath\nmade him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified.\"\n\nNow when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said\nunto Peter and the rest of the apostles, \"Brethren, what shall we do?\"\n\nAnd Peter said unto them, \"Repent ye, and be baptized everyone of you in\nthe name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall\nreceive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise, and to\nyour children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord\nour God shall call unto him.\" And with many other words he testified,\nand exhorted them, saying, \"Save yourselves from this crooked\ngeneration.\"\n\nThey then that received his word were baptized: and there were added\nunto them in that day about three thousand souls. And they continued\nsteadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of\nbread and the prayers.\n\nAnd fear came upon every soul: and many wonders {329} and signs were\ndone by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all\nthings common; and they sold their possessions and goods, and divided\nthem among all, according as any man had need. And day by day,\ncontinuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread\nat home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart,\npraising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added\nto them day by day those that were being saved.\n\n\n{330}\n\nII\n\nA MIRACLE OF THE NEW FAITH.\n\n_How a Lame Man Was Healed, and What Came of it_.\n\n\nNow Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer,\nbeing the ninth hour. And a certain man that was lame from his birth was\ncarried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called\nBeautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple. This man\nseeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked to receive an\nalms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, \"Look on\nus.\"\n\nAnd he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them.\nBut Peter said, \"Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give\nI thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.\"\n\nAnd he took him by the right hand, and raised him up: and immediately\nhis feet and his ankle bones received strength. And leaping up, he\nstood, and began to walk; and he entered with them into the temple,\nwalking, and leaping, and praising God.\n\nAnd all the people saw him walking and praising God: and knowing that it\nwas he who sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, they were\nfilled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.\n\n{331}\n\nAnd as he held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in\nthe porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering. And when Peter\nsaw it, he answered unto the people, \"Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at\nthis man? or why fasten ye your eyes on us, as though by our own power\nor godliness we had made him to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac,\nand of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Servant Jesus;\nwhom ye delivered up, and denied before the face of Pilate, when he had\ndetermined to release him. But ye denied the Holy and Righteous One, and\nasked for a murderer to be granted unto you, and killed the Prince of\nlife; whom God raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. By faith\nin his name hath his name made this man strong, whom ye behold and know:\nyea, the faith which is through him hath given him this perfect\nsoundness in the presence of you all. And now, brethren, I know that in\nignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But the things which God\nforeshowed by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should\nsuffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that\nyour sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of\nrefreshing from the presence of the Lord; that he may send the Christ\nwho hath been appointed for you, even Jesus: whom the heaven must\nreceive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spoke\nby the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began.\nMoses indeed said, 'A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from\namong your brethren, like unto me; to him shall ye hearken in all things\nwhatsoever {332} he shall speak unto you. And it shall be, that every\nsoul, which shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly\ndestroyed from among the people.'\n\n\"Yea and all the prophets from Samuel and them that followed after, as\nmany as have spoken, they also told of these days. Ye are the sons of\nthe prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers,\nsaying unto Abraham, 'And in thy race shall all the families of the\nearth be blessed.' Unto you first, God, having raised up his Servant,\nsent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your\niniquities.\"\n\nAnd as they spoke unto the people, the priests and the captain of the\ntemple and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly troubled because\nthey taught the people, and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from\nthe dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in prison unto the\nmorrow: for it was now eventide. But many of them that heard the word\nbelieved; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.\n\nAnd it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers and elders and\nscribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest\nwas there, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of\nthe kindred of the high priest. And when they had set them in the midst,\nthey inquired, \"By what power, or in what name, have ye done this?\"\n\nThen Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, \"Ye rulers of\nthe people, and elders, if we this day are examined concerning a good\ndeed done to a lame man, by {333} what means this man is made whole; be\nit known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name\nof Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the\ndead, even in him doth this man stand here before you whole. He is the\nstone which was set at naught of you the builders, which was made the\nhead of the corner. And in none other is there salvation: for neither is\nthere any other name under heaven, that is given among men, whereby we\nmust be saved.\"\n\nNow when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived\nthat they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took\nknowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man\nwhich was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.\nBut when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they\nconferred among themselves, saying, \"What shall we do to these men? that\na notable miracle hath been wrought through them, is manifest to all\nthat dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no\nfurther among the people, let us threaten them, that they speak\nhenceforth to no man in this name.\"\n\nAnd they called them, and charged them not to speak at all nor teach in\nthe name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them,\n\"Whether it is right in the sight of God to hearken unto you rather than\nunto God, judge ye: for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and\nheard.\"\n\nAnd they, when they had further threatened them, let them go, not\nfinding how they might punish them, because {334} of the people; for all\nmen glorified God for that which was done. For the man was more than\nforty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was wrought.\n\nAnd being let go, they came to their own company, and reported all that\nthe chief priests and the elders had said unto them. And they, when they\nheard it, lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, \"O\nLord, thou that didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all\nthat in them is: who by the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father\nDavid thy servant, didst say,--\n\n 'Why did the Gentiles rage,\n And the peoples imagine vain things?\n The kings of the earth set themselves in array,\n And the rulers were gathered together,\n Against the Lord, and against his Anointed:'\n\nfor of a truth in this city against thy holy Servant Jesus, whom thou\ndidst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the\npeoples of Israel, were gathered together, to do whatsoever thy hand and\nthy counsel foreordained to come to pass. And now, Lord, look upon their\nthreatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all\nboldness, while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs\nand wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus.\"\n\nAnd when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were\ngathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and\nthey spoke the word of God with boldness.\n\n\n{335}\n\nIII\n\nANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA\n\n_A Lie and its Consequences_.\n\n\n(The people began to have such an enthusiasm for the new faith, that\nmany of them sold their property, gave the money to the apostles, and\nall lived together, like one great family. This custom was not\naltogether wise, and it did not prevail long. While it lasted, disaster\ncame to two people. Ananias and Sapphira had become disciples of the new\nfaith, and, like others, sold their property, but they kept back part,\nand tried to make the apostles believe that they had given all. The sin\nlay, not in keeping their property, for no one was required to give it\nup, but in the deceit.)\n\nAnd the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul: and\nnot one of them said that anything of the things which he possessed was\nhis own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the\napostles their witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great\ngrace was upon them all. For neither was there among them any that\nlacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and\nbrought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the\napostles' feet: and distribution was made unto each, according as anyone\nhad need.\n\nBut a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a\npossession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also knowing about\nit, and brought a certain part, {336} and laid it at the apostles' feet.\nBut Peter said, \"Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the\nHoly Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it\nremained, did it not remain thine own? and after it was sold, was it not\nin thy power? How is it that thou hast conceived this thing in thy\nheart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.\"\n\nAnd Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up his spirit: and\ngreat fear came upon all that heard it. And the young men arose and\nwrapped him round, and they carried him out and buried him.\n\nAnd it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not\nknowing what was done, came in. And Peter said unto her, \"Tell me\nwhether ye sold the land for so much.\"\n\nAnd she said, \"Yea, for so much.\"\n\nBut Peter said unto her, \"How is it that ye have agreed together to\ntempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried\nthy husband are at the door, and they shall carry thee out.\"\n\nAnd she fell down immediately at his feet, and gave up her spirit: and\nthe young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and\nburied her by her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church,\nand upon all that heard these things.\n\n{337}{338}\n\n[Illustration]\n ST. STEPHEN'S GATE, JERUSALEM.\n LOOKING IN TOWARD THE CITY.\n\n From a photograph belonging to Prof. H. G. Mitchell, and used by his\n kind permission\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{339}\n\nIV\n\nTHE FIRST MARTYR\n\n_How Stephen Died Heroically for the New Faith.\nThe Beginning of Persecution.\nThe Sermon of Stephen. The Martyr's Crown_.\n\n(The new faith was not destined to win its victories in peace. As the\nrulers hated Jesus, so they hated the new faith which was now proclaimed\nin his name; as they crucified the Master, so they persecuted and killed\nthe disciples. Stephen was the first of \"the noble army of martyrs,\"\nthousands of men, women, and children, who gave their lives gladly for\nthe new faith. It was an army without weapons. The command of Jesus,\n\"resist not evil,\" was, in the first centuries, obeyed literally. It is\nworthy of note that the new faith never spread more rapidly nor won\ngreater victories than during these years, when it never lifted sword\nagainst its enemies, but conquered them by the power of service and\nsacrifice.)\n\nAnd Stephen, who had become prominent among the disciples, was full of\ngrace and power, and wrought great wonders and signs among the people.\nBut certain of the Jews disputed with Stephen. And they were not able to\nwithstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. Then they bribed\nmen, who said, \"We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses,\nand against God.\"\n\nAnd they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and\ncame upon him, and seized him, and brought him into the council, and set\nup false witnesses, who said, {340} \"This man ceaseth not to speak words\nagainst this holy place; and the law: for we have heard him say, that\nthis Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the\ncustoms which Moses delivered unto us.\"\n\nAnd all that sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his\nface as it had been the face of an angel.\n\n\n_The Defense of Stephen_.\n\nAnd the high priest said, \"Are these things so?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Brethren and fathers, hearken. The God of glory appeared\nunto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in\nHaran, and said unto him, 'Get thee out of thy land, and from thy\nkindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee.' Then came he\nout of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Haran: and from thence,\nwhen his father was dead, God removed him into this land, wherein ye now\ndwell: and he gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set\nhis foot on: and he promised that he would give it to him in possession,\nand to his family after him, when as yet he had no child. And God spoke\nin this wise, that his family should sojourn in a strange land, and that\nthe people of that land should bring them into bondage, and ill treat\nthem four hundred years. 'And the nation to which they shall be in\nbondage will I judge,' said God: 'and after that shall they come forth,\nand serve me in this place.' And the patriarchs, moved with jealousy\nagainst Joseph, sold him into Egypt: and God was with him, and delivered\nhim out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before\n{341} Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and\nall his house. Now there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and\ngreat affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. But when Jacob\nheard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first\ntime. And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and\nJoseph's family became known unto Pharaoh. And Joseph sent, and called\nto him Jacob his father, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen\nsouls. And Jacob went down into Egypt; and he died, himself, and our\nfathers; and they were carried over unto Shechem, and laid in the tomb\nthat Abraham bought for a price in silver of the sons of Hamor in\nShechem.\n\n\"But as the time of the promise drew nigh, which God promised to\nAbraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, till there arose\nanother king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. The same dealt craftily\nwith our race, and compelled our fathers to cast out their babes to the\nend they might not live. At this season Moses was born, and was\nexceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father's house:\nand when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished\nhim for her own son.\n\n\"And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was\nmighty in his words and works. But when he was well-nigh forty years\nold, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of\nIsrael. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and\navenged him that was oppressed, smiting the Egyptian: {342} and he\nsupposed that his brethren understood that God by his hand was giving\nthem deliverance; but they understood not. And the day following he\nappeared unto them as they strove, and would have made peace, saying,\n'Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?' But he that did\nhis neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, 'Who made thee a ruler and a\njudge over us? Wouldest thou kill me as thou killedst the Egyptian\nyesterday?'\n\n\"And Moses fled at this saying, and became a sojourner in the land of\nMidian, where he had two sons. And when forty years were passed, an\nangel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of\nfire in a bush. And when Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as\nhe drew near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord, 'I am the God of\nthy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.'\n\n\"And Moses trembled, and dared not behold. And the Lord said unto him,\n'Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is\nholy ground. I have surely seen the affliction of my people which is in\nEgypt, and have heard their groaning, and I am come down to deliver\nthem: and now come, I will send thee into Egypt.'\n\n\"This Moses whom they refused, saying, 'Who made thee a ruler and a\njudge?' him hath God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer by the hand\nof the angel which appeared to him in the bush. This man led them forth,\nhaving wrought wonders and signs in Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in\nthe wilderness forty years.\n\n\"This is that Moses, who said to the children of Israel, {343} 'A\nprophet shall God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto\nme.' This is he that was in the wilderness with the angel which spoke to\nhim in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living\noracles to give unto us: to whom our fathers would not be obedient, but\nthrust him from them, and turned back in their hearts unto Egypt, saying\nunto Aaron, 'Make us gods which shall go before us: for as for this\nMoses, who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has\nbecome of him.' And they made a calf in those days, and brought a\nsacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands. But\nGod turned, and gave them up to serve idols.\n\n\"Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness,\neven as he appointed who spoke unto Moses, that he should make it\naccording to the figure that he had seen. Which also our fathers, in\ntheir turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered on the possession\nof the nations, which God thrust out before the face of our fathers,\nunto the days of David; who found favor in the sight of God, and asked\nto find a habitation for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built him a\nhouse. Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in houses made by hands; as\nsaith the prophet,--\n\n 'The heaven is my throne,\n And the earth the footstool of my feet:\n What manner of house will ye build me? saith the Lord:\n Or what is the place of my rest?\n Did not my hand make all these things?'\n \"Ye stiffnecked and unregenerate in heart and ears, ye {344}\n do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so\n do ye. Which one of the prophets did not your fathers\n persecute? and they killed them which showed before of\n the coming of the Righteous One; of whom ye have now\n become betrayers and murderers; ye who received the law\n as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not.\"\n\n\n_Martyrdom_.\n\nNow when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they\nraged against him. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up\nsteadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on\nthe right hand of God, and said, \"Behold, I see the heavens opened, and\nthe Son of man standing on the right hand of God.\"\n\nBut they cried out with aloud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed\nupon him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city, and stoned\nhim: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young\nman named Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and\nsaying, \"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.\"\n\nAnd he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, \"Lord, lay not this\nsin to their charge.\" And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And\nSaul was consenting unto his death.\n\nAnd there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which\nwas in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the\nregions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men\nburied {345} Stephen, and made great lamentation over him. But Saul laid\nwaste the church, entering into every house, and dragging out men and\nwomen committed them to prison.\n\n(The martyrdom of Stephen gave a fresh impulse to the new faith. The\ndisciples had been content to stay in Jerusalem, and preach to their own\npeople. But persecution drove them out of the city, so that the gospel\ncame to a wider circle of hearers. We shall see, as the story goes on,\nhow Philip was directed to the officer of Queen Candace, and how Peter,\nagainst his will, at first, was sent to the Roman captain. So the new\nfaith broadened, not as the apostles planned, but as God willed.)\n\n\n{346}\n\nV\n\nSIMON THE SORCERER\n\n_The New Faith Spreads. The Story of the Man of Samaria\nWho Wished to Use It for His Own Selfish Advantage_.\n\n\nThey therefore that were scattered abroad went about preaching the word.\nAnd Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them\nthe Christ. And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things\nthat were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he\ndid. For from many of those who had unclean spirits, those spirits came\nout, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were\nlame, were healed. And there was much joy in that city.\n\nBut there was a certain man, Simon by name, who before this in the city\nused sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, claiming that he himself\nwas some great one: to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the\ngreatest, saying, \"This man is that power of God which is called Great.\"\n\nAnd they gave heed to him, because for a long time he had amazed them\nwith his sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings\nconcerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were\nbaptized, both men and women. And Simon also himself {347} believed: and\nbeing baptized, he continued with Philip; and beholding signs and great\nmiracles wrought, he was amazed.\n\nNow when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had\nreceived the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when\nthey were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy\nSpirit: for as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they had been\nbaptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on\nthem, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that through\nthe laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he\noffered them money, saying, \"Give me also this power, that on whomsoever\nI lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.\"\n\nBut Peter said unto him, \"Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast\nthought to obtain the gift of God with money. Thou hast neither part nor\nlot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God. Repent\ntherefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the\nthought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee. For I see that thou art in\nthe gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.\"\n\nAnd Simon answered and said, \"Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of\nthe things which ye have spoken come upon me.\"\n\n\n{348}\n\nVI\n\nPHILIP AND THE QUEEN'S OFFICER\n\n_How the New Faith Came to a Servant of a Queen_.\n\n\nAn angel of the Lord spoke unto Philip, saying, \"Arise, and go toward\nthe south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: into\nthe desert.\"\n\nAnd he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, an officer of\ngreat authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all\nher treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship; and he was returning\nand sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the\nSpirit said unto Philip, \"Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.\"\n\nAnd Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and\nsaid, \"Understandest thou what thou readest?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"How can I, except some one shall guide me?\" And he\nbesought Philip to come up and sit with him.\n\nNow the place of the scripture which he was reading was this,--\n\n \"He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;\n And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb,\n So he openeth not his mouth.\"\n\n{349}\n\nAnd the officer said to Philip, \"I pray thee, of whom speaketh the\nprophet this? of himself, or of some other?\"\n\nAnd Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this passage of\nscripture, preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on the way, they\ncame unto a certain water; and the officer saith, \"Behold, here is\nwater; what doth hinder me to be baptized?\"\n\nAnd he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down\ninto the water, both Philip and the officer, and he baptized him. And\nwhen they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away\nPhilip; and the officer saw him no more, for he went on his way\nrejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he\npreached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.\n\n\n{350}\n\nVII\n\nPETER AND DORCAS\n\n\n_How Peter Restored a Good Woman to Life_.\n\nAnd it came to pass, as Peter went throughout all parts, he came down\nalso to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.\n\nNow there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, that is,\nDorcas: this woman was full of good works and deeds of charity which she\ndid. And it came to pass in those days, that she fell sick, and died:\nand when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper chamber. And as\nLydda was nigh unto Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there,\nsent two men unto him, intreating him, \"Delay not to come on unto us.\"\n\nAnd Peter arose and went with them. And when he was come, they brought\nhim into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and\nshowing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with\nthem. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and\nturning to the body, he said, \"Tabitha, arise.\"\n\nAnd she opened her eyes; and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave\nher his hand, and raised her up; and calling the disciples and widows,\nhe presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa: and\nmany believed on the Lord. And it came to pass, that he abode many days\nin Joppa with one Simon a tanner.\n\n{351}{352}\n[Illustration]\n GENERAL VIEW OF LYDDA\n\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Julia W. Snow, and used by her\n kind permission.\n\n Lydda, the ancient Lod, is a village in the plain of Sharon, ten miles\nsoutheast of Joppa. It was an important town in early days, being on the\n caravan route between the East and Egypt, and a place where the\n caravans rested and refitted. It was thus the center of a considerable\n business. It was here that Peter healed Aeneas, and from this place he\n was summoned to Joppa by the death of Dorcas.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{353}\n\nVIII\n\nPETER AND THE ROMAN CAPTAIN.\n\n\n_Peter's Vision. How a Valuable Recruit Was Enlisted for the New Faith_.\n\n\n\n\nNow there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion\nof the company called the Italian company, a devout man, and one that\nfeared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and\nprayed to God always. He saw in a vision about the ninth hour of the\nday, an angel of God coming in unto him, and saying to him, \"Cornelius.\"\n\n\nAnd he, fastening his eyes upon him, and being afraid, said, \"What is\nit, Lord?\"\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"Thy prayers and thine alms are gone up for a\nmemorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and bring one Simon, who\nis surnamed Peter: he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by\nthe sea side.\"\n\nAnd when the angel that spoke unto him was departed, he called two of\nhis household servants, and a devout soldier of his body guard, and\nhaving told all things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.\n\nNow on the morrow, as they were on their journey, and drew nigh unto the\ncity, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour:\nand he became hungry, {354} and desired to eat: but while they made\nready, he fell into a trance; and he beheld the heaven opened, and a\ncertain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet, let down by four\ncorners upon the earth: wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts\nand creeping things of the earth and birds of the heaven. And there came\na voice to him, saying, \"Rise, Peter; kill and eat.\"\n\nBut Peter said, \"Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is\ncommon and unclean.\"\n\nAnd a voice came unto him again the second time, \"What God hath\ncleansed, make not thou common.\"\n\nAnd this was done thrice: and straightway the vessel was received up\ninto heaven.\n\nNow while Peter was much perplexed as to what the vision which he had\nseen might mean, behold, the men that were sent by Cornelius, having\nmade inquiry for Simon's house, stood before the gate, and called and\nasked whether Simon, who was surnamed Peter, were lodging there. And\nwhile Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, \"Behold,\nthree men seek thee. But arise, and get thee down, and go with them,\nnothing doubting: for I have sent them.\"\n\nAnd Peter went down to the men, and said, \"Behold, I am he whom ye seek:\nwhy are ye come?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"Cornelius a centurion, a righteous man and one that\nfeareth God, and well reported of by all the nation of the Jews, was\nwarned of God by a holy angel to send for thee to come to his house, and\nto hear words from thee.\" So he called them in and lodged them.\n\n{355}\n\nAnd on the morrow he arose and went forth with them, and certain of the\nbrethren from Joppa accompanied him. And on the morrow they entered into\nCaesarea. And Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his\nkinsmen and his near friends. And when Peter entered, Cornelius met him,\nand fell down at his feet, and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up,\nsaying, \"Stand up; I myself also am a man.\"\n\nAnd as he talked with him, he went in, and found many come together: and\nhe said unto them, \"Ye yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a\nman that is a Jew to join himself or come unto one of another nation;\nand yet unto me hath God showed that I should not call any man common or\nunclean: wherefore also I came without doubting, when I was sent for. I\nask therefore with what intent ye sent for me.\"\n\nAnd Cornelius said, \"Four days ago, until this hour, I was keeping the\nninth hour of prayer in my house; and behold, a man stood before me in\nbright apparel, and said, 'Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine\nalms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. Send therefore to\nJoppa, and call unto thee Simon, who is surnamed Peter; he lodgeth in\nthe house of Simon a tanner, by the sea side.' Forthwith therefore I\nsent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore\nwe are all here present in the sight of God, to hear all things that\nhave been commanded thee of the Lord.\"\n\nAnd Peter opened his mouth, and said, \"Of a truth I perceive that God is\nno respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and\nworketh righteousness, is {356} acceptable to him. The word which he\nsent unto the children of Israel, preaching good tidings of peace by\nJesus Christ (he is Lord of all)--that saying ye yourselves know, which\nwas published throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee, after the\nbaptism which John preached; about Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed\nhim with the Holy Spirit and with power: how he went about doing good,\nand healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.\nAnd we are witnesses of all things which be did both in the country of\nthe Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom also they slew, hanging him on a tree.\nHim God raised up the third day, and showed him, not to all the people,\nbut unto witnesses that were chosen before of God, even to us, who did\neat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he charged us to\npreach unto the people, and to testify that this is he who is ordained\nof God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him bear all the prophets\nwitness, that through his name everyone that believeth on him shall\nreceive remission of sins.\"\n\nWhile Peter yet spoke these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them\nwhich heard the word. And the Jews who believed were amazed, as many as\ncame with Peter, because on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of\nthe Holy Spirit. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify\nGod.\n\nThen answered Peter, \"Can any man forbid the water, that these should\nnot be baptized, which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?\"\n\nAnd he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.\n\n\n{357}\n\nIX\n\nTHE FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEYS\n\n_How the Disciples at Last Began to Understand the Meaning of the\nCommand of Jesus, \"Go Ye into All the World_.\"\n\n\nNow the apostles and the brethren that were in Judaea heard that the\nGentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter was come up\nto Jerusalem, the Jews contended with him, saying, \"Thou wentest in to\nthe Gentiles, and didst eat with them.\"\n\nBut Peter began, and expounded the matter unto them in order, saying, \"I\nwas in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, a\ncertain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet let down from heaven\nby four corners; and it came even unto me: upon which when I had\nfastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw the fourfooted beasts of the\nearth and wild beasts and creeping things and birds of the heaven. And I\nheard also a voice saying unto me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' But I\nsaid, 'Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath ever entered\ninto my mouth.' But a voice answered the second time out of heaven,\n'What God hath cleansed, make not thou common.' And this was done\nthrice: and all were drawn up again into heaven. And behold, forthwith\nthree men stood before the house in which we were, having been sent\n{358} from Caesarea unto me. And the Spirit bade me go with them, making\nno distinction. And these six brethren also accompanied me; and we\nentered into the man's house: and he told us how he had seen the angel\nstanding in his house, and saying, 'Send to Joppa, and bring Simon,\nwhose surname is Peter; who shall speak unto thee words, whereby thou\nshalt be saved, thou and all thy house.' And as I began to speak, the\nHoly Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning. And I\nremembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John indeed baptized with\nwater; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If then God gave\nunto them the same gift that he gave unto us, when we believed on the\nLord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?\"\n\nAnd when they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified\nGod, saying, \"Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance\nunto life.\"\n\nThey therefore that were scattered abroad after the trouble that arose\nabout Stephen, traveled as far as Phoenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch,\nspeaking the word to none save only to Jews. But there were some of\nthem, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they were come to Antioch,\nspoke unto the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of\nthe Lord was with them: and a great number that believed turned unto\nthe Lord.\n\n\n{359}\n\nX\n\nPETER IN PRISON\n\n_How Peter Was Cast into Prison, and How He Escaped the Hatred of\nHerod_.\n\n\nNow about that time Herod the king put forth his hands to afflict\ncertain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the\nsword. And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize\nPeter also. And when he had taken him, he put him in prison, and\ndelivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him; intending after\nthe Passover to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept\nin the prison: but prayer was made earnestly by the church unto God for\nhim. And when Herod was about to bring him forth, the same night Peter\nwas sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and guards\nbefore the door kept the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood\nby him, and a light shone in the cell: and he smote Peter on the side,\nand awoke him, saying, \"Rise up quickly.\"\n\nAnd his chains fell from his hands. And the angel said unto him, \"Gird\nthyself, and bind on thy sandals.\" And he did so.\n\nAnd he said unto him, \"Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.\"\n\n{360}\n\nAnd he went out, and followed; and he knew not that it was true which\nwas done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision.\n\nAnd when they were past the first and the second guard, they came unto\nthe iron gate that leadeth into the city; which opened to them of its\nown accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and\nstraightway the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to\nhimself, he said, \"Now I know of a truth, that the Lord hath sent forth\nhis angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the\nexpectation of the people of the Jews.\"\n\nAnd when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the\nmother of John whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together\nand were praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a maid\ncome to answer, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened\nnot the gate for joy, but ran in, and told that Peter stood before the\ngate. And they said unto her, \"Thou art mad.\" But she confidently\naffirmed that it was even so. And they said, \"It is his angel.\"\n\nBut Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened, they saw him,\nand were amazed. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their\npeace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him forth out of the\nprison. And he said, \"Tell these things unto James, and to the\nbrethren.\"\n\nAnd he departed, and went to another place. Now as soon as it was day,\nthere was no small stir among the {361} soldiers, what was become of\nPeter. And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined\nthe guards, and commanded that they should be put to death. And Peter\nwent down from Judaea to Caesarea, and tarried there.\n\n{362}\n\n{363}\n\nMissionary Journeys and Adventures of Paul.\n\n{364}\n\nPERSONS OF THE STORY.\n _PAUL_.\n _Ananias, a disciple_.\n _Sergius Paulus, a Roman governor_.\n _Elymas, a sorcerer_.\n _Barnabas_.\n _Mark_.\n _Timothy_.\n _Silas_.\n _Gallio, a Roman governor_.\n _Priscilla and Aquila_.\n _Demetrius, a silversmith_.\n _Claudius Lysias, a Roman officer_.\n _Felix, a Roman governor_.\n _Drusilla, wife of Felix_.\n _Festus, a Roman governor_.\n _King Agrippa_.\n _Queen Bernice_.\n _Publius, a Roman officer_.\n _The people of many towns and cities, Roman officials,\n soldiers, sailors, Christian disciples_.\n\n\nPLACES OF THE STORY.\n\n _The places which Paul visited are given elsewhere_.\n\n\n{365}{366}\n\n[Illustration]\n ST. PAUL\n By Raphael (1483-1520)\n[End illustration]\n\n\n[Illustration]\nTHE SHIPWRECK--PAUL AND THE ROMAN CENTURION\n\n\"And now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there\nshall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.\"\n\nAnd as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship,\nwhen they had let the boat into the sea . . . Paul said\nto the centurion and to the soldiers,\n\"Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{367}\n\nPAUL THE APOSTLE\n\nNow there enters into our story one whose life by any standard of\nmeasurement, in its boldness and audacity of plan, in its brilliancy of\nachievement, in its personal courage and daring, compares favorably with\nthat of any of the heroes of history,--Paul the Apostle. In many\nrespects he resembled the modern successful man of business, the captain\nof industry, except that his work was done with a purely unselfish\nmotive, loyalty to Jesus Christ and love for his fellowmen.\n\nPaul was born in the Roman city of Tarsus, which is beautifully situated\nat the mouth of the river Cydnus. It was a city full of delight for an\nadventurous boy. There was the river sweeping down cold and clear from\nits mountain snows, the harbor with its great basins and stone quays and\nthe shipping from every land. How Paul must have loved to linger on\nthose wharves, watching the ships and the merchandise and hearing the\nsongs of the sailors. In later days he always loved the city and the\nsea. He was never far away from them; never far distant from the smell\nof the sea breeze and the blue waters of the Mediterranean; very often\nhe sailed on those waters, and more than once suffered shipwreck. He was\na freeborn Roman, that is, he was so {368} fortunate as to have been\nborn in a free city. A free Roman city had all the political rights and\nprivileges of the city of Rome itself. This distinction was eagerly\nsought after, and was often bought with a large price by men who did not\npossess it by birth. When Paul was a lad he was sent away to Jerusalem\nto school, where he was taught by one of the most famous teachers. But\nPaul was always more Roman than Jewish in the actual experiences of his\nlife. When the first persecutions of the Christians began, Saul, for\nthat was his name then, was chosen by the high priest for this work.\nEverything he did, he did with his might. He gave the Christians no\nrest, he hunted them from village to village, from house to house,\nbecause he thought this was his duty. He was on one of these\nexpeditions, riding hard to Damascus, when he had a vision of Jesus, who\ncalled to him and demanded the reason for the persecutions. Blinded by\nthe vision he fell from his horse, and when he came to himself he was a\nchanged man. Some time he spent in solitude, thinking the matter out and\npreparing for the new life. Then he came out ready to do anything and go\nanywhere for the Master. The time was ripe for a man of his ability, his\nboldnesss, and his knowledge of the world. A man was needed with those\nqualities which make a great general, to plan and execute the work. All\nthe apostles were Jews, born in Palestine, men who had never traveled\noutside the narrow boundaries of their native land. They were naturally\ntimid, and failed to realize at first the importance of the new faith as\na {369} world power. Paul was the man for the crisis,--the hero who was\ndestined to carry the new faith to the farther bounds of the empire. His\ngreat missionary journeys by land and sea are really campaigns. He had\nadventures without number, he was beaten and stoned, sometimes he was\nleft on the ground for dead by those who thought they had at last put\nhim out of the way. Often he went on his journey scarred and sore and\nbruised. The country over which he traveled is the most interesting and\nromantic in the world, the scene of the stories of mythology, the battle\nground of armies. He sailed the seas which were furrowed by the keel of\nHomer's hero Ulysses. He visited the famous capitals of antiquity. He\nspoke in cultured Athens, the city of Socrates and Plato. He founded\nchurches in Philippi, where Caesar won his great battle, and in Corinth,\none of the richest and wickedest cities of all the Roman empire. He went\nto Rome, and there, even while in prison, he won for the new faith\nmembers of the royal household and officers of the imperial guard. We do\nnot know certainly, but there are traditions to the effect that he\nvisited Spain, and even found his way far beyond the \"Pillars of\nHercules\" out upon the stormy Atlantic to Great Britain. It must not be\nsupposed that he met with no opposition. Even among the members of the\nChristian church at Jerusalem he was bitterly opposed. There were many\nJewish Christians who did not wish the new faith to spread beyond their\nown race, or if any so-called Gentiles became Christians they thought\nthey should also become Jews. Paul believed that Jesus and his message\n{370} were for all alike, that it was a gospel of freedom, a new faith\nin truth, and his way prevailed. Paul at last, an old man, was beheaded,\nso it is believed, by the wicked Roman emperor Nero. Thus lived and died\none of the greatest and most important characters in all history.\n\n\n{371}\n\nHOW PAUL THE PERSECUTOR LAID ASIDE THE\nOLD LIFE AND TOOK UP THE NEW.\n\n_The Vision on the Road to Damascus. The Beginnings of Faith. Service\nfor the New Master_.\n\n\nBut Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples\nof the Lord, went unto the high priest, and asked of him letters to\nDamascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of \"the\nWay,\" whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And\nas he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and\nsuddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: and he fell\nupon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, \"Saul, Saul, why\npersecutest thou me?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Who art thou, Lord?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: but rise, and enter into\nthe city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.\"\n\nAnd the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice,\nbut beholding no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes\nwere opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought\nhim into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate\nnor drank.\n\nNow there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the\nLord said unto him in a vision, \"Ananias.\"\n\n{372}\n\nAnd he said, \"Behold, I am here, Lord.\"\n\nAnd the Lord said unto him, \"Arise, and go to Straight street, and\ninquire in the house of Judas for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus: for\nbehold, he prayeth; and he hath seen a man named Ananias coming in, and\nlaying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.\"\n\nBut Ananias answered, \"Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how\nmuch evil he did to thy saints at Jerusalem: and here he hath authority\nfrom the chief priests to bind all that call upon thy name.\"\n\nBut the Lord said unto him, \"Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto\nme, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of\nIsrael: for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's\nsake.\"\n\nAnd Ananias departed, and entered into the house; and laying his hands\non him said, \"Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, who appeared unto thee\nin the way which thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy\nsight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.\"\n\nAnd at once there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received\nhis sight; and he arose and was baptized; and he took food and was\nstrengthened.\n\nAnd he was certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And\nat once in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of\nGod. And all that heard him were amazed, and said, \"Is not this that man\nwho in Jerusalem made havoc of them who called on the name of Jesus? and\nhe had come hither for this intent, that he might bring them bound\nbefore the chief priests.\" But Saul increased the more in strength, and\nconfounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is the\nChrist.\n\n{373}{374}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE CITY OF TARSUS, LOOKING NORTHEAST TOWARD THE TAURUS MOUNTAINS. THE\n AMERICAN COLLEGE IS IN THE FOREGROUND.\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n Tarsus was a Roman metropolis with all the distinctions and privileges\n which the name implied. It was beautifully situated. The broad river\n Cydnus, breaking through a cleft in the Taurus Mountains, fell in a\n wide cascade to the plain, and flowed clear and cold from its mountain\n snows through the city. At evening the people used to gather in their\n roof gardens on the housetops to watch the setting sun as it turned\n the snowy summit of the mountain chain into rose and filled the valley\n with golden mist. But beauty of situation was not the only source of\n civic pride. Tarsus was a rich and influential center of trade, and it\n maintained its importance by the most lavish municipal expenditure, by\n what we moderns call enterprise and push.\n\n When Paul as a boy wandered down to the wharves to see the sights, to\n listen to the sounds of the sailors and the ships, and to breathe that\n indefinable atmosphere of the sea which is so fascinating to the growing\n lad, he could not fail to admire those great stone basins and quays\n which made Tarsus a seaport in spite of the treacherous sands of the\n rapid river.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{375}\n\nAnd after many days, the Jews took counsel together to kill him: but\ntheir plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates also day and\nnight that they might kill him: but his friends took him by night, and\nlet him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.\n\nAnd when he was come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join himself to the\ndisciples: and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a\ndisciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and\ndeclared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had\nspoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of\nJesus. And he was with them going in and going out at Jerusalem,\npreaching boldly in the name of the Lord: and he spoke and disputed\nagainst the Grecian Jews; but they went about to kill him. And when the\nbrethren knew it they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth\nto Tarsus.\n\nSo the church throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace,\nbeing built up; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort\nof the Holy Spirit, was multiplied.\n\nAnd some time after, Barnabas went forth to Tarsus to seek for Saul: and\nwhen he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass,\nthat for a whole year they were gathered together with the church, and\ntaught much people; and that the disciples were called Christians first\nin Antioch.\n\n\n{376}\n\nTHE FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY OF PAUL.\n\nOn his first journey Paul went by sea from _Seleucia_, the port of\nAntioch, to the _Island of Cyprus_. He crossed the island from east to\nwest. He landed at _Salamis_ and set sail from _Paphos_. He arrived at\n_Perga_ in Southern Asia Minor, and then set out for a campaign of about\ntwo years in the great Roman province of Galatia. It is for the most\npart a wild and desolate country. There were snowy mountain ranges with\nperilous passes infested by robbers, rushing torrents, and precipitous\nroads, before he could come to the cities which lay behind the\nmountains. He was often in great danger, and many times suffered\npersecution. The places mentioned are _Antioch, Iconium, Lystra_, and\n_Derbe_. Then he and his companions came down to Perga, setting sail\nfrom the port of Attalia for _Antioch_ in Cilicia.\n\nCompanions: Barnabas and John Mark.\n\n\nI\n\nPAUL AND BARNABAS SAIL FOR CYPRUS.\n\n_At Paphos a Roman Nobleman is Won to the New Faith_.\n\n\n(There having been a time of famine, Paul and Barnabas had been sent by\nthe Christians at Antioch to Jerusalem with relief to the Christians in\nthat city. When they returned they found new work awaiting them.)\n\n{377}{378}\n\n[Illustration]\n A CORNER OF OLD WALL AT DAMASCUS.\n\n Where, tradition says, Paul was let down by a basket. The square\n building is a modern structure\n\n From a photograph belonging to Mr. S. E. Bridgman, and used by his\n kind permission\n\n \"When the Moslems took Damascus in 634, the great cathedral was\n divided between Mohammedans and Christians. Seventy years later it was\n absorbed by the conquerors, and was rebuilt to become one of the\n greatest, if not the richest, of the mosques of Islam. The rebuilding\n destroyed all the Christian features, except that which, still above\n the south portal, preserves this prayer and prophecy: 'Thy kingdom, O\n Christ, is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth for all\n generations.'\"--_G. A. Smith_\n[End illustration]\n\n{379}\n\nNow there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and\nteachers, Barnabas, and Symeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of\nCyrene, and Manaen the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.\nAnd as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said,\n\"Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called\nthem.\" Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on\nthem, they sent them away.\n\nSo they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; and\nfrom thence they sailed to Cyprus. And when they were at Salamis, they\nproclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had\nalso John as their attendant.\n\nAnd when they had gone through the whole island unto Paphos, they found\na certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus;\nwho was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. The\nsame called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of\nGod. But Elymas the sorcerer withstood them, seeking to turn aside the\nproconsul from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled\nwith the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him, and said, \"O full of all\nguile and all villainy, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all\nrighteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the\nLord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt\nbe blind, not seeing the sun for a season.\"\n\n{380}\n\nAnd immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went\nabout seeking some to lead him by the hand.\n\nThen the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being\nastonished at the teaching of the Lord.\n\n\nII\n\nFROM CYPRUS TO ANTIOCH.\n\n_Paul's Sermon at Antioch_.\n\n\nNow Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in\nPamphylia: and John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem. But\nthey, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia; and they\nwent into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down. And after the\nreading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent\nunto them, saying, \"Brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the\npeople, say on.\" And Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said,--\n\n\"Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, hearken. The God of this people\nIsrael chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they sojourned in\nthe land of Egypt, and with a high arm led he them forth out of it. And\nfor about the time of forty years he bore with them in the wilderness.\nAnd when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave\nthem their land for an inheritance, for about four hundred and fifty\nyears: and after these things he gave them judges until Samuel the\nprophet.\n\n{381}\n\n[Illustration]\n Map of land around the Mediterranean Sea showing Paul's journey.\n[End illustration]\n\n{382}\n\n{383}\n\nAnd afterward they asked for a king: and God gave unto\nthem Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for the space\nof forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be\ntheir king; to whom also he bore witness, and said, 'I have found David\nthe son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who shall do all my will.'\n\n\"Of this man's family hath God according to promise brought unto Israel\na Saviour, Jesus; when John had first preached before his coming the\nbaptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was\nfinishing his work, he said, 'What suppose ye that I am? I am not he.\nBut behold, there cometh one after me, the shoes of whose feet I am not\nworthy to unloose.' Brethren, children of the race of Abraham, and those\namong you that fear God, to us is the word of this salvation sent forth.\nFor they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew\nhim not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath,\nfulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found no cause of\ndeath in him, yet asked they of Pilate that he should be slain. And when\nthey had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they took him\ndown from the tree, and laid him in a tomb.\n\n\"But God raised him from the dead: and he was seen for many days by them\nthat came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his\nwitnesses unto the people. And we bring you good tidings of the promise\nmade unto the fathers, how that God hath fulfilled the same unto our\nchildren, in that he raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the\nsecond psalm, 'Thou art my Son, this day have I {384} begotten thee.'\nAnd as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to\nreturn to corruption, he hath spoken on this wise, 'I will give you the\nholy and sure blessings of David.' Because he saith also in another\npsalm, 'Thou wilt not give thy Holy One to see corruption.' For David,\nafter he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, he fell\nasleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: but he whom\nGod raised up saw no corruption.\n\n\"Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is\nproclaimed unto you remission of sins: and by him everyone that\nbelieveth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be\njustified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon\nyou, which is spoken in the prophets;--\n\n Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish;\n For I work a work in your days,\n A work which ye shall in no wise believe,\n if one declare it unto you.'\"\n\nAnd as they went out, they besought that these words might be spoken to\nthem the next Sabbath. Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews\nand of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking\nto them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.\n\nAnd the next Sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear\nthe word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled\nwith jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul,\nand blasphemed. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and {385} said,\n\"It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you.\nSeeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal\nlife, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us,\nsaying,--\n\n 'I have set thee for a light of the Gentiles,\n That thou shouldest be for salvation unto the\n uttermost part of the earth.'\"\n\nAnd as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word\nof God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the\nword of the Lord was spread abroad throughout all the region. But the\nJews urged on the devout women of honorable estate, and the chief men of\nthe city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and\ncast them out of their borders. But they shook off the dust of their\nfeet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled\nwith joy and with the Holy Spirit.\n\n\nIII\n\nTHROUGH THE TOWNS OF GALATIA.\n\n_Paul is Stoned by the Mob. His Escape and Return_.\n\nAnd it came to pass in Iconium, that they entered together into the\nsynagogue of the Jews, and so spoke, that a great multitude both of Jews\nand of Greeks believed. But the Jews that were disobedient stirred up\nthe Gentiles, and made them hostile to the brethren. Long time therefore\nthey tarried there speaking boldly in the Lord, who {386} bore witness\nunto the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by\ntheir hands. But the multitude of the city was divided; and part held\nwith the Jews, and part with the apostles. And when there was made an\nattempt, both of the Gentiles and of the Jews with their rulers, to\ntreat them shamefully, and to stone them, they became aware of it, and\nfled unto the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the region round\nabout: and there they preached the gospel.\n\nAnd at Lystra there sat a certain man, impotent in his feet, a cripple\nfrom his birth, who never had walked. This man heard Paul speaking: who,\nfastening his eyes upon him, and seeing that he had faith to be made\nwhole, said with a loud voice, \"Stand upright on thy feet.\" And he\nleaped up and walked.\n\nAnd when the multitudes saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their\nvoice, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, \"The gods are come down to us\nin the likeness of men.\" And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul,\nMercury, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Jupiter\nwhose temple was before the city, brought oxen and garlands unto the\ngates, and would have done sacrifice with the multitudes. But when the\napostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they rent their garments, and\nsprang forth among the multitude, crying out and saying, \"Sirs, why do\nye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring\nyou good tidings, that ye should turn from these vain things unto the\nliving God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that\nin them is: {387} who in the generations gone by suffered all the\nnations to walk in their own ways. And yet he left not himself without\nwitness, in that he did good, and gave you from heaven rains and\nfruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.\"\n\nAnd with these sayings scarce restrained they the multitudes from doing\nsacrifice unto them.\n\nBut there came Jews thither from Antioch and Iconium: and having\npersuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the\ncity, supposing that he was dead. But as the disciples stood round about\nhim, he rose up, and entered into the city: and on the morrow he went\nforth with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to\nthat city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, and to\nIconium, and to Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples,\nexhorting them to continue in the faith, and that \"through many\ntribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.\" And when they had\nappointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting,\nthey commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed. And they\npassed through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken\nthe word in Perga, they went down to Attalia; and thence they sailed to\nAntioch, from whence they had been committed to the grace of God for the\nwork which they had fulfilled. And when they had come, and had gathered\nthe church together, they told all things that God had done with them,\nand how he had opened a door of faith unto the Gentiles. And they\ntarried no little time with the disciples.\n\n\n{388}\n\nIV\n\nA DISTURBANCE IN THE CHURCH\n\n_How a Serious Dispute Was Settled by Mutual Conference_.\n\n\n(Trouble arose in the church very early over the question of admitting\npeople of the outside world, or Gentiles, into the fellowship of the\nfaith. There was a party in the church who insisted very strongly that\nthe Gentiles, if they came in, must conform to all the rites and\nceremonies of the Jews. Another party, headed by Paul, said that it was\nnot necessary for the Gentiles to become Jews; that they could be\nChristians without following all the religious ceremonies of the Jews.\nAfter Paul and Barnabas returned from their missionary journey, and\nreported the conversion of many Gentiles to the new faith, a great\nmeeting of the leaders was called at Jerusalem, and the matter, after\nwarm discussion, was decided in favor of the broader view of Paul.)\n\n\nAnd certain men came down from Judaea and taught the brethren, saying,\n\"Except ye keep the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved.\" And when Paul\nand Barnabas had no little disagreement and questioning with them, the\nbrethren decided that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them,\nshould go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this\nquestion. They therefore, being brought on their way by the church,\npassed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of\nthe Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. And when\nthey were come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the\napostles and the elders, and they repeated all the things that God had\ndone with them.\n\n{389}\n\nAnd the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider of\nthis matter. And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up and\nsaid unto them, \"Brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made\nchoice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of\nthe gospel, and believe. And God, who knoweth the heart, bore them\nwitness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us; and he\nmade no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by\nfaith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, that ye should put a yoke upon\nthe neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to\nbear? But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the\nLord Jesus, in like manner as they.\"\n\nAnd all the multitude kept silence; and they hearkened unto Barnabas and\nPaul as they told what signs and wonders God had wrought among the\nGentiles by them. And after they had ceased speaking, James answered,\nsaying,--\n\n\"Brethren, hearken unto me: Symeon hath rehearsed how first God did\nvisit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to\nthis agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,--\n\n 'After these things I will return,\n And I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen;\n And I will build again the ruins thereof,\n And I will set it up:\n That the residue of men may seek after the Lord,\n And all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called,\n Saith the Lord, who maketh these things known from\n the beginning of the world.'\n\n{390}\n\n\"Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not those who from among the\nGentiles turn to God; but that we write unto them, that they abstain\nfrom the pollutions of idols, and from uncleanness, and from what is\nstrangled, and from blood. For Moses from generations of old hath in\nevery city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every\nSabbath.\"\n\nThen it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole\nchurch, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch\nwith Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief\nmen among the brethren: and they wrote thus by them,--\n\n \"_The apostles and the elder brethren unto the brethren who are of the\n Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greeting:_--\n\n\"Forasmuch as we have heard that certain men who went out from us have\ntroubled you with words, vexing your souls; to whom we gave no\ncommandment; it seemed good unto us, having come to one accord, to\nchoose out men and send them unto you with our beloved Barnabas and\nPaul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus\nChrist. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves also\nshall tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to\nthe Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these\nnecessary things; that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and\nfrom blood, and from things strangled, and from uncleanness; from which\nif ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. _Fare ye well_.\"\n\n{391}\n\nSo they, when they were dismissed, came down to Antioch; and having\ngathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle. And when\nthey had read it, they rejoiced for the consolation it afforded. And\nJudas and Silas, being themselves also prophets, exhorted the brethren\nwith many words, and confirmed them. And after they had spent some time\nthere, they were dismissed in peace from the brethren to those that had\nsent them forth. But Paul and Barnabas tarried in Antioch, teaching and\npreaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.\n\n{392}\n\nTHE SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY\n\nPaul started on his second missionary journey by the land route, passing\nthrough his native city of Tarsus, over the Taurus mountains and into\nGalatia, where he revisited the cities of Derbe and Lystra. He attempted\nto visit other places, but was prevented from doing so, and pressed on\nthrough many miles of wild and desolate country of northern Asia Minor\nuntil the welcome waters of the Aegean again greeted his eyes at Troas.\nHere he faced Europe and the great crisis of his life. In the night he\nsaw the vision of the man and heard the cry, \"Come over into Macedonia\nand help us.\" Then Paul determined upon the great step which meant so\nmuch to the world. He went on board a coaster at Troas, made \"a straight\nrun\" to the island of _Samothracia_, and the next day came to the harbor\nof Neapolis, which is only a few miles from Philippi. The important\nMacedonian campaign included the cities of _Philippi_, _Thessalonica_,\nand _Beroea_. Here his work in Macedonia abruptly ended. In danger of\nhis life from evil persons who followed him from Thessalonica, he was\nhurried out of the country by his friends and journeyed by land and sea\nto _Athens_. Then he went to _Corinth_, where he stayed for some time\npreaching and working at his trade of tentmaker. Embarking on a pilgrim\nship carrying Jews to Passover, Paul sailed to Caesarea and then\njourneyed to Jerusalem, stopping briefly on the way at Ephesus. Thus\nended the second great journey.\n\nCompanions: Silas and Timothy.\n\n{393}\n\n[Illustration]\n Map of land around the Mediterranean Sea showing Paul's journey.\n[End illustration]\n\n{394}\n\n{395}\n\nI\n\nREVISITING THE SCENES OF FORMER VICTORIES IN PHRYGIA AND GALATIA\n\n_Paul and Barnabas Again Take the Field_.\n\n\nAnd after some time, Paul said unto Barnabas, \"Let us return now and\nvisit the brethren in every city wherein we proclaimed the word of the\nLord, and see how they fare.\"\n\nAnd Barnabas was minded to take with them John also, who was called\nMark. But Paul thought it not good to take with them him who withdrew\nfrom them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And there\narose a sharp contention, so that they parted asunder one from the\nother, and Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed away unto Cyprus; but\nPaul chose Silas, and went forth, being commended by the brethren to the\ngrace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the\nchurches.\n\nAnd he came also to Derbe and to Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple\nwas there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed in the new\nfaith, but his father was a Greek. The same was well reported of by the\nbrethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. And Paul took him with him.\n\nAnd they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been\nforbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and when they\nwere come over against Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia; and\nthe Spirit of Jesus suffered them not; and passing by Mysia, they came\ndown to Troas.\n\n\n{396}\n\nII\n\n\"THE MACEDONIAN CRY\"\n\n_The New Faith Enters Europe. The Midnight Rescue from the Jail at\nPhilippi_.\n\n\nAnd a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia\nstanding, beseeching him, and saying, \"Come over into Macedonia, and\nhelp us.\"\n\nAnd when he had seen the vision, straightway we sought to go forth into\nMacedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel unto\nthem.\n\nSetting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to\nSamothrace, and the day following to Neapolis; and from thence to\nPhilippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the first of the district, a\nRoman colony: and we were in this city tarrying certain days. And on\nthe Sabbath day we went forth without the gate by a river side, where\nwe supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down, and spoke to\nthe women who were come together. And a certain woman named Lydia, a\nseller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God,\nheard us: whose heart the Lord opened, to give heed to the things\nwhich were spoken by Paul. And when she was baptized, and her\nhousehold, she besought us, saying, \"If ye have judged me to be\nfaithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there.\" And she\npersuaded us.\n\nAnd it came to pass, as we were going to the place of prayer, that a\ncertain maid having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her\nmasters much gain by soothsaying.\n\n{397}{398}\n\n[Illustration]\n ATHENS--HARBOR OF PIRAEUS--SALAMIS IN THE DISTANCE.\n\n From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library,\n Northampton, Mass., and used by special permission.\n\n Into this harbor came the ship of Paul on his voyage from the North.\n In the distance is the immortal battle place of Salamis, where the\n Persian fleet was destroyed. Of the voyage of Paul from Thessaly to\n Athens it is said, \"All the land and water in sight became more\n eloquent as he advanced: the lights and shadows, both of poetry and\n history, were on every hand: every rock was a monument, every current\n was animated by some memory of the past.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{399}\n\nThe same following after Paul and us cried out, saying, \"These men are\nservants of the Most High God, who proclaim unto you the way of\nsalvation.\"\n\nAnd this she did for many days. But Paul, being greatly troubled, turned\nand said to the spirit, \"I charge thee in the name of Jesus Christ to\ncome out of her.\"\n\nAnd it came out that very hour.\n\nBut when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they laid\nhold of Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the\nrulers, and when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said,\n\"These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and set forth\ncustoms which it is not lawful for us to receive, or to observe, being\nRomans.\"\n\nAnd the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates\ntore their garments off them, and commanded to beat them with rods. And\nwhen they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison,\ncharging the jailor to keep them safely: who, having received such a\ncharge, cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the\nstocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns\nunto God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there\nwas a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were\nshaken: and immediately all the doors were opened; and everyone's bands\nwere loosed. And the jailor being roused out of sleep, and seeing the\nprison doors open, drew his sword, and was about to kill himself,\nsupposing that the prisoners had escaped.\n\n{400}\n\nBut Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, \"Do thyself no harm: for we\nare all here.\"\n\nAnd he called for lights, and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell\ndown before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, \"Sirs, what\nmust I do to be saved?\"\n\nAnd they said, \"Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou\nand thy house.\"\n\nAnd they spoke the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his\nhouse. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their\nstripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. And he brought\nthem up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly,\nwith all his house, having believed in God.\n\nBut when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, \"Let those\nmen go.\" And the jailor reported the words to Paul, saying, \"The\nmagistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore come forth, and go in\npeace.\" But Paul said unto them, \"They have beaten us publicly,\nuncondemned, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison; and do\nthey now cast us out secretly? nay verily; let them come themselves and\nbring us out.\"\n\nAnd the police reported these words unto the magistrates: and they\nfeared, when they heard that they were Romans; and they came and\nbesought them; and when they had brought them out, they asked them to go\naway from the city. And they went out of the prison, and entered into\nthe house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted\nthem, and departed.\n\n{401}{402}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE TEMPLE OF APOLLO AT CORINTH, WITH THE ACROPOLIS IN THE BACKGROUND.\n\n\n From a photograph belonging to Smith College, and used by special\n permission.\n\n \"It was its conspicuous position on the narrow neck of land between\n the Aegean and Ionian seas which was the main cause of Corinth's\n greatness. The construction of the famous ship Argo, on which Jason\n sailed in search of the Golden Fleece, is assigned by mythology to\n Corinth. The first Greek triremes were certainly built here. Neptune\n was her god. Her colonies were spread over distant coasts in the East\n and West. Ships came to her harbor from every sea.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{403}\n\nIII\n\nPREACHING IN THE MACEDONIAN CITIES.\n\n_Riot in Thessalonica. Success in Beroea_.\n\n\nNow when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to\nThessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his custom\nwas, went in unto them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them\nfrom the scriptures, arguing that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and\nto rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, \"whom,\" said he, \"I\nproclaim unto you, is the Christ.\"\n\nAnd some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas; and of the\ndevout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But\nthe Jews, being moved with jealousy, took unto them certain vile fellows\nof the rabble, and gathering a crowd, set the city in an uproar; and\nassaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them forth to the\npeople. And when they found them not, they dragged Jason and certain\nbrethren before the rulers of the city, crying, \"These men who have\nturned the world upside down are come hither also; whom Jason hath\nreceived: and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying\nthat there is another king, one Jesus.\"\n\nAnd they troubled the multitude and the rulers of the city, when they\nheard these things. And when they had taken bail from Jason and the\nrest, they let them go.\n\nAnd the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto\nBeroea: who when they were come {404} thither went into the synagogue of\nthe Jews. Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that\nthey received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the\nscriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. Many of them\ntherefore believed; also of the Greek women of honorable estate, and of\nmen, not a few.\n\nBut when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was\nproclaimed of Paul at Beroea also, they came thither likewise, stirring\nup and troubling the multitudes. And then immediately the brethren sent\nforth Paul to go as far as to the sea: and Silas and Timothy abode there\nstill. But they that conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens: and\nreceiving a commandment unto Silas and Timothy that they should come to\nhim with all speed, they departed.\n\n\nIV\n\nPAUL AT ATHENS.\n\n_The Leader of the New Faith Speaks on Classic Ground_.\n\nNow while Paul waited for them at Athens, he was aroused, as he beheld\nthe city full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews\nand the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with them that\nmet with him. And certain also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers\nencountered him. And some said, \"What would this babbler say?\" others,\n\"He seemeth to be a teacher of strange gods\": because he preached Jesus\nand the resurrection.\n\n\n{405}{406}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE PARTHENON, ONE OF THE TEMPLES ON THE ACROPOLIS AT ATHENS\n\n From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton, Mass.,\n and used by special permission\n\n \"Crowning the Acropolis was the Parthenon, the glorious temple which\n rose in the proudest period of Athenian history to the honor of\n Minerva, and which ages of war and decay have only partially defaced.\n The sculptures on one side of the pediments represented the birth of\n the goddess; those on the other depicted her contest with Neptune.\n Under the outer cornices were groups exhibiting the victories achieved\n by her champions. Round the inner frieze was the long series of the\n Panathenaic procession.\" The Acropolis, with its splendid temples, was\n on Paul's right and in full view as he preached on the Areopagus.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{407}\n\nAnd they took hold of him, and brought him unto the Areopagus, saying,\n\"May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by thee? For\nthou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know\ntherefore what these things mean.\" (Now all the Athenians and the\nstrangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else, but either\nto tell or to hear some new thing.) And Paul stood in the midst of the\nAreopagus, and said,--\n\n\"Ye men of Athens, in all things I perceive that ye are very religious.\nFor as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found\nalso an altar with this inscription,\n\n TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.\n\nWhat therefore ye worship in ignorance, this set I forth unto you. The\nGod that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven\nand earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is he served\nby men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth\nto all life, and breath, and all things; and he made of one people every\nnation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined\ntheir appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; that they\nshould seek God, if haply they might feel after him, and find him,\nthough he is not far from each one of us: for in him we live, and move,\nand have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said,--\n\n 'For we are also his offspring.'\n\nBeing then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead\nis like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by {408} art and device\nof man. The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he\ncommandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: inasmuch as he\nhath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness\nby the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto\nall men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.\"\n\nNow when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but\nothers said, \"We will hear thee concerning this yet again.\"\n\nThus Paul went out from among them. But certain men were drawn to him,\nand believed: among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman\nnamed Damaris, and others with them.\n\n\nV\n\nTENTMAKING IN CORINTH.\n\n_A Roman Officer Champions the New Faith_.\n\n\nAfter these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth. There\nhe found a certain Jew named Aquila, lately come from Italy, with his\nwife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart\nfrom Rome. He became acquainted with them; and because he was of the\nsame trade, he abode with them, and they worked together; for by their\ntrade they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every\nSabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks.\n\n\n{409}{410}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS AT CORINTH.\n\n Photograph taken by Rev. Frank L. Goodspeed, Ph.D., of Springfield,\n Mass., and used by his kind permission.\n\n \"By virtue of her situation on 'the bridge of the seas,' Corinth\n became the common resort and the universal market of the Greeks. Her\n population and wealth were further augmented by the manufactures in\n metallurgy, dyeing, and porcelain, which grew up in connection with\n her commerce. The wealth, luxury, and profligacy of Corinth were\n proverbial in the ancient world.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{411}\n\nBut when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul gave attention\nto preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. And when\nthey opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook out his raiment, and\nsaid unto them, \"Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from\nhenceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.\"\n\nAnd he departed thence, and went into the house of a certain man named\nTitus Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was close to the\nsynagogue. And Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord\nwith all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and\nwere baptized. And the Lord said unto Paul in the night by a vision, \"Be\nnot afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and\nno man shall set on thee to harm thee: for I have much people in this\ncity.\"\n\nAnd he dwelt there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among\nthem.\n\nBut when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose\nup against Paul, and brought him before the judgment seat, saying, \"This\nman persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.\"\n\nBut when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews,\n\"If indeed it were a matter of wrong or of wicked villainy, O ye Jews,\nit would be reasonable that I should bear with you: but if they are\nquestions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves;\nI am not minded to be a judge of these matters.\"\n\nAnd he drove them from the judgment seat. And they all laid hold of\nSosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and {412} beat him before the\njudgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of these things.\n\nAnd Paul, having tarried after this yet many days, took his leave of the\nbrethren, and sailed thence for Syria, and with him Priscilla and\nAquila; having shorn his head in Cenchreae: for he had a vow. And they\ncame to Ephesus, and he left them there: but he himself entered into the\nsynagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. And when they asked him to abide\na longer time, he consented not; but taking his leave of them, and\nsaying, \"I will return again unto you, if God will,\" he set sail from\nEphesus.\n\nAnd when he had landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and saluted\nthe church, and went down to Antioch.\n\n\n{413}{414}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE VALE OF TEMPE.\n On the slopes of Olympus.\n\n From a photograph belonging to Smith College,\n and used by special permission.\n\n \"The shepherds on the heights above the vale of Tempe may have watched\n the sails of Paul's ship as it moved like a speck over the waters of\n the Thermaic Gulf.\"--_Howson_\n[End illustration]\n\n{415}\n[Illustration]\n Map of land around the Mediterranean Sea showing Paul's journey.\n[End illustration]\n\n{416}\n\n{417}\n\nTHE THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY.\n\nAfter brief visits at _Jerusalem_ and _Antioch_, Paul started by the\nland route for Galatia. After revisiting the churches there he came\nthrough central Asia Minor to _Ephesus_. For two years Paul made this\ngreat city the center of missionary effort. After the great riot in\n_Ephesus_, which interrupted his plans, Paul set sail on a coasting\nvessel for _Macedonia_, changing ship at _Troas_. Thence he sailed for\n_Philippi_ and remained three months with the Macedonian churches. Then\nhe went to _Corinth_, where he stayed three months more. At the opening\nof navigation in the spring he sailed again for _Macedonia_, visiting\n_Philippi_. From Philippi he started on a long and tedious voyage by\ncoasting vessel, bound for Jerusalem. He touched on the voyage at\n_Troas, Assos, Mitylene, Samos, Trogyllium, Miletus, Cos, Rhodes,\nPatara_. These are towns on the islands and along the coast of Asia\nMinor. The ship made slow progress, doing a coasting trade no doubt, and\nwaiting for favorable winds. At Patara they found a big merchantman\nbound directly for Tyre, calling only at Myra. Before the strong west\nwind the ship made a good run out of sight of land from coast to coast\nexcept when the southern shores of Cyprus were passed. After a few days'\nstop at Tyre, the ship went on to _Caesarea_, stopping at _Ptolemais_.\nThen Paul went up to Jerusalem, and the great third missionary campaign\nwas over.\n\nCompanions: Various disciples.\n\n\n{418}\n\nI\n\nFAR AND WIDE BY LAND AND SEA.\n\n\"_I Must Also See Rome_.\"\n\nAfter having spent some time at Antioch, he departed, and went through\nthe region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, stablishing all the\ndisciples.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having\npassed through the upper country came to Ephesus. His preaching here had\ngreat effect. And not a few of them that practiced curious arts brought\ntheir books together, and burned them in the sight of all: and they\ncounted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.\nSo mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed.\n\nNow after these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he\nhad passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying,\n\"After I have been there, I must also see Rome.\"\n\nAnd having sent into Macedonia two of his companions who ministered unto\nhim, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.\n\n\nII\n\nA RIOT IN EPHESUS\n\n\"_Great is Diana of the Ephesians!_\"\n\n\nAnd about that time there arose no small stir concerning the new faith.\nFor a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver\nshrines of Diana, brought no little business unto the craftsmen;\n\n{419}{420}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF GREAT GREEK THEATER AT MILETUS.\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n Miletus once was one of the leading centers of Greek civilization,\n which began to decay in Paul's day.\n\n \"Even in Homer, the 'Carian Miletus' appears as a place of renown.\n Eighty colonies went forth from the banks of the Maeander, and some of\n them were spread even to the eastern shores of the Black Sea and\n beyond the Pillars of Hercules to the west. It received its first blow\n in the Persian war, when its inhabitants, like the Jews, had\n experience of a Babylonian captivity. It suffered once more in\n Alexander's great campaign; and after his time it gradually began to\n sink towards its present condition of ruin and decay, from the\n influence, as it would seem, of mere natural causes,--the increase of\n alluvial soil in the delta having the effect of removing the city\n gradually farther and farther from the sea. Even in the Apostle's\n time, there was between the city and the shore a considerable space of\n level ground, through which the ancient river meandered in new windings,\n like the Forth at Stirling. Few events connect the history of Miletus\n with the transactions of the Roman Empire. When St. Paul was there, it\n was simply one of the second-rate seaports on this populous coast,\n ranking, perhaps, with Adramyttium or Patara, but hardly with Ephesus\n or Smyrna.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{421}\n\nwhom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and\nsaid, \"Sirs, ye know that by this business we have our wealth. And ye\nsee and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia,\nthis Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they\nare no gods, which are made with hands: and not only is there danger\nthat this our trade come into disrepute; but also that the temple of the\ngreat goddess Diana be made of no account, and that she should even be\ndeposed from her magnificence, whom all Asia and the world worshipeth.\"\nAnd when they heard this, they were filled with wrath, and cried out,\nsaying,\n\n \"GREAT IS DIANA OF THE EPHESIANS!\"\n\nAnd the city was filled with the confusion: and they rushed with one\naccord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of\nMacedonia, Paul's companions in travel. And when Paul was minded to\nenter in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. And certain\nalso of the chief officers of Asia, being his friends, sent unto him,\nand besought him not to venture into the theater. Some therefore cried\none thing, and some another: for the assembly was in confusion; and the\nlarger part knew not wherefore they were come together.\n\nAnd they brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him\nforward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made a\ndefense unto the people. But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all\nwith one voice about the space of two hours cried out,--\n\n \"GREAT IS DIANA OF THE EPHESIANS!\"\n\n{422}\n\nAnd when the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he saith, \"Ye men of\nEphesus, what man is there who knoweth not that the city of the\nEphesians is temple-keeper of the great Diana, and of the image which\nfell down from Jupiter? Seeing then that these things cannot be denied,\nye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rash. For ye have brought hither\nthese men, which are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our\ngoddess. If therefore Demetrius, and the craftsmen that are with him,\nhave a matter against any man, the courts are open, and here are judges:\nlet them accuse one another. But if ye seek anything about other\nmatters, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. For indeed we are\nin danger of being accused concerning this day's riot, there being no\ncause for it: and we shall not be able to give account of this\nconcourse.\"\n\nAnd when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.\n\n\nIII\n\nFAREWELLS TO THE CHURCHES.\n\n_Paul Starts on a Fateful Journey_.\n\nAnd after the uproar was ceased, Paul having sent for the disciples and\nexhorted them, took leave of them, and departed to go into Macedonia.\nAnd when he had gone through those parts, and had given them much\nexhortation, he came into Greece. And when he had spent three months\nthere, and a plot was laid against him by the Jews, as he was about to\nset sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedonia.\n\n{423}{424}\n\n[Illustration]\n HARBOR OF ASSOS\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n \"Of the city of Assos itself, we must conclude, if we compare the\n description of the ancients with present appearances, that its aspect\n as seen from the sea was sumptuous and grand. A terrace with a long\n portico was raised by a wall of rock above the water line. Above this\n was a magnificent gate, approached by a flight of steps. Higher still\n was the theater, which commanded a glorious view of Lesbos and the\n sea, and those various buildings which are now a wilderness of broken\n columns, triglyphs, and friezes. The whole was crowned by a citadel of\n Greek masonry on a cliff of granite. Such was the view which gradually\n faded into indistinctness as the vessel retired from the shore, and\n the summits of Ida rose in the evening sky.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{425}\n\nAnd there accompanied him as far as Asia a company of men from the\nvarious churches. But these had gone before, and were waiting for us at\nTroas. And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened\nbread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we tarried seven\ndays.\n\nAnd upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to\nbreak bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the\nmorrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight. And there were many\nlights in the upper chamber, where we were gathered together. And there\nsat in the window a certain young man named Eutychus, overpowered with\ndeep sleep; and as Paul discoursed yet longer, he fell down from the\nthird story, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him,\nand embracing him said, \"Make ye no ado; for his life is in him.\"\n\nAnd when he was gone up, and had broken the bread, and eaten, and had\ntalked with them a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.\nAnd they brought the lad alive, and were not a little comforted.\n\nBut we, going before to the ship, set sail for Assos, there intending to\ntake in Paul: for so had he appointed, intending himself to go by land.\nAnd when he met us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene. And\nsailing from thence, we came the following day over against Chios; and\nthe next day we touched at Samos; and the day after we came to Miletus.\nFor Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, that he might not have to\nspend time in Asia; for {426} he was hastening, if it were possible for\nhim, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.\n\nAnd from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of the\nchurch. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, \"Ye\nyourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, after what\nmanner I was with you all the time, serving the Lord with all lowliness\nof mind, and with tears, and with trials which befell me by the plots of\nthe Jews: how I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was\nprofitable, and teaching you publicly, from house to house, testifying\nboth to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our\nLord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto\nJerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that\nthe Holy Spirit testifieth unto me in every city, saying that bonds and\nafflictions await me. But I hold not my life of any account, as dear\nunto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which\nI received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of\nGod. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I went about\npreaching the kingdom, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I testify\nunto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I\nshrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God.\n\n{427}{428}\n\n[Illustration]\n DISTANT VIEWS OF OLYMPUS\n\n Photographs taken by Prof. George Norlin. Owned by Arthur S. Cooley,\n Ph.D., and used by his kind permission\n\n It was near the foot of Olympus, the most famous mountain in Greece,\n \"the home of the gods,\" that Paul embarked on his voyage to Athens,\n and it was often in sight as he sailed from point to point in the\n Aegean Sea. The whole of Paul's route in Macedonia was over historical\n ground. He traveled over the route taken by Xerxes' army when it swept\n down to overwhelm Greece. He passed near the Pass of Thermopylae,\n where one of the most famous defenses of history was made; at Philippi\n he was close to the confines of Thracian barbarism, and on the spot\n where the last battle was fought in defense of the republic; at Berea\n he was near the famous battleground of Pydna, which reduced Macedonia\n to a Roman province.\n[End illustration]\n\n{429}\n\n\"Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in the which the Holy\nSpirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of God, which he\npurchased with his own blood. I know that after my departing grievous\nwolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among\nyour own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away\nthe disciples after them. Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the\nspace of three years I ceased not to admonish everyone night and day\nwith tears. And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace,\nwhich is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all\nthem that are sanctified. I coveted no man's silver, or gold, or\napparel. Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my\nnecessities, and to them that were with me. In all things I gave you an\nexample, that so laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the\nwords of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to\ngive than to receive.'\"\n\nAnd when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and\nprayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on\nPaul's neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the\nword which he had spoken, that they should behold his face\nno more. And they brought him on his way unto the ship.\n\nAnd when it came to pass that we were parted from them, and had set\nsail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the next day unto\nRhodes, and from thence to Patara: and having found a ship crossing over\nunto Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail. And when we had come in\nsight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria, and\nlanded at Tyre: for there the ship was to unload her cargo. And having\nfound the disciples, we tarried there seven days: and these said to Paul\nthrough the Spirit, that he should not set foot in Jerusalem. And when\nit came to pass that we had accomplished the days, {430} we departed and\nwent on our journey; and they all, with wives and children, accompanied\nus on our way, till we were out of the city: and kneeling down on the\nbeach, we prayed, and bade each other farewell; and we went on board the\nship, but they returned home again.\n\nAnd when we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais;\nand we saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. And on the\nmorrow we departed, and came to Caesarea: and entering into the house of\nPhilip the evangelist, we abode with him. Now this man had four\ndaughters, who prophesied. And as we tarried there many days, there came\ndown from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And coming to us, and\ntaking Paul's girdle, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, \"Thus\nsaith the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that\nowneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the\nGentiles.\" And when we heard these things, both we and they of that\nplace besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.\n\nThen Paul answered, \"What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? for I am\nready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of\nthe Lord Jesus.\" And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying,\n\"The will of the Lord be done.\"\n\nAnd after these days we went up to Jerusalem. And there went with us\nalso certain of the disciples from Caesarea, bringing with them one\nMnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.\n\n{431}{432}\n\n[Illustration]\n CAPE SUNION.\n Photograph taken by Dr. C. W. Bill. Owned by Arthur S. Cooley, Ph.D.,\nand used by his kind permission.\n\n The ship on which Paul sailed rounded this point on her way to Athens.\n The white columns of the famous temple of Minerva, always a landmark to\n Greek sailors, are still seen upon the headland.\n[End illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n THE ISLAND OF NAXOS.\n\n Photograph taken by Dr. C. W. Bill. Owned by Arthur S. Cooley, Ph.D.,\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n The mountains of the island of Naxos must often have been seen by Paul\n on his voyages. The Aegean Sea is almost deserted now, but in classic\n times it was crowded with the commerce of the East.\n[End illustration]\n\n{433}\n\nTHE CAPTAIN OF THE NEW FAITH IN THE HANDS OF HIS FOES\n\nI\n\nTHE JEWS STIR UP A RIOT.\n\n_Paul, in Great Peril, is Saved by a Roman Officer_.\n\n(When Paul reached Jerusalem he worshiped, as was his custom, in the\ntemple. But he had many enemies who said that he was a traitor to the\nJewish faith because he was friendly with people who were not Jews.)\n\nPaul's enemies stirred up all the multitude, and laid hands on him,\ncrying out, \"Men of Israel, help: This is the man, who teacheth all men\neverywhere against the people, and the law, and this place: and moreover\nhe brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath defiled this holy\nplace.\"\n\nFor they had before seen with him in the city Trophimus the Ephesian,\nwhom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple. And all the\ncity was moved, and the people ran together: and they laid hold on Paul,\nand dragged him out of the temple: and straightway the doors were shut.\nAnd as they were seeking to kill him, tidings came up to the chief\ncaptain of the garrison, that all Jerusalem was in confusion. And\nforthwith he took soldiers and centurions, and ran down upon them: and\nthey, when {434} they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, left off\nbeating Paul. Then the chief captain came near, and laid hold on Paul,\nand commanded him to be bound with two chains; and inquired who he was,\nand what he had done. And some shouted one thing, some another, among\nthe crowd: and when the captain could not know the truth for the uproar,\nhe commanded him to be brought into the castle. And when he came upon\nthe stairs, he was borne by the soldiers on account of the violence of\nthe crowd; for the multitude of the people followed after, crying out,\n\"Away with him.\"\n\nAnd as Paul was about to be brought into the castle, he saith unto the\nchief captain, \"May I say something unto thee?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Dost thou know Greek? Art thou not then the Egyptian,\nwhich before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the\nwilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?\"\n\nBut Paul said, \"I am a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean\ncity: and I beseech thee, give me leave to speak unto the people.\"\n\n\nII\n\nON THE CASTLE STAIRS\n\n_Paul Defends Himself Before the People_.\n\nWhen the officer gave him leave, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned\nwith the hand unto the people; and when they were all silent, he spoke\nunto them in the Hebrew language, saying, \"Brethren and fathers, hear ye\nthe defense which I now make unto you.\"\n\n{435}{436}\n\n[Illustration]\n CITY OF SALONICA\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n This is the city known in Paul's time as Thessalonica, which has come\n into such prominence during the great European war (1916).\n\n The apostolic city at which we are now arrived was known in the\n earliest periods of its history under various names. Under that of\n Therma it is associated with some interesting recollections. It was\n the resting place of Xerxes on his march; it is not unmentioned in the\n Peloponnesian war; and it was a frequent subject of debate in the last\n independent assemblies of Athens. When the Macedonian power began to\n overshadow all the countries where Greek was spoken, this city\n received its new name, and began a new and more distinguished period\n of its history. A sister of Alexander the Great was called\n Thessalonica, and her name was given to the city of Therma, when\n rebuilt and embellished by her husband, Cassander, the son of\n Antipater. This name, under a form slightly modified, has continued to\n the present day. The \"Salneck\" of the early German poets has become the\n Saloniki of the modern Levant. Its history can be followed as\n continuously as its name. When Macedonia was partitioned into four\n provincial divisions by Paulus Emilius, Thessalonica was the capital\n of that which lay between the Axius and the Strymon. When the four\n regions were united into one Roman province, this city was chosen as\n the metropolis of the whole. Its name appears more than once in the\n annals of the Civil wars. It was the scene of the exile of Cicero, and\n one of the stages of his journey between Rome and his province in the\n East. Antony and Octavius were here after the battle of Philippi; and\n coins are still extant which allude to the \"freedom\" granted by the\n victorious leaders to the city of the Thermaic gulf. Strabo, in the\n first century, speaks of Thessalonica as the most populous town in\n Macedonia. Lucian, in the second century, uses similar language.\n Before the founding of Constantinople, it was virtually the capital of\n Greece and Illyricum, as well as of Macedonia, and shared the trade of\n the Aegean with Ephesus and Corinth. Even after Constantinople was\n built and reigned over the Levant we find both pagan and Christian\n writers speaking of Thessalonica as the metropolis of Macedonia and a\n place of great magnitude.\n[End illustration]\n\n{437}\n\nAnd when they heard that he spoke unto them in the Hebrew language, they\nwere the more quiet: and he saith,--\n\n\"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at\nthe feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict manner of the\nlaw of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as ye all are this day:\nand I persecuted this Way unto the death, binding and delivering into\nprisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me\nwitness, and all the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the\nbrethren, and journeyed to Damascus, to bring them also who were there\nunto Jerusalem in bonds, to be punished. And it came to pass, that, as I\nmade my journey, and drew nigh unto Damascus, about noon, suddenly there\nshone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell to the\nground, and heard a voice saying unto me, 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest\nthou me?' And I answered, 'Who art thou, Lord?' And he said unto me, 'I\nam Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.' And those who were with me\nbeheld indeed the light, but they heard not the voice of him that spoke\nto me. And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said unto me,\n'Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all\nthings which are appointed for thee to do.' And when I could not see for\nthe glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with\nme, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the\nlaw, well reported of by all the Jews that dwelt there, came unto me,\n{438} and standing by me said unto me, 'Brother Saul, receive thy\nsight.' And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. And he said, 'The\nGod of our fathers hath appointed thee to know his will, and to see the\nRighteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth. For thou shalt be a\nwitness for him unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now\nwhy tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins,\ncalling on his name.' And it came to pass, that, when I had returned to\nJerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance, and\nsaw him saying unto me, 'Make haste, and get thee quickly out of\nJerusalem: because they will not receive of thee testimony concerning\nme.'\n\n\"And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in\nevery synagogue them that believed on thee: and when the blood of\nStephen thy witness was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting,\nand keeping the garments of them that slew him.' And he said unto me,\n'Depart: for I will send thee forth far hence unto the Gentiles.'\"\n\nAnd they gave him audience unto this word: and they lifted up their\nvoice, and said, \"Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not\nfit that he should live.\" And they cried out, and threw off their\ngarments, and cast dust into the air.\n\n\n{439}{440}\n\n[Illustration]\n SYRACUSE.\n\n Photograph taken by Arthur S. Cooley, Ph.D., and used by his kind\n permission.\n\n Paul's ship touched here on her way to Rome, remaining in the harbor\n three days.\n[End illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n PUTEOLI.\n\n Photograph taken by Arthur S. Cooley, Ph.D., and used by his kind\n permission.\n\n This was one of the ports of Rome, where the great corn ship on which\n Paul sailed discharged her cargo. This city was on the northern shores\n of the famous Bay of Naples. Across the bay was the naval station of\n Rome, where the imperial fleet lay at anchor. \"The angry neighbor of\n Naples was not then an unsleeping volcano, but a green and sunny\n background to the bay. No one could have suspected that the time was\n so near when the admiral of the fleet at Misenum would be lost in its\n fiery eruption; and little did the apostle dream, as he looked from\n the 'Twin Brothers'' deck across the bay, that a ruin like that of\n Sodom and Gomorrah hung over the fair cities of Herculaneum and\n Pompeii at the base of the mountain, and that the Jewish princess, who\n had so lately conversed with him in his prison at Caesarea, would find\n her tomb in the ruins.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{441}\n\nIII\n\nA CITIZEN OF THE EMPIRE\n\n_The Roman Officer Discovers that Paul is a Fellow-Citizen, and Offers\nan Apology_.\n\nThe chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, bidding\nthat he should be examined by scourging, that he might know for what\ncause, they so shouted against him. And when they had tied him up with\nthe thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, \"Is it lawful\nfor you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?\"\n\nAnd when the centurion heard it, he went to the chief captain, and told\nhim, saying, \"What art thou about to do? for this man is a Roman.\"\n\nAnd the chief captain came, and said unto him, \"Tell me, art thou a\nRoman?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Yea.\"\n\nAnd the chief captain answered, \"With a great sum obtained I this\ncitizenship.\"\n\nAnd Paul said, \"But I am a Roman born.\"\n\nThey then which were about to examine him straightway departed from him:\nand the chief captain also was afraid, when he knew that he was a Roman,\nand because he had bound him.\n\n\n{442}\n\nIV\n\nPAUL BEFORE THE COUNCIL.\n\n_A Division Among the Members_.\n\nBut on the morrow, desiring to know why he was accused of the Jews, he\nloosed him, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to come\ntogether, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.\n\nAnd Paul, looking steadfastly on the council, said, \"Brethren, I have\nlived before God in all good conscience until this day.\"\n\nAnd the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite\nhim on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, \"God shall smite thee, thou\nwhited wall: and sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and\ncommandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?\"\n\nAnd they that stood by said, \"Revilest thou God's high priest?\"\n\nAnd Paul said, \"I knew not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is\nwritten, 'Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people.'\"\n\nBut when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other\nPharisees, he cried out in the council, \"Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a\nson of Pharisees: touching the hope and resurrection of the dead I am\ncalled in question.\"\n\n\n{443}{444}\n\n[Illustration]\n CAESAR AUGUSTUS.\n\n The first, and one of the greatest, of the rulers of the Roman empire\n to be called \"Caesar.\" He was in power when Christ was born. The\n Caesar to whom Paul appealed was Nero, one of the worst of the\n Caesars.\n[End illustration]\n\n{445}\n\nAnd when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees\nand Sadducees: and the assembly was divided. (For the Sadducees say that\nthere is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees\nbelieve both.) And there arose a great clamor: and some of the scribes\nof the Pharisees stood up, and strove, saying, \"We find no evil in this\nman: and what if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel?\"\n\nAnd when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest\nPaul should be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down\nand take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle.\n\nAnd the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, \"Be of good\ncheer: for as thou hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so must\nthou bear witness also at Rome.\"\n\n\nV\n\nA CONSPIRACY AGAINST PAUL.\n\nCertain Fanatical Jews Make a Vow to Kill Paul, and He is Sent to\nGovernor Felix, Under Escort of a Strong Body of Roman Cavalry.\n\nAnd when it was day, the Jews banded together, and bound themselves by\nan oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had\nkilled Paul. And they were more than forty which made this conspiracy.\nAnd they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, \"We have\nbound ourselves by a great oath, to taste nothing until we have killed\nPaul. Now therefore do ye with the council {446} request the chief\ncaptain to bring him down unto you, as though ye would judge of his case\nmore exactly: and we, before he comes near, are ready to slay him.\"\n\nBut Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, and he came and\nentered into the castle, and told Paul. And Paul called unto him one of\nthe centurions, and said, \"Bring this young man unto the chief captain:\nfor he hath something to tell him.\"\n\nSo he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and saith, \"Paul\nthe prisoner called me unto him, and asked me to bring this young man\nunto thee, who hath something to say to thee.\"\n\nAnd the chief captain took him by the hand, and going aside asked him\nprivately, \"What hast thou to tell me?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"The Jews have agreed to ask thee to bring down Paul\nto-morrow unto the council, as though thou wouldest inquire somewhat\nmore exactly concerning him. Do not thou therefore yield unto them: for\nthere lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who have bound\nthemselves by an oath, neither to eat nor to drink till they have slain\nhim: and now are they ready, looking for the promise from thee.\"\n\nSo the chief captain let the young man go, charging him, \"Tell no man\nthat thou hast informed me of this.\"\n\nAnd he called unto him two of the centurions, and said, \"Make ready two\nhundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and\nten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night.\"\n\nAnd he bade them provide a beast for Paul to ride on, {447} and bring\nhim safe unto Felix the governor. And he wrote a letter after this\nform:--\n\n \"_Claudius Lysias unto the Most Excellent Governor Felix, greeting_:--\n\n \"_This man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be slain by them,\n when I came upon them with the soldiers, and rescued him, having\n learned that he was a Roman. And desiring to know why they accused\n him, I brought him down unto their council: whom I found to be accused\n about questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge\n worthy of death or of bonds. And when it was shown to me that there\n would be a plot against the man, I sent him to thee forthwith,\n charging his accusers also to speak against him before thee_.\"\n\nSo the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by\nnight to Antipatris. But on the morrow they left the horsemen to go with\nhim, and returned to the castle: and they, when they came to Caesarea,\nand delivered the letter to the governor, presented Paul also before\nhim. And when he had read it, he asked of what province he was; and when\nhe understood that he was of Cilicia, \"I will hear thy cause,\" said he,\n\"when thine accusers also are come\": and he commanded him to be kept in\nHerod's palace.\n\n\n{448}\n\nVI\n\nTHE ACCUSATION OF THE JEWS\n\n_Paul's Defense Before the Governor. Felix Dares Not Offend the Jews,\nand an Innocent Man Suffers Two Years' Imprisonment_.\n\n\nAnd after five days the high priest Ananias came down with certain\nelders, and a lawyer to plead their case, one Tertullus; and they\ninformed the governor against Paul. And when he was called, Tertullus\nbegan to accuse him, saying,--\n\n\"Seeing that by thee we enjoy much peace, and that by thy care evils are\ncorrected for this nation, we accept it in all ways and in all places,\nmost excellent Felix, with all thankfulness. But, that I be not further\ntedious unto thee, I intreat thee to hear us of thy clemency a few\nwords. For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of\ninsurrections among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader\nof the sect of the Nazarenes: who moreover attempted to profane the\ntemple: on whom also we laid hold: from whom thou wilt be able, by\nexamining him thyself, to take knowledge of all these things, whereof we\naccuse him.\"\n\nAnd the Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that these things were\nso.\n\nAnd when the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, Paul answered:--\n\n{449}{450}\n\n[Illustration]\n Map of land around the Mediterranean Sea showing Paul's journey.\n[End illustration]\n\n{451}\n\"Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this\nnation, I cheerfully make my defense: seeing that thou canst take\nknowledge, that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to\nworship at Jerusalem: and neither in the temple did they find me\ndisputing with any man or stirring up a crowd, nor in the synagogues,\nnor in the city. Neither can they prove to thee the things whereof they\nnow accuse me. But this I confess unto thee, that after the Way which\nthey call a sect, so serve I the God of our fathers, believing all\nthings which are according to the law, and which are written in the\nprophets: having hope toward God, which these also themselves look for,\nthat there shall be a resurrection both of the just and unjust. Herein I\nalso strive to have a conscience void of offense toward God and men\nalways. Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and\nofferings: amidst which they found me purified in the temple, with no\ncrowd, nor yet with tumult: but there were certain Jews from Asia--who\nought to have been here before thee, and to make accusation, if they had\naught against me. Or else let these men themselves say what wrong-doing\nthey found, when I stood before the council, except it be for this one\nutterance, that I cried standing among them, 'Touching the resurrection\nof the dead I am called in question before you this day.'\"\n\nBut Felix, having more exact knowledge concerning the Way, deferred\nthem, saying, \"When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will\ndetermine your matter.\"\n\nAnd he gave order to the centurion that Paul should be kept in charge,\nand should have indulgence; and not to forbid any of his friends to\nminister unto him.\n\n{452}\n\nBut after certain days, Felix came with Drusilla, his wife, who was a\nJewess, and sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ\nJesus. And as he reasoned of righteousness, and self-control, and the\njudgment to come, Felix was terrified, and answered, \"Go thy way for\nthis time; and when I have a convenient season, I will call thee unto\nme.\"\n\nHe hoped moreover that money would be given him by Paul: wherefore also\nhe sent for him the oftener, and communed with him. But when two years\nwere fulfilled, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and desiring to\ngain favor with the Jews, Felix left Paul in bonds.\n\n\nVII\n\nA NEW EXAMINATION BEFORE GOVERNOR FESTUS\n\n\"_I Appeal unto Caesar_.\"\n\nFestus therefore, having come into the province, after three days went\nup to Jerusalem from Caesarea. And the chief priests and the principal\nmen of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they besought him, asking\nas a favor that he would send for him to Jerusalem; laying a plot to\nkill him on the way. Howbeit Festus answered, that Paul was kept in\ncharge at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to depart thither\nshortly. \"Let them therefore,\" said he, \"who are influential among you,\ngo down with me, and if there is anything amiss in the man, let them\naccuse him.\"\n\n\n{453}{454}\n\n[Illustration]\n \"FAIR HAVENS,\" ISLAND OF CRETE.\n\n From an old print in the possession of the Springfield Public Library,\nand used by kind permission.\n\n It was in the small harbor that Paul's ship anchored, and where he\n wished the captain to remain all winter. It was in the island of Crete\n that the famous labyrinth of King Minos, with its minotaur, was fabled\n to exist.\n[End illustration]\n\n{455}\n\nAnd when he had tarried among them not more than eight or ten days, he\nwent down unto Caesarea; and on the morrow he sat on the judgment seat,\nand commanded Paul to be brought. And when he was come, the Jews which\nhad come down from Jerusalem stood round about him, bringing against him\nmany and grievous charges, which they could not prove; while Paul said\nin his defense, \"Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the\ntemple, nor against Caesar, have I sinned at all.\"\n\nBut Festus, desiring to gain favor with the Jews, answered Paul, and\nsaid, \"Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things\nbefore me?\"\n\nBut Paul said, \"I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I\nought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou also very\nwell knowest. If then I am a wrong-doer, and have committed anything\nworthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if none of those things is\ntrue, whereof these accuse me, no man can give me up unto them.\n\n \"I Appeal Unto Caesar.\"\n\nThen Festus, when he had conferred with the council,\nanswered, \"Thou hast appealed unto Caesar: unto Caesar\nshalt thou go.\"\n\n\nVIII\n\nPAUL MAKES HIS DEFENSE BEFORE KING AGRIPPA AND QUEEN BERNICE.\n\n\"_This Man Doeth Nothing Worthy of Death or of Bonds_.\"\n\n\nNow when certain days were passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived\nat Caesarea, and saluted Festus. And {456} as they tarried there many\ndays, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, \"There is a\ncertain man left a prisoner by Felix: about whom, when I was at\nJerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me,\nasking for sentence against him. To whom I answered, 'that it is not the\ncustom of the Romans to give up any man, before the accused have the\naccusers face to face, and have had opportunity to make his defense\nconcerning the matter laid against him.' When therefore they were come\ntogether here, I made no delay, but on the next day sat down on the\njudgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought. Concerning whom,\nwhen the accusers stood up, they brought no charge of such evil things\nas I supposed; but had certain questions against him of their own\nreligion, and of one Jesus, who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be\nalive. And I, being perplexed how to inquire concerning these things,\nasked whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these\nmatters. But when Paul had appealed to be kept for the decision of the\nemperor, I commanded him to be kept till I should send him to Caesar.\"\n\nAnd Agrippa said unto Festus, \"I also could wish to hear the man\nmyself.\" \"To-morrow,\" saith he, \"thou shalt hear him.\"\n\nSo on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp,\nand they were entered into the audience room, with the chief captains,\nand the principal men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was\nbrought in. And Festus said, \"King Agrippa, and all men who are here.\npresent with us, ye behold this man, about whom all the {457} multitude\nof the Jews made suit to me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying that he\nought not to live any longer. But I found that he had committed nothing\nworthy of death: and as he himself appealed to the emperor I determined\nto send him. Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord.\nWherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before\nthee, King Agrippa, that, after examination, I may have something to\nwrite. For it seemeth to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to\nsignify the charges against him.\"\n\nAnd Agrippa said to Paul, \"Thou art permitted to speak for thyself.\"\n\nThen Paul stretched forth his hand, and made his defense:--\n\n\"I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before\nthee this day touching all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews:\nespecially because thou art expert in all customs and questions which\nare among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. My\nmanner of life then from my youth up, which was from the beginning among\nmine own nation, and at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; having knowledge\nof me from the first, if they are willing to testify, how that after the\nstraitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand here\nto be judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers;\nunto which promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and\nday, hope to attain. And concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews,\nO king! Why is it judged incredible with you, if {458} God doth raise\nthe dead? I verily thought myself, that I ought to do many things\ncontrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this I also did in\nJerusalem: and I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having\nreceived authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to\ndeath, I gave my vote against them. And punishing them oftentimes in all\nthe synagogues, I strove to make them blaspheme; and being exceedingly\nmad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities.\n\n\"Whereupon as I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission\nof the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from\nheaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them\nthat journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I\nheard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why\npersecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the goad.' And\nI said, 'Who art thou, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom thou\npersecutest. But arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I\nappeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the\nthings wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will\nappear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the\nGentiles, unto whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they may turn\nfrom darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they\nmay receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are\nsanctified by faith in me.' Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not\ndisobedient unto the heavenly vision: but declared both to them of\nDamascus first, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of\nJudaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to\nGod, doing works worthy of repentance.\n\n{459}{460}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE SHIP OF PAUL WHEN CAUGHT IN THE EUROCLYDON.\n\n From an old print in the possession of the Springfield Public Library,\n and used by kind permission.\n\n This picture attempts to show the ship of Paul just as the wind has\n changed and threatened disaster. The crew is furling the heavy\n mainsail, and the boat, which was afterward taken aboard with great\n difficulty, is still being towed behind. Mt. Ida is shown at the left\n of the picture. It was soon after this that the ship, being unable to\n make the harbor of Phenice, got under the lea of the small island of\n Clauda, and the crew was able for a short time to make some\n preparations for the terrible experience before them.\n[End illustration]\n\n{461}\n\nFor this cause the Jews seized me in the temple, and tried to kill me.\nHaving therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto this\nday testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the\nprophets and Moses have said should come; how that the Christ must\nsuffer, and how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should\nproclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.\"\n\nAnd as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, \"Paul,\nthou art mad; thy much learning hath made thee mad.\"\n\nBut Paul said, \"I am not mad, most excellent Festus; but speak forth\nwords of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, unto\nwhom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things\nis hidden from him; for this hath not been done in a corner. King\nAgrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.\"\n\nAnd Agrippa said unto Paul, \"With but little persuasion thou wouldest\nmake me a Christian.\"\n\nAnd Paul said, \"I would to God, that whether with little or with much,\nnot thou only, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as\nI am, except these bonds.\"\n\nAnd the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat\nwith them: and when they had withdrawn, they spoke one to another,\nsaying, \"This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.\" And\nAgrippa said unto Festus, \"This man might have been set at liberty, if\nhe had not appealed unto Caesar.\"\n\n\n{462}\n\nTHE CAPTAIN OF THE NEW FAITH IN THE CAPITAL OF THE CAESARS.\n\nI\n\nPAUL'S VOYAGE TO ROME.\n\nWhen Paul appealed to Caesar it became necessary to send him to Rome.\nIt happened that a convoy of prisoners under the charge of a captain\nof the Augustan cohort and a detachment of soldiers was being\ndespatched to the capital, and Paul was sent under the captain's\ncharge. No ship was found sailing directly from _Caesarea_ to _Rome_,\nso a coaster was taken which went as far as _Myra_, touching at\n_Sidon_. At Myra was found one of the great imperial grain ships bound\nfor Italy.\n\nThe winds were contrary and the ship was constantly driven off her\ncourse, and at last put into the roadstead of _Fair Havens_ on the\nsouth coast of the island of _Crete_. So much time had been consumed\nthat the season was now late and navigation dangerous. A council was\nheld at which Paul, an experienced sailor, advised wintering where\nthey were. But the demand for grain was always urgent in Rome, and the\ngrain ships were always rushed on as fast as possible. The centurion\ndecided to take the chances and proceed, at least as far as _Phoenix_,\nwhich was nearer Italy and a better harbor. On a bright day with a\nfair south wind they weighed anchor and sailed west, going close\ninshore and barely weathering _Cape Matala_.\n\n\n{463}{464}\n\n[Illustration]\n THE SHIP ON WHICH PAUL SAILED FOR ROME JUST BEFORE THE WRECK.\n\n This very interesting picture is taken from an old book, now long out\n of print, \"The Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul,\" by James Smith.\n Owned by Miss Mary Medlicott, reference librarian of the Springfield\n Public Library, and used by her kind permission.\n\n The picture was carefully drawn to show the exact position of the\n ship, and is without doubt very accurate. The ship itself was drawn\n from ancient models. Four anchors are out at the stern, the two huge\n rudders are raised to escape the smashing of the heavy seas, and the\n ropes which undergirded the vessel to prevent leaking are shown. The\n sailors have just raised the small foresail preparatory to beaching\n the ship. A heavy sea is running and the clouds are dark with rain.\n The rocky coast is shown near by.\n[End illustration]\n\n{465}\n\nHalf way across the _Gulf of Mesura_, the wind suddenly shifted to the\nnorth, and, sweeping down from the snowy summits of the Cretan mountains\nwhich towered seven thousand feet above them, struck the ship with the\nforce of a typhoon. Instantly it grew dark and the sea was a smother of\nfoam. The terrified crew had not time to furl the heavy mainsail, and\nsimply let the ship run with the wind. Very fortunately they had a\nlittle better weather under the lee of the small island of _Clauda_, where\nthey were able to pull in the small boat, which was dragging behind half\nfull of water, and get control of the ship. Recovering somewhat from the\npanic, the crew began to make the best of a perilous situation. It was\nimpossible to make any near-by port, and the great danger was that the\nnortherly gale would blow them upon the deadly _Syrtis_ or quicksands of\nthe African coast. They shortened sail, and got the ship up into the\nwind so that, drifting broadside, she made progress west instead of\nsouth. She was leaking, and they passed strong cables underneath her to\nhold the timbers together. The next day she was still leaking badly, so\nthey lightened her by throwing out some of the cargo. The next day after\nthat, they cast overboard even the ship's furniture. So they drifted\nwith little or no food, day after day and night after night, seeing\nneither sun nor star, despair growing upon their haggard faces. But Paul\nstood up and gave them good cheer, practically assuming command, and\nassuring them that every soul should be saved. At last, after drifting\nhelplessly for fourteen days, at midnight they heard the sound of\nbreakers on some unknown shore. The {466} sailors sounded and found\ntwenty fathoms, then again and found fifteen. Then, fearing to be cast\non a rocky shore, they put out four anchors from the stern and waited\nfor the day. Their situation was still desperate, the rain was falling\nin sheets, and in the pauses of the storm they could hear the roar of\nthe surf. Some of the sailors now attempted to desert the ship. On the\npretense of getting out another anchor by the bow, they let down the\nsmall boat into the sea. Paul discovered the move and warned the\ncenturion, saying that they must not leave the ship. The centurion\npromptly cut the rope which held the boat and it drifted away in the\ndarkness. Toward morning Paul moved about among the men inspiring them\nwith courage. He insisted that all hands should take some food, and with\nbetter spirit they further lightened the almost foundering ship by\nthrowing out some of the grain. When day broke they found themselves at\nthe entrance of a bay with a sandy shore. They decided then to beach the\nship at once. They cast off the anchors, hoisted the sail, and let her\ndrive to the shore, where the bow stuck fast in the sand, but the stern\nbegan to break up. The soldiers wished to kill the prisoners, but the\ncenturion forbade, commanding every man to save himself. Some swam\nashore, some came in on pieces of wreckage, and the whole ship's company\nwas saved.\n\nThey found that they had drifted upon the island of\nMalta, a little speck in the Mediterranean, missing which\nthey must have perished. Here they stayed three months.\nThen they sailed on the ship \"The Twin Brothers,\" and,\ntouching at _Syracuse_ and _Rhegium_, they reached _Puteoli_,\nthe harbor of entry for _Rome_.\n\n\n{467}{468}\n\n[Illustration]\n MALTA\n\n The island of Malta, on which Paul was shipwrecked, played, in later\n days, a most important part in the history of the Mediterranean. It\n was occupied by the famous knights of Malta who, for many years, kept\n it as a Christian stronghold against the Turks. In 1568 the famous\n siege began, which lasted for 20 years, conducted by the great sultan\n Solyman in person. He was finally obliged to retreat, defeated with\n terrible loss. The island is held at present by England, and has very\n extensive fortifications.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{469}\n\nII\n\nA WINTER'S STORM ON THE MEDITERRANEAN.\n\n_The Shipwreck_.\n\nAnd when it was determined that we should sail for Italy, they delivered\nPaul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the\nAugustan company. And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was\nabout to sail to ports on the coast of Asia, we put to sea, Aristarchus,\na Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us. And the next day we touched\nat Sidon: and Julius treated Paul kindly, and gave him leave to go to\nhis friends and refresh himself. And putting to sea from thence, we\nsailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. And\nwhen we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we\ncame to Myra, a city of Lycia. And there the centurion found a ship of\nAlexandria sailing for Italy; and he put us therein. And when we had\nsailed slowly many days, and were come with difficulty over against\nCnidus, the wind not further suffering us, we sailed under the lee of\nCrete, over against Salmone; and with difficulty coasting along it we\ncame to a certain place called Fair Havens; nigh whereunto was the city\nof Lasea.\n\nAnd when much time was spent, and the voyage was now dangerous, because\nthe winter was near, Paul admonished them, and said unto them, \"Sirs, I\nperceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of\nthe lading and the ship, but also of our lives.\" But the centurion gave\nmore heed to the master and to the owner of {470} the ship, than to\nthose things which were spoken by Paul. And because the haven was not\ncommodious to winter in, the larger part advised to put to sea from\nthence, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, and winter there;\nwhich is a haven of Crete, looking northeast and southeast. And when the\nsouth wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose,\nthey weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close inshore. But after no\nlong time there beat down from it a tempestuous wind, which is called\nEuraquilo: and when the ship was caught, and could not face the wind, we\ngave way to it, and were driven.\n\nAnd running under the lee of a small island called Clauda, we were able,\nwith difficulty, to secure the boat: and when they had hoisted it up,\nthey used ropes, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should be\ncast upon the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and so were driven. And as\nwe labored exceedingly with the storm, the next day they began to throw\nthe freight overboard; and the third day they cast out with their own\nhands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars shone\nupon us for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we\nshould be saved was now taken away.\n\nAnd when they had been long without food, then Paul stood forth in the\nmidst of them, and said, \"Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and\nnot have set sail from Crete, and have gotten this injury and loss. And\nnow I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of life\namong you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an\nangel of the God whose I am, whom also I serve, saying, 'Fear not, Paul;\nthou must stand before Caesar: and lo, God hath granted thee all them\nthat sail with thee.' Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe\nGod, that it shall be even so as it hath been spoken unto me. Howbeit we\nmust be cast upon a certain island.\"\n\n{471}{472}\n\n[Illustration]\n I. THE APPIAN WAY, OVER WHICH PAUL TRAVELED TO ROME.\n The ruins are those of ancient tombs. In the foreground are stones of\n the old Roman pavement.\n\n Owned by Prof. E. J. Brady, Department of Latin, Smith College, and\n used by his kind permission.\n\n The \"Via Appia,\" the oldest and most celebrated of Roman roads, was\n constructed as far as Capua A. U. C. 442 by the censor, Appius\n Claudius. Procopius, writing 800 years later, describes it as broad\n enough for two chariots to pass. It was paved with stones brought from\n distant quarries and so fitted together as to seem formed by nature.\n He says that the road was then in perfect condition.\n[End illustration]\n\n{473}\n\nBut when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven to and fro in\nthe Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors surmised that they were\ndrawing near to land; and they sounded, and found twenty fathoms: and\nafter a little space, they sounded again, and found fifteen fathoms. And\nfearing lest we should be cast ashore on rocky ground, they let go four\nanchors from the stern, and wished for the day. And as the sailors were\nseeking to flee out of the ship, and had lowered the boat into the sea,\npretending that they would lay out anchors from the bow, Paul said to\nthe centurion and to the soldiers, \"Except these abide in the ship, ye\ncannot be saved.\"\n\nThen the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.\nAnd while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take some\nfood, saying, \"This day is the fourteenth day that ye wait and continue\nfasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore I beseech you to take some\nfood: for this is for your safety: for there shall not a hair perish\nfrom the head of any of you.\"\n\nAnd when he had said this, and had taken bread, he gave thanks to God in\nthe presence of all: and he broke it, and began to eat. Then were they\nall of good cheer, and themselves also took food. And we were in all in\nthe ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. And when they had\neaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing {474} out the wheat into\nthe sea. And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they perceived\na certain bay with a beach, and they took counsel whether they could\ndrive the ship upon it. And casting off the anchors, they left them in\nthe sea, at the same time loosing the bands of the rudders; and hoisting\nup the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. But lighting upon\na place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the bow\nstruck and remained unmovable, but the stern began to break up by the\nviolence of the waves. And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the\nprisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape. But the\ncenturion, desiring to save Paul, stayed them from their purpose; and\ncommanded that they which could swim should cast themselves overboard,\nand get first to the land: and the rest, some on planks, and some on\nother things from the ship. And so it came to pass, that they all\nescaped safe to the land.\n\n\nIII\n\nAT MALTA\n\n_Paul Sails Again for Rome on the Ship \"Twin Brothers._\"\n\nAnd when we were escaped, then we knew that the island was called Malta.\nAnd the barbarians showed us uncommon kindness: for they kindled a fire,\nand received us all, because of the present rain, and because of the\ncold. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on\nthe fire, a viper came out by reason of the heat, and fastened on his\nhand.\n\n{475}{476}\n\n[Illustration]\n II. ALONG THE APPIAN WAY, THE GREAT ROMAN AQUEDUCT.\n\n Owned by Prof. E. J. Brady, Department of Latin, Smith College,\n and used by his kind permission.\n\n The Appian Way has been called the \"Queen of Roads.\" It was in Paul's\ntime the crowded approach to the metropolis of the world. Near the city the\nroad passed under the aqueduct, which was continually dripping water, hence\ncalled by Juvenal \"the moist gate\".\n\n \"Praetors, proconsuls to their provinces\n Hasting, or on return in robes of state;\n Lictors and rods, the ensigns of their power,\n Legions and cohorts, turms of horse and wings;\n Or embassies from regions far remote,\n In various habits on the Appian Way.\"\n --_Milton's \"Paradise Regained\"_\n[End illustration]\n\n{477}\n\nAnd when the barbarians saw the reptile hanging from his hand, they said\none to another, \"No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath\nescaped from the sea, yet Justice hath not suffered to live.\"\n\nHowbeit he shook off the reptile into the fire, and took no harm. But\nthey expected that he would have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly:\nbut when they were long in expectation, and beheld nothing amiss come to\nhim, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.\n\nNow in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief\nman of the island, named Publius; who received us, and entertained us\nthree days courteously. And it was so, that the father of Publius lay\nsick of fever and dysentery: unto whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and\nlaying his hands on him healed him. And when this was done, the rest\nalso which had diseases in the island came, and were cured: who also\nhonored us with many honors; and when we sailed, they put on board such\nthings as we needed.\n\nAnd after three months we set sail in a ship of Alexandria, which had\nwintered in the island, whose sign was \"The Twin Brothers.\" And touching\nat Syracuse, we tarried there three days. And from thence we made a\ncircuit, and arrived at Rhegium: and after one day a south wind sprang\nup, and on the second day we came to Puteoli: where we found brethren,\nand were intreated to tarry with them seven days: and so we came to\nRome. And from thence the brethren, when they heard of us, came to meet\nus as far as The Market of Appius, and The Three Taverns: whom when Paul\nsaw, he thanked God, and took courage.\n\n\n{478}\n\nIV\n\nPAUL AT THE CITY ON THE TIBER.\n\n_He Preaches the Gospel in the Capital of the World_.\n\nAnd when we entered into Rome, Paul was permitted to abide by himself\nwith the soldier that guarded him.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that after three days he called together those that\nwere the chief of the Jews: and when they were come together, he said\nunto them, \"I, brethren, though I had done nothing against the people,\nor the customs of our fathers, yet was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem\ninto the hands of the Romans: who, when they had examined me, desired to\nset me at liberty, because there was no cause of death in me. But when\nthe Jews spoke against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not\nthat I had anything to accuse my nation of. For this cause therefore did\nI intreat you to see and to speak with me: for because of the hope of\nIsrael I am bound with this chain.\"\n\nAnd they said unto him, \"We neither received letters from Judaea\nconcerning thee, nor did any of the brethren come hither and report or\nspeak any harm of thee. But we desire to hear of thee what thou\nthinkest: for as concerning this sect, it is known to us that everywhere\nit is spoken against.\"\n\n\n{479}{480}\n\n[Illustration]\n STATUE OF PAUL ON THE ISLAND OF MALTA.\n[End illustration]\n\n{481}\n\nAnd when they had appointed him a day, they came to him into his lodging\nin great number; to whom he expounded the matter, testifying the kingdom\nof God, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law of Moses\nand from the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the\nthings which were spoken, and some disbelieved. And when they agreed not\namong themselves, they departed, after Paul had spoken one word, \"Well\nspoke the Holy Spirit by Isaiah the prophet unto your fathers, saying,--\n\n 'Go thou unto this people, and say,\n By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand;\n And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:\n For this people's heart is waxed gross,\n And their ears are dull of hearing,\n And their eyes they have closed;\n Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes,\n And hear with their ears,\n And understand with their heart,\n And shall turn again,\n And I should heal them.'\n\nBe it known therefore unto you, that this salvation of God is sent unto\nthe Gentiles: they will also hear.\"\n\nAnd he abode two whole years in his own hired dwelling, and received\nall that went in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching\nthe things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, none\nforbidding him.\n\n{482}\n\nThis is the close of the story of Paul as it is given in the Acts, but\nhalf his service for the world, and half the adventures which attended\nthat service are not told here. We have a glimpse of what the complete\nstory must have been, in these words of his which might be inscribed\nto his honor in the world's temple of fame:--\n\n \"Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.\n Thrice was I beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I\n suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep:\n in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers,\n in perils from my countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in\n perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the\n sea, in perils among false brethern; in labor and travail, in\n watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold\n and nakedness.\n\nTo this should be added the great hero's farewell. In prison, aged,\ninfirm, about to die, he wrote these words, yet they are filled with the\nsame dauntless spirit of courage and faith which always animated Paul,\nthe Apostle.\n\n \"For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come.\n I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept\n the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of\n righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me\n at that day; and not only to me, but also to all them that have loved\n his appearing.\"\n\n\n{483}\n\nNotes\n\n{484}\n\n{485}\n\nNOTES\n\nThe wise men were perhaps Jews, though it is generally thought that they\nbelonged to some other people, who looked and longed for a great king\nwho should free them from the Romans. Many Jews lived in the East, and\nhad become wise in the arts of astrology. They studied the stars and\nthought that in them could be read the signs of things about to happen\non the earth. Indeed, it is not many centuries since, all over Europe,\nmen thought that a comet foreboded much evil of some sort. So to those\npious men God sent at last the sign for which they had so long waited.\nThe Bible tells nothing about the men themselves, but the church was so\nfond of thinking of them and the honor they paid to the little baby who\nshould be the Master, that many stories were told of them. Their number\nwas sometimes given as twelve, but more often as three, until now\nperhaps some people almost think that the Bible story says three; but it\ndoes not. The popular stories made them also kings and gave them names,\nand told how they represented three great races of the world, European,\nAsiatic, and African. But in the Bible they are only wise men with\ncostly gifts, and they go out into history all unknown.\n\n\n_John_ tried to get the people to see how they ought to repent and lead\ngood lives, that God might send the long-expected Messiah. A saying of\nthe rabbis was, \"If Israel should keep the law for one day, the Messiah\nwould come.\" The custom of baptism was in use before he took it up. It\nsignified the desire that God should make the life pure and wash away\nthe sins of the past.\n\n\n_The family of the Herods_ were the descendants of a courtier of Idumea,\nin the northern part of Arabia. Herod the Great married a princess of\nthe heroic family of the Maccabees, so that most of the Herods of the\nNew Testament are partly Jewish in blood. The {486} family of Herod were\nvery able, but very cruel and selfish, and the people heartily hated\nthem. It is said that Herod the Great gave orders that when he died a\nlarge number of the chief men should be killed at Jericho that the\npeople might mourn at his death. Perhaps the poor king was half insane\nwhen he ordered this. Anyway, it was not done.\n\nThe following is a table of the Herodian family, but only giving those\nmentioned in the New Testament:--\n\n\n | AGRIPPA II.\n | Acts 25,26\n |\n | AGRIPPA I. --| BERNICE\n | Acts 12 | Acts 25:13; 26:30\n | |\n | ARISTOBULUS --| | DRUSILLA\n | | | Acts 24:24\n | |\n | | HERODIAS\n | | Matt. 14:3\n | | Mark 6:17\n | | Luke 3:39\n |\n |\n |\n | HEROD (PHILIP) | SALOME\n | Matt. 14:3 --| Matt. 14:6\n | Mark 6:17 | Mark 6:22\n | Luke 3:19\nHerod the Great |\n Matt. 2:1-22 --|\n Luke 1:5 |\n | ANTIPAS\n | Matt. 14:1-6\n | Mark 6:14\n | Luke 3:1, 19; 9:7; 13:31; 23:7, 15\n | Acts 13: 1\n |\n |\n | ARCHELAUS\n | Matt. 2:22\n |\n |\n | PHILIP\n | Luke 3:1\n\n{487}\n\nWhile dried _fish_ were brought from abroad, the great source of supply\nin Palestine was the Lake of Galilee. Its waters abounded in fish. Two\nmethods were used by fishermen: the small hand-net and the great\ndrag-net. The best time for fishing was after sunset or before sunrise,\nbut sometimes men worked all night. In the daytime fishermen took the\nfish to market, mended their nets, and rested. The fish were eaten fresh\nby the people in the many villages about the lake, or, dried in the sun\nand salted, were carried far and wide, and used as a relish with bread.\n\n\nThe custom of a body of _disciples_ was not new to Jesus. John had\ndisciples, and so did the rabbis, who were considered great teachers. It\nwas a sort of primitive university by which a teacher attracted to his\npersonal following a group of loyal, loving pupils who would carry his\nteaching to others. Socrates and Plato in Greece, Buddha in India, and\nmany another man in other countries, had done the same thing. The\ndifference between Jesus' disciples and other like groups was not in the\ncustom of discipleship but in the kind of a teacher they had; for never\nwas there a teacher like Jesus.\n\n\n_Almsgiving and prayers_ were two of the most important acts of worship\nin the Jewish religion. Their books praise giving alms to the poor very\nhighly. It was, indeed, one of the great ways open to them to show an\nunselfish and brotherly spirit, and in the ancient world, most\nunfortunate people--the lame, the blind, those unable to work--were\nsupported only by charity, and were expected to beg in the streets for\ntheir living.\n\n\n_Decapolis_ (ten cities). A region lying east of the Jordan, except the\ncity of Scythopolis (the old Bethshean). Its population was much mixed,\nand many Gentiles lived in it, so that the stricter Jews looked down\nupon the inhabitants, but Jesus did not hesitate to go among the towns\nand teach the people.\n\n\n_Ruler of the Synagogue_. An officer who was responsible for the proper\nconduct of the service and the order of the congregation. He did not\nconduct the service himself, but decided who should take part in it. The\nposition was one of honor, but did not require particular learning like\nthat of the scribes.\n\n{488}\n\n_Pharisees and Sadducees_. Two of the religious divisions of the Jews.\nThe Pharisees were earnest students of the law, and tried hard to do\nright. But they were proud, and thought their way of seeing God was the\nonly true way. The Sadducees were not so religious. They were richer,\ncared less about the law, and did not try so hard to keep it as did the\nPharisees. But they also were proud and haughty, and between the\nPharisees and the Sadducees, the common people found few friends, and\nmany more were willing to tell them how bad they were than to show them\nthe way to become good. That was one reason why, when Jesus came with\nkindness, \"the common people heard him gladly.\"\n\n\n_Threshing floor_. A flat piece of ground, trodden hard, where the oxen\nthreshed out the grain by being driven back and forth over it. The \"fan\"\nwas a sort of shovel with which the grain was tossed in the air for\nwinnowing.\n\n\n_Weddings_ in the East were times of elaborate ceremonials. The weddings\nwere in the night, and the friends of the groom went with him, bearing\ntorches, to the house of the bride, then, with the bride and her\nfriends, all returned to the house of the groom. Here a feast of several\ndays was held, with singing of songs and much merriment.\n\n\n_Samaria_ had been partly settled by foreigners, more than seven hundred\nyears before, but the Jews of Jesus' time still looked down upon the\nSamaritans, as not being pure Jews. They would not let them worship in\nthe temple, and despised them greatly. To be obliged to say that a\nSamaritan had done a good deed was not pleasant for a Jew.\n\n\n_Raca_. \"Fool.\"\n\n\n_Jot_, jod. The smallest Hebrew letter. _Tittle_. The little points on\nthe letters like the projections from the top of our d.\n\n\n_Publican_. A tax-gatherer for the Roman government. No patriotic Jew\nwould take the office, and so the publicans were much despised; and\nindeed they were mostly not the best sort of men.\n\n{489}\n\n_Leprosy_. A loathsome and lingering disease, for which no remedy was\nknown.\n\n\n_Sea of Galilee, Luke of Gennesaret, Sea of Tiberias_. Different names\nfor the beautiful lake east of Galilee. It is pear shaped, about\nthirteen miles long and a little less than seven wide.\n\n\n_Kingdom of God_. Used by the Jews for the great kingdom which they\nexpected the Prince who should come, the Messiah, to set up; used by\nJesus to mean the rule of God in the hearts of men, which he came to\nestablish.\n\n\n_Pennyworth_. About the equivalent of the wages for a day's work.\n\n\n_Bethesda_. A pool in Jerusalem, fed by an intermittent spring, so that\nsometimes the water suddenly rose in it. This made the people think that\nit was powerful to heal diseases.\n\n\n_Sabbath_ was very strictly kept by the Jews. They were very careful\nabout doing any work. No fire was lighted, no meals cooked, no medicine\nprepared. They had made the needs of man subordinate to the Sabbath law,\nrather than the law subordinate to the needs of man.\n\n\n_Show-bread_. Loaves kept in the temple and renewed every week. The\npoint of Jesus is that the sacredness of the bread yielded to the needs\nof David and his men.\n\n\n_Dipped a sop_. It is customary in the East for the host to honor a\nguest by dipping a piece of bread in the dish of meat or the cup of\ndrink and giving it with his own hand.\n\n\n_Greek woman, Syro-Phoenician_. A Syrian, resident in Phoenicia, who\nperhaps spoke Greek.\n\n\n_Caesarea Philippi_. A town in the far north of Palestine, at the head\nof the River Jordan.\n\n{490}\n\n_Fuller_. One whose business was to bleach cotton or linen cloth.\n\n\n_Tormentors_. Those whose duty it was to obtain confessions, or to\npunish, by scourging and other tortures.\n\n\n_Hospitality_ is a much-prized virtue in the East. There were not so\nmany accommodations for travelers as there are among us. On the caravan\nroutes there were khans, or inns, and places where one could buy food,\nbut off the frequented routes of travel, among the villages, the\ntraveler had to depend on the kindness of the people for food and\nshelter. So when the seventy went out, they must depend on the\nhospitality of their hosts. Jesus advises them not to go about to many\nhouses in the same village, for that would waste much time in the\nnecessary ceremonies of politeness.\n\n\n_Purifying_. The Old Testament has many laws of ceremonial purification,\nbut the tradition of Judaism had greatly expanded them. There were long\ndirections about the washing of dishes of all sorts, and of the\nhands--not for the sake of getting them clean merely, but of doing it in\na certain way. For example, the hands must be held up so that the water\nshould run from the fingers as far down as the wrists. Jesus taught that\nthe good life came, not from such things as these but from a pure heart.\n\n\n_Dogs_ abound in all Eastern towns. They lie in large numbers about the\nstreets. Each gang has its own quarters, and woe to the dog which\nintrudes on the ground of another gang! These street dogs are much\ndespised, and indeed they are wretched curs; but they are necessary to\nthe health of a city where they are the only scavengers. They were\nsometimes even allowed in the courts of the houses, where they ate the\nleavings from the table.\n\n\n_Tombs_ were often cut in the face of the rock, after it had been cut\nback to a perpendicular surface. The tombs were of all sizes, from mere\nplaces in which the body was put, to large rooms with rock-cut shelves\non the sides. Many tombs of various grades of elaborateness are found in\nthe rocks about Jerusalem.\n\n{491}\n\n_The Temple_ of the New Testament period is called Herod's temple\nbecause it was greatly enlarged and beautified by Herod the Great. He\nbegan the work about 20 B.C., and most of it was done before the days of\nJesus, but Herod's successors continued to build and beautify for long\nyears after. The temple was now much larger than it was in the Old\nTestament days, though it still stood in the same place. It was in the\neastern part of the city, and looked straight over the city wall and the\nValley of Jehoshaphat to the Mount of Olives on the east. South of it\nwas a slope that led down to the Valley of Hinnom, and north was the\ncastle of the city, occupied by the governor and the Roman soldiers. The\nspot where it stood is still an open walled space, and in the center of\nit is the so-called mosque of Omar, while to the north a garrison of\nTurkish soldiers still occupies part of the site of the old castle.\n\n\n_The Passover_ was the great family feast of the Jews. Many customs had\ngrown up about it as the ages had gone on. Those who could were glad to\ncelebrate the feast in Jerusalem, but of course only a few could do\nthat. The great event of the feast, which lasted seven days, was the\nsupper, when each family procured a lamb and ate it with certain\nvegetables and with wine. It was a glad feast, and yet a solemn one. In\nits course one of the children would ask why it was celebrated, and then\nthe father would tell the old, old story of how their fathers, long ago,\nwent out of Egypt in haste one night, and how this feast was in memory\nof that great deliverance. Then he would tell how the nation still had\nfaith that their God could deliver from all trouble. At the end they\nsang Psalms 115-118, Psalms 113, 114 having been sung at an earlier part\nof the meal. These were called Hallel, which means praise, and if you\nwill read the psalms you will see why. Jesus and his disciples made a\nsort of family, eating the feast thus together.\n\n\n_Pilate_ was a Roman who was governor of Judea for ten years, from A.D.\n26 to 36. The Herodian government of Judea, under which Jesus was born,\nhad been changed for a direct Roman rule in 6 A.D., but the change had\nworked little good to the people. Pilate was not, as Roman governors\nwent, a bad man. He desired {492} justice and had many good intentions,\nbut he was weak, vacillating, and liable to be violent. He had made\nhimself much hated by the people, and feared they would complain of him\nto the emperor. So it happened that when he had the great opportunity of\nhis life, and himself much desired to save Jesus from an unjust death,\nhe dared not do what he knew was right because his past crimes had made\nhim fear the Jews. He was at last sent to Rome in disgrace by his\nsuperiors in office, but what became of him afterwards is not known. A\nlegend in the early church says that he committed suicide, but there is\nno good evidence that this is so.\n\n\n_Caiaphas_, the high priest from 18-36 A.D., was son-in-law of Annas,\nthe former high priest. He seems, from John 2:45-50, to be the one who\nfirst suggested the plan to put Jesus to death. He did it because he was\nafraid, if the people thought Jesus was the Messiah, they would follow\nhim in a revolt against the Romans, which would only bring trouble and\nmassacre to the people. How he misunderstood the purpose of the peaceful\nJesus!\n\n\n_Annas_ was high priest A.D. 6 to 18. He was then deposed by the Roman\nlegate, but, through his own influence and that of his family, long held\ngreat power in the nation. The family had booths for the sale of\nofferings in the temple, and gained great wealth thereby. When Jesus\ncleansed the temple, he was interfering with their unjust trade, and\nthat may have had a good deal to do with their enmity toward him. Annas\nand his family were hated by the people, who thought them hypocrites,\nmaking gain out of the service of God.\n\n\n_The trial of Jesus_ divides into the following parts: (1) An appearance\nbefore Annas, which was an informal, preliminary inquiry, seemingly to\ntry to get evidence to present at the formal trial. The inquiry was\nfruitless. (2) The trial before the Sanhedrin, with Caiaphas as the\nleader. This was the formal Jewish trial. (3) The first appearance\nbefore Pilate, to whom the Sanhedrin sent him on the ground of treason\nto Rome in claiming to be king of the Jews. (4) The appearance before\nHerod, tetrarch of Galilee, to whom Pilate had sent him, learning that\nJesus was a Galilean. Herod accepted the compliment Pilate paid him, but\n{493} refused to judge in a matter which belonged to a Roman officer,\nand sent him back to Pilate. (5) The final trial before Pilate, when,\nfinding that he could in no way escape the responsibility, Pilate\nreluctantly condemned Jesus to crucifixion; so, as he himself admitted,\nsending an innocent man to death. The Jewish court condemned Jesus for\nblasphemy; the Roman, ostensibly, for treason.\n\n\n_Crucifixion_. This cruel custom came to the west from the Phoenicians,\nand was used by Greeks and Romans. Under the Roman emperors it became\ncommon. First it was only used for slaves and persons much despised.\nLater it was used more widely, but it was always considered a mark of\ndeep disgrace.\n\n\n_Emmaus_. The locality is unknown; possibly at Kolonieh, on the road\nfrom Jerusalem to Joppa.\n\n\nPART II.\n\n_Pentecost_. The great feast fifty days after the Passover. It was the\nOld Testament feast of the first fruits, when the first of the wheat\nharvest was presented in thanksgiving to God. The Jews of Christ's time\nregarded it as the memorial of the giving of the law at Sinai, but the\nOld Testament does not authorize that. Much was made of the feast at the\ntemple, and crowds came to Jerusalem for its celebration.\n\n\n_\"Had all things in common.\"_ This was not communism, in which all\nproperty was put into a common stock. Each believer regarded his\nproperty as sacred to the uses of his brethren, did they need it; but\nthe story of Ananias and Sapphira shows that it was still in his\npossession to do what he chose with it.\n\n\n_Sorcery_. The age of the early church was full of belief in the reality\nof possession by evil spirits. Sorcery was the casting out of such evil\nspirits by means of magic. This belief continued for hundreds of years\nafter, both among Christians and others. The belief in magical means of\nprotection against witches, among our own ancestors, was of the same\nsort.\n\n{494}\n\n_Ethiopia_. The region of the Upper Nile, the territory of the modern\nNubia and Abyssinia. Candace seems to have been a title of the dowager\nqueens of Ethiopia, as Caesar was of the emperors of Rome.\n\n\n_Eating with Gentiles_. In order to avoid ceremonial defilement, it was\nthe custom of the Jews never to eat with Gentiles. The early Christians\nkept their Jewish customs in this respect as in others. Before the close\nof the first Christian century, however, the custom had been dropped by\nChristians, along with most other parts of the Jewish ceremonial. By\nthat time the church itself was mostly Gentile.\n\n\n_\"We\" portions_. There are certain passages in the Book of Acts where\nthe word \"we\" is used. It is believed that Luke himself, the author of\nthe book, was present when this pronoun is used.\n\n\n_The Roman Provincial Government and Army_. The whole New Testament\nhistory takes place within the Roman Empire. There was a petty king in\nJudea, subject to Rome, but the real governor was the proconsul or\nprocurator. These officials were in charge of the various districts of\nthe Empire and Paul frequently came in contact with them. Paul also came\nin contact very frequently with the Roman army, and some of his\nstrongest illustrations are drawn from that organization. Three legions\nwere garrisoned in Palestine--the 5th, the 10th, and the 15th. These\nlegions corresponded to our brigade, mustering about 6,000 infantry and\na detachment of cavalry. The legion was divided into ten companies of\n600 men called cohorts. These also had names, and reference is made to\nthe Italian and the Augustan cohorts. The captain of a cohort was called\na centurion. It is probable that the troops under whose escort Paul went\nto Rome were a part of the Praetorian Guard, the emperor's special\nsoldiers stationed at Rome and rarely sent to the provinces.\n\n{495}\n\n_Prison_. The Roman prison had usually three parts: the outer part,\nwhere the prisoners had light and air; the inner part, shut off by iron\ngates and bars, more secure than the outer part; and a dungeon, probably\na place of execution. The sufferings and barbarities of all ancient\nprisons were such as would not be allowed to-day.\n\n\n_Cyprus_. The greatest island of the Eastern Mediterranean. The seat of\ngovernment was Paphos, though Salamis, the seaport, was the largest and\nmost important town. Many Jews were in the island. Copper, which word\ncomes from Cyprus, was mined there from early time, and in all ancient\nhistory the island was an important place.\n\n\n_Galatia_ was the name both of an ancient kingdom, and, in the time of\nPaul, of a Roman province. There is a difference of opinion as to which\nis its meaning in the New Testament. If it is used for the old kingdom\nonly, the cities of Galatia are in the north central part of Asia Minor;\nAncyra and Tavium are cities not mentioned in the New Testament. If it\nis used for the new Roman province, as seems probable to many, the\ncities are in the southern part of Asia Minor, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium,\nand Antioch, towns often mentioned in Acts.\n\n\n_Troas_. An important shipping port, the nearest to Europe of the\nimportant Asiatic towns. The Troy of Homer was in this region.\n\n\n_Macedonia_, the ancient kingdom of Alexander the Great, was at this\ntime under the Romans. At Philippi great battles in the Roman empire had\nbeen fought, and later a group of Romans settled, making the place a\ncolony, with certain important privileges for its citizens. Thessalonica\nwas an important seaport, the outlet for the products of a large section\nof country. It had a large Jewish population. The modern town, under the\nname Salonica, is still a port of some importance. Berea, about fifty\nmiles southwest of Thessalonica, was the center of a large, fertile\ndistrict, and had an important local trade.\n\n{496}\n\n_Asia_ is used in Acts to mean only the Roman province of Asia, which\nwas in the western part of Asia Minor. Its capital and largest city was\nEphesus. In this city was a temple, so great and beautiful that it was\none of the wonders of the ancient world. The image in the temple,\nhowever, was not splendid or beautiful. It was a rude, ugly wooden\nfigure, but so highly regarded that the people believed it had actually\nfallen down from heaven, as the town clerk said in his speech to the\npeople in the theater. The great city is gone now, but ruins of the\ntemple and the large theater are still to be seen.\n\n\n_Aegean Sea_. Paul sailed back and forth over this sea several times, so\nthat its coasts in many parts must have become very familiar to him.\nThere is more story connected with its waters than with those of any\nother sea in the world. Across it the Greeks sailed, in the stories of\nHomer, to the siege of Troy. The Phoenicians traded in its coasts and\nislands when Greek civilization was beginning to grow. The famous\nstories of Greek poetry were all laid on or near its shores. Every\nfamous man of Greece had sailed its waters. Later came the Roman navies,\ncarrying the armies which conquered the world; and now, in the New\nTestament period, came little groups of men, hiring their passage as\nbest they could in the ships that were continually passing to and fro.\nThe busy merchants and soldiers never stopped to look at them, and if\nthey had, would have cared nothing for them, but these obscure travelers\nwere bearing with them the future religion of Europe and America and the\nends of the earth. It is not always the greatest thing that attracts the\nmost attention.\n\n\n_Tentmaking_. The Jews taught all their children some trade. No matter\nhow much they desired them to become learned in the law, they saw to it\nfirst that they could earn their bread by the skill of their hands. Paul\nwas a tentmaker, and very glad he, the learned rabbi, must have been,\nmore than once, that he could earn his own living by manual work, and be\nfree to use his learning as God gave him opportunity.\n\n\n_Paul's routes of travel_ were usually along the established lines of\ncommerce. In his last journey to Jerusalem he followed the {497}\ncoasting route from Macedonia to Rhodes, then a route to Phoenicia\ncommon for many hundreds of years. Other routes on the Aegean were from\nEphesus to Athens; from Troas to Italy, from Ephesus to Italy; from\nThessalonica to Athens, and thence to Italy; from Athens to Troas and\nthe Euxine (Black Sea).\n\n\n_Ancient ships_. The ship on which Paul sailed, and which was wrecked on\nthe island of Malta, carried 276 persons besides her cargo of grain. She\nwas perhaps 180 feet long and 1,000 tons burden, not large compared with\nthe modern steamship, but still of good size even by our standards. She\nwas about equal perhaps in general dimensions and tonnage to the\nmerchantmen which made the voyage to India in the \"fifties.\" She had no\noars like the ancient ships of war, but depended upon one mast and a\nhuge sail. Possibly more than one sail was raised in light wind, on the\nmast, and perhaps another small sail, something like the modern jib, was\nraised at the bow. She was steered by two paddle-like rudders which were\nthrust through openings in the stern. The single heavy mast and huge\nsail brought a great strain on the ship's timbers, which were not so\nwell put together as now, and great danger arose from leaking in a heavy\nblow. The cables which were passed around the vessel were intended to\ndraw the planks together and lessen the leak.\n\n\n_Felix_. A Roman of perhaps somewhat humble origin, governor of Judea.\nHis wife Drusilla was of Herod's family (see the Table of the Family of\nHerod). He was not a man of any great ability or character, and his\nviolence against the Jews aroused yet further troubles, until the whole\nnation was in commotion. Nothing is known of his history after his\ngovernorship.\n\n\n_Festus_. A Roman, perhaps of better character and more ability than\nFelix. He died after being governor for some years.\n\n\n_Agrippa II_. (See Table of the Family of Herod.) He was tetrarch of the\nregions in the north of Palestine, with his capital at Caesarea\nPhilippi. He was interested, as Paul suggests, in {498} Jewish matters,\nfinished building the temple, and tried in vain to keep peace between\nthe Jews and Romans. He died about 100 A.D., the last important member\nof the family of Herod.\n\n\n_\"I appeal to Caesar.\"_ This was one of the most important privileges of\na Roman citizen. It took the case at once out of the jurisdiction of the\nlocal authorities and transferred it to Rome. Unless the appeal was made\nby a bandit or pirate it could not be denied.\n\n\n_Crete_. A fertile, densely populated island, famous in Greek legend and\nstory, and, as is now known, one of the great sources of ancient Greek\ncivilizations. It is very mountainous, and the cold wind from its\nmountains often made sudden changes in the conditions of sailing, as it\ndid with the ship in which Paul sailed.\n\n\n_Malta_. The traditional place where Paul was shipwrecked is on the east\ncoast of the island, northwest of the present city of Valetta, and is\nknown as St. Paul's Bay. Very possibly the tradition is correct.\n\n\n_Jews in Rome_. Rome was a great center of all the peoples of the\nempire, and it is not surprising that Jews, who had already wandered all\nover the East, had arrived here also. One emperor, Claudius, had\nbanished them from the city, but they had later been allowed to return.\nWhen Paul was in Rome there must have been many Jews there, though there\nis no means of knowing how many.\n\n\n{499}\n\nMEMORY VERSES\n\n{500}\n\n{501}\n\nMEMORY VERSES\n\n_One for Each Week of the Year_.\n\n\nBut he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our\niniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his\nstripes we are healed.--_Isaiah 53:5_.\n\n\nAll we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own\nway; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.--_Isaiah 53:6_.\n\n\nFor unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government\nshall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,\nCounselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of\nPeace.--_Isaiah 9:6_\n\n\nBut thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands\nof Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be\nruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from\neverlasting. --_Micah 5:2_.\n\n\nFor God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that\nwhosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting\nlife.--_John 3:16_.\n\n{502}\n\nBehold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we\nshould be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not,\nbecause it knew him not. --_1 John 3:1_.\n\n\nWhosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.--_I John 3:9_.\n\n\nBlessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for\nthey shall be filled.--_Matthew 5:6_.\n\n\nBut seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all\nthese things shall be added unto you.--_Matthew 6:33_.\n\n\nAnd as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew,\nsitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And\nhe arose, and followed him.--_Matthew 9:9_.\n\n\nTake my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in\nheart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and\nmy burden is light. --_Matthew 12:29,30_.\n\n\nIt is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant\nas his lord.--_Matthew 10:25_.\n\n\nFor where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.\n--_Luke 12:34_.\n\n\nAnd Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me\nshall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never\nthirst.--_John 6:35_.\n\n{503}\n\nThen spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:\nhe that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the\nlight of life.--_John 8:12_.\n\n\nThen said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in\nmy word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth,\nand the truth shall make you free.--_John 8:31,32_.\n\n\nI am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall\ngo in and out, and find pasture.--_John 10:9_.\n\n\nI am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should\nnot abide in darkness.--_John 12:46_.\n\n\nA new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have\nloved you, that ye also love one another. --_John 13:34_.\n\n\nJesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man\ncometh unto the Father, but by me.--_John 14:6_.\n\n\nPeace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world\ngiveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it\nbe afraid.--_John 14:27_.\n\n\nIf ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,\nand it shall be done unto you.--_John 15:7_.\n\n\nYe are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.--_John 15:14_.\n\n{504}\n\nFor whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the\nsame is my brother, and sister, and mother. --_Matthew 12:50_.\n\n\nHeaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass\naway.--_Mark 13:31_.\n\n\nAnd they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that\nhad authority, and not as the scribes.--_Mark 1:22_.\n\n\nAnd Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air\nhave nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.--_Matthew\n8:20_.\n\n\nLet your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,\nand glorify your Father which is in heaven.--_Matthew 5:16_.\n\n\nFear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many\nsparrows.--_Matthew 10:31_.\n\n\nTake ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when\nthe time is.--_Mark 13:33_.\n\n\nBlessed are those servants whom the lord, when he\ncometh, shall find watching: verily, I say unto you, that\nhe shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat,\nand will come forth and serve them.--_Luke 12:37_.\n\n\nMy sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give\nunto them eternal life; and they {505} shall never perish, neither shall\nany man pluck them out of my hand.--_John 10:27,28_.\n\n\nFor I have given you an example, that ye should do as\nI have done to you.--_John 13:15_.\n\n\nThese things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In\nthe world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have\novercome the world.--_John 16:33_.\n\n\nBe kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love;\nin honor preferring one another; not slothful in business;\nfervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope;\npatient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.\n--_Romans 12:10,11,12_.\n\n\nFor none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For\nwhether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die\nunto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the\nLord's.--_Romans 14:7,8_.\n\n\nBut by the grace of God I am what I am.--_I Corinthians 15:10_.\n\n\nWhile we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which\nare not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things\nwhich are not seen are eternal. --_II Corinthians 4:18_.\n\n\nFor the love of Christ constraineth us.--_II Corinthians 5:14_.\n\n{506}\n\nAnd let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season\nwe shall reap, if we faint not.--_Galatians 6:9_.\n\n\nSet your affection on things above, not on things on the\nearth.--_Colossians 3:2_.\n\n\nWalk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the\ntime.--_Colossians 4:5_.\n\n\nFor we know that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle were\ndissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands,\neternal in the heavens.--_II Corinthians 5:1_.\n\n\nSo also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is\nraised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory:\nit is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural\nbody, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there\nis a spiritual body.--_I Corinthians 15:42,43,44_.\n\n\nSo when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this\nmortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass\nthe saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.\n--_I Corinthians 15:54_.\n\n\nO death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of\ndeath is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.--_I Corinthians\n15:55,56_.\n\n{507}\n\nAnd I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the\nfirst earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I, John,\nsaw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,\nprepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice\nout of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he\nwill dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself\nshall be with them, and be their God.--_Revelation 21:1-3_.\n\n\nAnd God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no\nmore death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more\npain: for the former things are passed away.--_Revelation 21:4_.\n\n\nAnd I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are\nthe temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the\nmoon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb\nis the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk\nin the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and\nhonour into it.--_Revelation 21:22-24_.\n\n\nAnd he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,\nproceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the\nstreet of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of\nlife, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every\nmonth: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.\n--_Revelation 22:1,2_.\n\n{508}\n\nAnd there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb\nshall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: and they shall see his\nface: and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no\nnight there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the\nLord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and\never.--_Revelation 22:3-5_.\n\n\nAnd the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him\nthat heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come.\nAnd whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.\n--_Revelation 22:17_.\n\n\n[End of \"VOLUME FOUR: LIFE OF JESUS\"]\n\n------------------------------------------------\n\n[Start of \"VOLUME FIVE: SONGS OF THE AGES\"]\n\n{1}\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY\n\n{2}\n\n{3}\n\n{4}\n\n[Illustration]\n \"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of\n God dwelleth in you?\"\n\n Then Paul said, \"Ye men of Athens, I perceive in all things ye are\n very religious.\"\n\n Then Paul said, . . . \"Whom ye ignorantly worship, him I declare\n unto you.\"\n\n \"God that made the world and all things therin, seeing he is Lord of\n heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{5}\n\nTHE BIBLE STORY\n\nVOLUME FIVE\n\nSONGS OF THE AGES\n\nARRANGED AND EDITED BY\n\nREV. NEWTON MARSHALL HALL, D.D.\nMINISTER OF THE NORTH CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS\n\nAND\n\nREV. IRVING FRANCIS WOOD, PH.D.\nPROFESSOR OF\nBIBLICAL LITERATURE AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION\nAT SMITH COLLEGE\n\n_Authors of \"The Early Days of Israel\" \"Advanced Bible Studies\" Etc._\n\n\nTHE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY\nSPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS\n\nCHICAGO\nCLEVELAND\n\n{6}\n\nCOPYRIGHT, 1906,\nCOPYRIGHT, 1917,\n\nBY THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY,\nSPRINGFIELD, MASS.\n\n{7}\n\nPREFACE\n\nIn this volume are gathered up selections of the most inspiring\nliterature which the Bible contains. The Psalms are given nearly entire,\nbut with fresh titles and a new typographical arrangement. The book of\nJob is presented in a way to interest the modern reader. The material\nfound in the \"Prophets,\" usually entirely unintelligible to young\nreaders, is given in a form which should prove interesting and\ninspiring. In addition to the sublime poetry of the Old Testament\ninspiring passages from the New Testament not elsewhere used are given\nhere. These are not in poetic form, but the sublimity of thought and\nlofty style of utterance entitle them to a place beside the splendid\npoetry of the Old Testament. The contents of this volume ought to become\nperfectly familiar to older children by frequent reading and study.\n\nWe hope that it may be found extremely useful also for devotional\nreading; for family and public devotions and for private reading. Here,\nin one volume, are those portions of the Holy Scriptures which, in a\npeculiar sense, grew out of a deep spiritual feeling. To these portions\nparticularly, the best minds of the ages have turned for spiritual\nuplift, for inspiration and consolation. The editors can hope for no\nhigher reward than that this book should contribute to the growth of\npersonal spiritual life.\n\n{8}\n\n{9}\n\nCONTENTS.\n\nTHE POETRY OF THE BIBLE. 11\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE PSALMS. 15\n\nSELECTIONS FROM JOB. 177\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE SONG OF SONGS. 233\n\nSELECTIONS FROM ECCLESIASTES. 241\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE PROVERBS. 247\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE PROPHETS. 259\n\n 1 Isaiah. 264\n 2 Jeremiah. 297\n 3 Ezekiel. 344\n 4 Amos. 354\n 5 Hosea. 363\n 6 Micah. 367\n 7 Obadiah. 370\n 8 Joel. 374\n 9 Zephaniah. 380\n 10 Nahum. 385\n 11 Habakkuk. 392\n 12 Haggai. 397\n 13 Zechariah. 401\n 14 Malachi. 408\n\n{10}\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT. 411\n 1 The Christian Life and Service. 413\n 2 The Greatest Thing in the World 425\n 3 Following in the Footsteps of\n Jesus (from the book of James) 426\n\n 4 The Gospel of Love and Sonship. 435\n 5 The Christian Athlete. 438\n 6 The Christian Temple. 440\n 7 The Christian Warrior. 447\n 8 The Hope of Immortality. 449\n 9 Selections from the Apocalypse. 456\n\nHYMNS OF THE AGES 479\n\nNOTES 495\n\n{11}\n\nTHE POETRY OF THE BIBLE\n\nThe first poetry was made to be sung. It almost made itself. It had two\nqualities--the expression of strong feeling of some kind, and some sort\nof rhythm that could be put into song. Ever since the days when all men\nwere savages, and told simple stories and sang rude songs as they\ngathered about the campfires, those two things have marked the\ndifference between poetry and prose. Poetry must have feeling and\nrhythm. In most languages the rhythm is one of sound. The words flow\nalong so easily that they run themselves into a sort of tune. That is\nwhat is called measure. Measure cannot be easily translated from one\nlanguage to another. Even if it could, it would not always be so\nbeautiful as it is in the language in which it is first written. So it\ncomes about that we do not often try to get the rhythm of the words in\nthe poetry of the Bible. Indeed, scholars have puzzled themselves\ngreatly over just what sort of rhythm the words of Hebrew poetry have.\nThe Hebrews who wrote the poetry did not think it worth while to say\nanything about that, and later men forgot that there was any rhythm at\nall; so now it has to be all discovered over again. But Hebrew poetry\nhas also another kind of rhythm beside that of words--a kind which\nEnglish poetry does not have. It is the rhythm of thought. In Hebrew\npoetry a thought is expressed in the first line, {12} then either\nrepeated with some slight change, its opposite expressed, or something\nadded to it, in the second. The following are illustrations:--\n\nThe thought repeated:--\n\n The Lord is my light and my salvation;\n whom shall I fear?\n The Lord is the strength of my life;\n of whom shall I be afraid?\n\nThe opposite expressed:--\n\n A wise son maketh a glad father,\n But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.\n\nAdditions made to the thought:--\n\n All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth\n Unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.\n\nThis rhythm of thought is called parallelism; and parallelism is the one\nthing that makes Hebrew poetry differ from prose.\n\nIn most Eastern languages the line between poetry and prose is not so\nsharply drawn as in our Western languages. When a man made a speech, it\noften fell quite naturally into poetry. So a good deal of the talk of\nJesus, even, seems to have been in the form of Hebrew poetry; as when he\nsaid:--\n\n{13}\n\n Be not anxious for your life,\n what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink,\n Nor yet for your body,\n what ye shall put on.\n Is not the life more than the food\n And the body than the raiment?\n\nIn the same way the New Testament writers also, being mostly Hebrews in\nthought, although they wrote in Greek, often fell into poetry, when some\nstrong feeling moved them.\n\nThe study of the form of the poetry of the Bible is very fascinating,\nthe form is so rich in variety and often so remarkably well fitted to\nexpress the thought of the poetry.\n\nYet after all the richest part of the Biblical poetry is the strong\nfeeling that it shows. For example, in that little song of the shepherd,\nthe twenty-third Psalm, the form is very beautiful with its rhythm of\nthought, but much more beautiful is the strong feeling of perfect trust\nin the loving care of the Good Shepherd.\n\n{14}\n\n{15}\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE PSALMS\n\n{16}\n\n{17}\n\nTHE BOOK OF PSALMS\n\nThe Book of Psalms is the Hebrew hymn book. The Psalms were gathered to\nsing at the services in the temple at Jerusalem. Here there was no\nsermon, as there is in our churches, and as there often was in the\nsynagogues which were scattered all over the land, but there was a large\nchoir which sung these Psalms of praise, while the people stood below\nand listened. Some of the Psalms were written for this choir. Others,\nwritten for other purposes, were put into this hymn book, sometimes with\nmore or less change from their first form, as is the case with many\nhymns in our own hymn books. Praise to God is the most common thought of\nthese poems, but many other thoughts are found in them--sorrow for sin\nand trust in God's goodness and hope for the future and thanksgiving for\nGod's care in the past. Hardly a thought about God's relation to man but\nfinds its expression in these songs. They were the work of many men\nthrough many years. They express the joy and the sorrow of many minds in\nmany different situations. That is why they still fit so many different\nlives in all parts of the world. They are very simple and very\nbeautiful, and they have always been, and doubtless always will be, dear\nto the hearts of all those who try to find God. Mr. Gilmour, the\nmissionary to the Mongols, once wrote: \"When I find I cannot make\nheadway in {18} devotion, I open in the Psalms, and push out in my\ncanoe, and let myself be carried along in the stream of devotion which\nflows through the whole book. The current always sets toward God, and in\nmost places is strong and deep.\" So many men have found that the broad\nriver of the Psalms bore them toward God.\n\n{19}\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE PSALMS\n\n\nTHE RIGHTEOUS MAN\n\n Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked,\n Nor standeth in the way of sinners,\n Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.\n But his delight is in the law of the Lord;\n And in his law doth he meditate day and night.\n And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water,\n That bringeth forth its fruit in its season,\n Whose leaf also doth not wither;\n And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.\n\n The wicked are not so;\n But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.\n Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,\n Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.\n For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:\n But the way of the wicked shall perish.\n --_Psalm 1_.\n\n{20}\n\nA MORNING PRAYER\n\n Lord, how are mine adversaries increased!\n Many are they that rise up against me.\n Many there be which say of my soul,\n There is no help for him in God.\n But thou, O Lord, art a shield about me;\n My glory, and the lifter up of mine head.\n\n I cry unto the Lord with my voice,\n And he answereth me out of his holy hill.\n I laid me down and slept;\n I awaked; for the Lord sustaineth me.\n --_Psalm 3:1-5_.\n\n{21}\n\nAN EVENING PRAYER\n\n Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness;\n Thou hast set me at large when I was in distress:\n Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.\n O ye sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonour?\n How long will ye love vanity, and seek after falsehood?\n\n But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself:\n The Lord will hear when I call unto him.\n Stand in awe, and sin not:\n Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.\n Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,\n And put your trust in the Lord.\n\n Many there be that say, Who will shew us any good?\n Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.\n Thou hast put gladness in my heart,\n More than they have when their corn and their wine are increased.\n In peace will I both lay me down and sleep:\n For thou, Lord, alone makest me dwell in safety.\n --_Psalm 4_.\n\n{22}\n\nA LITTLE LOWER THAN GOD\n\n O Lord, our Lord,\n How excellent is thy name in all the earth!\n Who hast set thy glory upon the heavens.\n Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength,\n Because of thine adversaries,\n That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.\n\n When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,\n The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;\n What is man, that thou art mindful of him?\n And the son of man, that thou visitest him?\n For thou hast made him but little lower than God,\n And crownest him with glory and honour.\n Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;\n Thou hast put all things under his feet:\n All sheep and oxen,\n Yea, and the beasts of the field;\n The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea,\n Whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.\n O Lord, our Lord,\n How excellent is thy name in all the earth!\n --_Psalm 8_.\n\n{23}\n\nTHE UPRIGHT MAN.\n\n Lord, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle?\n Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?\n He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,\n And speaketh truth in his heart.\n He that slandereth not with his tongue,\n Nor doeth evil to his friend,\n Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.\n In whose eyes a reprobate is despised;\n But he honoureth them that fear the Lord.\n He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.\n He that putteth not out his money to usury,\n Nor taketh reward against the innocent.\n He that doeth these things shall never be moved.\n --_Psalm 15_.\n\n{24}\n\nTRUST IN THE LORD\n\n Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.\n I have said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord:\n I have no good beyond thee.\n The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup:\n Thou maintainest my lot.\n The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places;\n Yea, I have a goodly heritage.\n I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel:\n Yea, my heart instructeth me in the night seasons.\n I have set the Lord always before me:\n Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.\n Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth;\n My flesh also shall dwell in safety.\n For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol;\n Neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.\n Thou wilt shew me the path of life:\n In thy presence is fulness of joy;\n In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.\n --_Psalm 16_.\n\n\n{25}\n\nA PLEA FOR HELP.\n\n Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry;\n Give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.\n Let my sentence come forth from thy presence;\n Let thine eyes look upon equity.\n Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night;\n Thou hast tried me, and findest nothing;\n I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress,\n As for the works of men, by the word of thy lips\n I have kept me from the ways of the violent.\n My steps have held fast to thy paths,\n My feet have not slipped.\n I have called upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God:\n Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.\n Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest\n them which put their trust in thee\n From those that rise up against them, by thy right hand.\n Keep me as the apple of the eye,\n Hide me under the shadow of thy wings.\n As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness:\n I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.\n --_Psalm 17_.\n\n{26}\n\nA SONG OF DELIVERANCE.\n\n In my distress I called upon the Lord,\n And cried unto my God:\n He heard my voice out of his temple,\n And my cry before him came into his ears.\n Then the earth shook and trembled,\n The foundations also of the mountains moved\n And were shaken, because he was wroth.\n There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,\n And fire out of his mouth devoured:\n Coals were kindled by it.\n He bowed the heavens also, and came down;\n And thick darkness was under his feet.\n And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly:\n Yea, he flew swiftly upon the wings of the wind.\n He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion round about him;\n Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.\n At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,\n Hailstones and coals of fire.\n The Lord also thundered in the heavens,\n And the Most High uttered his voice;\n Hailstones and coals of fire.\n And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;\n Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them. {27}\n Then the channels of waters appeared,\n And the foundations of the world were laid bare,\n At thy rebuke, O Lord,\n At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.\n He sent from on high, he took me;\n He drew me out of many waters.\n He delivered me from my strong enemy,\n And from them that hated me, for they were too mighty for me.\n I love thee, O Lord, my strength.\n The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;\n My God, my strong rock, in him will I trust;\n My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.\n I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised:\n So shall I be saved from mine enemies.\n The cords of death compassed me,\n And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.\n The cords of Sheol were round about me:\n The snares of death came upon me.\n They came upon me in the day of my calamity:\n But the Lord was my stay.\n He brought me forth also into a large place;\n He delivered me, because he delighted in me.\n The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;\n According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.\n For I have kept the ways of the Lord,\n And have not wickedly departed from my God.\n For all his judgments were before me, {28}\n And I put not away his statutes from me.\n I was also perfect with him,\n And I kept myself from mine iniquity.\n Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness,\n According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.\n With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful;\n With the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect;\n With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure;\n And with the perverse thou wilt shew thyself froward.\n For thou wilt save the afflicted people;\n But the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.\n For thou wilt light my lamp:\n The Lord my God will lighten my darkness.\n For by thee I run upon a troop;\n And by my God do I leap over a wall.\n As for God, his way is perfect:\n The word of the Lord is tried;\n He is a shield unto all them that trust in him.\n For who is God, save the Lord?\n And who is a rock, beside our God?\n The God that girdeth me with strength,\n And maketh my way perfect.\n He maketh my feet like hinds' feet:\n And setteth me upon my high places.\n\n The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock;\n And exalted be the God of my salvation:\n Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, {29}\n And subdueth peoples under me.\n He rescueth me from mine enemies:\n Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me;\n Thou deliverest me from the violent man.\n Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the nations,\n And will sing praises unto thy name.\n Great deliverance giveth he to his king,\n And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed,\n To David and to his seed, for evermore.\n --_Psalm 18:1-33,46-50_.\n\n{30}\n\nSONG OF THE EARTH AND SKY.\n\n The heavens declare the glory of God;\n And the firmament sheweth his handiwork.\n Day unto day uttereth speech,\n And night unto night sheweth knowledge.\n There is no speech nor language;\n Their voice cannot be heard.\n Their line is gone out through all the earth,\n And their words to the end of the world.\n In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,\n Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,\n And rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course.\n His going forth is from the end of the heaven,\n And his circuit unto the ends of it:\n And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.\n The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul:\n The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.\n The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:\n The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.\n The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever:\n The judgments of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.\n More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: {31}\n Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.\n Moreover by them is thy servant warned:\n In keeping of them there is great reward.\n Who can understand his errors?\n Clear thou me from hidden faults.\n Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;\n Let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be perfect,\n And I shall be clear from great transgression.\n Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart\n be acceptable in thy sight,\n O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.\n --_Psalm 19_.\n\n{32}\n\nOUR TRUST IS IN GOD\n\n The Lord answer thee in the day of trouble:\n The name of the God of Jacob set thee up on high;\n Send thee help from the sanctuary,\n And strengthen thee out of Zion;\n Remember all thy offerings,\n And accept thy burnt sacrifice;\n Grant thee thy heart's desire,\n And fulfil all thy counsel.\n We will triumph in thy salvation,\n And in the name of our God we will set up our banners:\n The Lord fulfil all thy petitions.\n Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed;\n He will answer him from his holy heaven\n With the saving strength of his right hand.\n Some trust in chariots, and some in horses:\n But we will make mention of the name of the Lord our God.\n They are bowed down and fallen:\n But we are risen, and stand upright.\n --_Psalm 20:1-8_.\n\n{33}{34}\n\n[Illustration]\n \"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,\n He leadeth me beside the still waters\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{35}\n\nTHE GOOD SHEPHERD\n\n The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.\n He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:\n He leadeth me beside the still waters.\n He restoreth my soul:\n He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.\n Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,\n I will fear no evil; for thou art with me:\n Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.\n Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;\n Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over.\n Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:\n And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.\n --_Psalm 23_.\n\n\n{36}\n\nTHE EARTH IS THE LORD'S\n\n The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof;\n The world, and they that dwell therein.\n For he hath founded it upon the seas.\n And established it upon the floods.\n Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?\n And who shall stand in his holy place?\n He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;\n Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity.\n And hath not sworn deceitfully.\n He shall receive a blessing from the Lord,\n And righteousness from the God of his salvation.\n This is the generation of them that seek after him,\n That seek thy face, O God of Jacob.\n\n Lift up your heads, O ye gates;\n And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors:\n And the King of glory shall come in.\n Who is the King of glory?\n The Lord strong and mighty,\n The Lord mighty in battle.\n Lift up your heads, O ye gates;\n Yea, lift them up, ye everlasting doors:\n And the King of glory shall come in.\n Who is this King of glory?\n The Lord of hosts,\n He is the King of glory.\n --_Psalm 24_.\n\n{37}\n\nSHOW ME THY WAYS, TEACH ME THY PATHS\n\n Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.\n O my God, in thee have I trusted,\n Let me not be ashamed;\n Let not mine enemies triumph over me.\n Yea, none that wait on thee shall be ashamed:\n They shall be ashamed that deal treacherously without cause.\n Shew me thy ways, O Lord;\n Teach me thy paths.\n Guide me in thy truth, and teach me;\n For thou art the God of my salvation;\n On thee do I wait all the day.\n Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses;\n For they have been ever of old.\n Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions:\n According to thy lovingkindness remember thou me,\n For thy goodness' sake, O Lord.\n Good and upright is the Lord:\n Therefore will he instruct sinners in the way.\n The meek will he guide in judgment:\n And the meek will he teach his way.\n All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth {38}\n Unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.\n For thy name's sake, O Lord,\n Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.\n What man is he that feareth the Lord?\n Him shall he instruct in the way that he shall choose.\n His soul shall dwell at ease;\n And his seed shall inherit the land.\n The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him;\n And he will shew them his covenant.\n Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord;\n For he shall pluck my feet out of the net.\n Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me;\n For I am desolate and afflicted.\n The troubles of my heart are enlarged:\n O bring thou me out of my distresses.\n Consider mine affliction and my travail;\n And forgive all my sins.\n Consider mine enemies, for they are many;\n And they hate me with cruel hatred.\n O keep my soul, and deliver me:\n Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee.\n Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,\n For I wait on thee.\n Redeem Israel, O God,\n Out of all his troubles.\n --_Psalm 25_.\n\n\n{39}\n\nI HAVE WALKED IN THY TRUTH\n\n Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in mine integrity:\n I have trusted also in the Lord without wavering.\n Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;\n Try my heart and my mind.\n For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes;\n And I have walked in thy truth.\n I have not sat with men of falsehood;\n Neither will I go in with dissemblers.\n I hate the assembly of evil-doers,\n And will not sit with the wicked.\n I will wash my hands in innocency:\n So will I compass thine altar, O Lord;\n That I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard,\n And tell of all thy wondrous works.\n Lord, I love the habitation of thy house,\n And the place where thy glory dwelleth.\n Gather not my soul with sinners,\n Nor my life with men of blood;\n In whose hands is wickedness,\n And their right hand is full of bribes.\n But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity:\n Redeem me, and be merciful unto me.\n My foot standeth in an even place:\n In the congregations will I bless the Lord.\n --_Psalm 26_.\n\n\n{40}\n\nTHE LORD IS MY SALVATION\n\n The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?\n The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?\n Though an host should encamp against me,\n My heart shall not fear:\n Though war should rise against me,\n Even then will I be confident.\n One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after;\n That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,\n To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.\n For in the day of trouble he shall keep me secretly in his pavilion:\n In the covert of his tabernacle shall he hide me;\n He shall lift me up upon a rock.\n And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me;\n And I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;\n I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.\n\n Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice:\n Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.\n When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, {41}\n Thy face, Lord, will I seek.\n Hide not thy face from me;\n Put not thy servant away in anger:\n Thou hast been my help;\n Cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.\n For my father and my mother have forsaken me,\n But the Lord will take me up.\n Teach me thy way, O Lord;\n And lead me in a plain path,\n Because of mine enemies.\n Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries:\n For false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as\n breathe out cruelty.\n I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord:\n In the land of the living.\n Wait on the Lord:\n Be strong, and let thine heart take courage;\n Yea, wait thou on the Lord.\n --_Psalm 27_.\n\n\n{42}\n\nTHE GLORY OF THE LORD.\n\n Give unto the Lord, O ye sons of the mighty,\n Give unto the Lord glory and strength.\n Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name;\n Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.\n\n The voice of the Lord is upon the waters:\n The God of glory thundereth,\n Even the Lord upon many waters.\n The voice of the Lord is powerful;\n The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.\n The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars;\n Yea, the Lord breaketh in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.\n He maketh them also to skip like a calf;\n Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild-ox.\n The voice of the Lord cleaveth the flames of fire.\n The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness;\n The Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.\n The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve,\n And strippeth the forests bare:\n And in his temple everything saith, Glory!\n\n The Lord sat as king at the Flood;\n Yea, the Lord sitteth as king for ever.\n The Lord will give strength unto his people;\n The Lord will bless his people with peace.\n --_Psalm 29_.\n\n{43}{44}\n\n[Illustration]\n A VILLAGE IN THE LEBANON.\n\n From an old engraving.\n\n \"The voice of the Lord is full of majesty,\n The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars,\n Yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{45}\n\nWEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT,\nBUT JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING.\n\n I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast raised me up,\n And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.\n O Lord my God,\n I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.\n O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol;\n Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.\n Sing praise unto the Lord, O ye saints of his,\n And give thanks to his holy name.\n For his anger is but for a moment;\n His favor is for a lifetime:\n Weeping may tarry for the night,\n But joy cometh in the morning.\n\n As for me, I said in my prosperity,\n I shall never be moved.\n Thou, Lord, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong:\n Thou didst hide thy face; I was troubled.\n I cried to thee, O Lord;\n And unto the Lord I made supplication:\n What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? {46}\n Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?\n Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me:\n Lord, be thou my helper.\n Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing;\n Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;\n To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.\n O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.\n --_Psalm 30_.\n\n{47}\n\nMY TIMES ARE IN THY HANDS\n\n In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed:\n Deliver me in thy righteousness.\n Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily:\n Be thou to me a strong rock, an house of defence to save me.\n For thou art my rock and my fortress;\n Therefore for thy name's sake lead me and guide me.\n Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for me;\n For thou art my strong hold.\n Into thine hand I commend my spirit:\n Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth.\n I hate them that regard lying vanities:\n But I trust in the Lord.\n I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy:\n For thou hast seen my affliction;\n Thou hast known my soul in adversities:\n And thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy;\n Thou hast set my feet in a large place.\n\n Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in distress:\n Mine eye wasteth away with grief, yea, my soul and my body.\n For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing: {48}\n My strength faileth because of mine iniquity,\n and my bones are wasted away.\n Because of all mine adversaries I am become a reproach,\n Yea, unto my neighbours exceedingly, and a fear to mine acquaintance:\n They that did see me without fled from me.\n I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:\n I am like a broken vessel.\n For I have heard the defaming of many,\n Terror on every side:\n While they took counsel together against me,\n They devised to take away my life.\n But I trusted in thee, O Lord:\n I said, Thou art my God.\n My times are in thy hand:\n Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies,\n and from them that persecute me.\n Make thy face to shine upon thy servant:\n Save me in thy lovingkindness.\n Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee:\n Let the wicked be ashamed, let them be silent in Sheol.\n Let the lying lips be dumb;\n Which speak against the righteous insolently,\n With pride and contempt.\n\n Oh how great is thy goodness,\n Which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee,\n Which thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in thee,\n Before the sons of men! {49}\n In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them\n from the plottings of man:\n Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.\n Blessed be the Lord;\n For he hath showed me his marvellous lovingkindness in a strong city.\n As for me, I said in my haste,\n I am cut off from before thine eyes:\n Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications\n When I cried unto thee.\n O love the Lord, all ye his saints:\n The Lord preserveth the faithful,\n And plentifully rewardeth him that dealeth proudly.\n Be strong, and let your heart take courage,\n All ye that hope in the Lord.\n --_Psalm 31_.\n\n{50}\n\nREJOICE\n\n Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:\n Praise is comely for the upright.\n Give thanks unto the Lord with harp:\n Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings.\n Sing unto him a new song;\n Play skilfully with a loud noise.\n For the word of the Lord is right;\n And all his work is done in faithfulness.\n He loveth righteousness and judgment:\n The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.\n By the word of the Lord were the heavens made;\n And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.\n He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:\n He layeth up the deeps in storehouses.\n\n Let all the earth fear the Lord:\n Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.\n For he spake, and it was done;\n He commanded, and it stood fast.\n The Lord bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought:\n He maketh the thoughts of the peoples to be of none effect.\n The counsel of the Lord standeth fast for ever,\n The thoughts of his heart to all generations.\n Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; {51}\n The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.\n The Lord looketh from heaven;\n He beholdeth all the sons of men;\n From the place of his habitation he looketh forth\n Upon all the inhabitants of the earth;\n He that fashioneth the hearts of them all,\n That considereth all their works.\n There is no king saved by the multitude of an host:\n A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.\n An horse is a vain thing for safety:\n Neither shall he deliver any by his great power.\n Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him,\n Upon them that hope in his mercy;\n To deliver their soul from death,\n And to keep them alive in famine.\n Our soul hath waited for the Lord:\n He is our help and our shield.\n For our heart shall rejoice in him,\n Because we have trusted in his holy name.\n Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us,\n According as we have hoped in thee.\n --_Psalm 33_.\n\n{52}\n\nI WILL BLESS THE LORD\n\n I will bless the Lord at all times:\n His praise shall continually be in my mouth.\n My soul shall make her boast in the Lord:\n The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad.\n O magnify the Lord with me,\n And let us exalt his name together.\n I sought the Lord, and he answered me,\n And delivered me from all my fears.\n They looked unto him, and were lightened:\n And their faces shall never be confounded.\n This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him,\n And saved him out of all his troubles.\n The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him,\n And delivereth them.\n O taste and see that the Lord is good:\n Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.\n O fear the Lord, ye his saints:\n For there is no want to them that fear him.\n The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger:\n But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.\n\n Come, ye children, hearken unto me:\n I will teach you the fear of the Lord. {53}\n What man is he that desireth life,\n And loveth many days, that he may see good?\n Keep thy tongue from evil,\n And thy lips from speaking guile.\n Depart from evil, and do good;\n Seek peace, and pursue it.\n The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,\n And his ears are open unto their cry.\n The face of the Lord is against them that do evil,\n To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.\n The righteous cried, and the Lord heard,\n And delivered them out of all their troubles.\n The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.\n And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.\n Many are the afflictions of the righteous:\n But the Lord delivereth him out of them all.\n He keepeth all his bones:\n Not one of them is broken.\n Evil shall slay the wicked:\n And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned.\n The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants:\n And none of them that trust in him shall be condemned.\n --_Psalm 34_.\n\n\n{54}\n\nUNDER THE SHADOW OF THY WINGS\n\n Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, is in the heavens;\n Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the skies.\n Thy righteousness is like the great mountains,\n Thy judgments are a great deep:\n O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.\n How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God!\n And the children of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.\n They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house;\n And thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.\n For with thee is the fountain of life:\n In thy light shall we see light.\n O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee;\n And thy righteousness to the upright in heart.\n --_Psalm 36:5-10_.\n\n\n{55}\n\nWAIT PATIENTLY\n\n Fret not thyself because of evil-doers,\n Neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness.\n For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,\n And wither as the green herb.\n Trust in the Lord, and do good;\n Dwell in the land, and follow after faithfulness.\n Delight thyself also in the Lord;\n And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.\n Commit thy way unto the Lord;\n Trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.\n And he shall make thy righteousness to go forth as the light,\n And thy judgment as the noonday.\n A man's goings are established of the Lord;\n And he delighteth in his way.\n Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:\n For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.\n I have been young, and now am old;\n Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,\n Nor his seed begging their bread.\n All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth;\n And his seed is blessed.\n Depart from evil, and do good;\n And dwell for evermore. {56}\n I have seen the wicked in great power,\n And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.\n But one passed by, and, lo, he was not:\n Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.\n Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright:\n For the latter end of that man is peace.\n As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together:\n The latter end of the wicked shall be cut off.\n But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord:\n He is their strong hold in the time of trouble.\n And the Lord helpeth them, and rescueth them:\n He rescueth them from the wicked, and saveth them,\n Because they have taken refuge in him.\n --_Psalm 37:1-6,23-27,35-40_.\n\n\n{57}\n\nA NEW SONG\n\n I waited patiently for the Lord;\n And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.\n He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay;\n And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.\n And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God:\n Many shall see it, and fear,\n And shall trust in the Lord.\n Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust,\n And respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.\n\n Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done,\n And thy thoughts which are to us-ward:\n They cannot be set in order unto thee;\n If I would declare and speak of them,\n They are more than can be numbered.\n Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in;\n Mine ears hast thou opened:\n Burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.\n Then said I, \"Lo, I am come;\n In the roll of the book it is written of me:\n I delight to do thy will, O my God;\n Yea, thy law is within my heart.\" {58}\n I have published righteousness in the great congregation;\n Lo, I will not refrain my lips,\n O Lord, thou knowest.\n I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart;\n I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation:\n I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from\n the great congregation.\n Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord:\n Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.\n\n --_Psalm 40:1-11_.\n\n{59}{60}\n\n[Illustration]\n MOUNT HERMON\n\n From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton, Mass.,\n and used by special permission.\n\n \"Therefore do I remember thee from the land of Jordan,\n And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n{61}\n\nA SONG IN TIME OF TROUBLE\n\n As the hart panteth after the water brooks,\n So panteth my soul after thee, O God.\n My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:\n When shall I come and appear before God?\n My tears have been my meat day and night,\n While they continually say unto me, \"Where is thy God?\"\n These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me,\n How I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God,\n With the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holy-day.\n Why art thou cast down, O my soul?\n And why art thou disquieted within me?\n Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him\n For the health of his countenance.\n O my God, my soul is cast down within me:\n Therefore do I remember thee from the land of Jordan,\n And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar.\n Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:\n All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.\n Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime,\n And in the night his song shall be with me,\n Even a prayer unto the God of my life. {62}\n I will say unto God my rock, \"Why hast thou forgotten me?\"\n Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?\n As with a sword in my bones, mine adversaries reproach me;\n While they continually say unto me, \"Where is thy God?\"\n Why art thou cast down, O my soul?\n And why art thou disquieted within me?\n Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him,\n Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.\n\n Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation:\n O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.\n For thou art the God of my strength; why hast thou cast me off?\n Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?\n O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me:\n Let them bring me unto thy holy hill,\n And to thy tabernacles.\n Then will I go unto the altar of God,\n Unto God my exceeding joy:\n And upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God.\n Why art thou cast down, O my soul?\n And why art thou disquieted within me?\n Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him,\n Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.\n --_Psalms 42, 43_.\n\n\n{63}\n\nIN THE DAY OF ADVERSITY\n\n We have heard with our ears, O God,\n Our fathers have told us,\n What work thou didst in their days,\n In the days of old.\n Thou didst drive out the nations with thy hand;\n But them thou didst plant:\n Thou didst afflict the peoples;\n But them thou didst spread abroad.\n For they got not the land in possession by their own sword,\n Neither did their own arm save them;\n But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance,\n Because thou wast favorable unto them.\n Thou art my King, O God:\n Command deliverance for Jacob.\n Through thee will we push down our adversaries:\n Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.\n For I will not trust in my bow,\n Neither shall my sword save me.\n But thou hast saved us from our adversaries,\n And hast put them to shame that hate us.\n In God have we made our boast all the day long,\n And we will give thanks unto thy name for ever. {64}\n But now thou hast cast us off, and brought us to dishonour;\n And goest not forth with our hosts.\n Thou makest us to turn back from the adversary:\n And they which hate us spoil for themselves.\n Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat;\n And hast scattered us among the nations.\n Thou sellest thy people for nought,\n And hast not increased thy wealth by their price.\n Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours,\n A scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.\n Thou makest us a byword among the nations,\n A shaking of the head among the peoples.\n All the day long is my dishonour before me,\n And the shame of my face hath covered me,\n For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth;\n By reason of the enemy and the avenger.\n\n All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee,\n Neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.\n Our heart is not turned back,\n Neither have our steps declined from thy way;\n That thou hast sore broken us in the place of jackals,\n And covered us with the shadow of death.\n If we have forgotten the name of our God,\n Or spread forth our hands to a strange god;\n Shall not God search this out?\n For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.\n Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long;\n We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. {65}\n Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord?\n Arise, cast us not off for ever.\n Wherefore hidest thou thy face,\n And forgettest our affliction and our oppression?\n For our soul is bowed down to the dust:\n Our belly cleaveth unto the earth.\n Rise up for our help,\n And redeem us for thy lovingkindness' sake.\n --_Psalm 44_.\n\n\n{66}\n\nA MARRIAGE SONG FOR THE WEDDING OF A KING\n\n My heart overfloweth with a goodly matter:\n I speak the things which I have made touching the king:\n My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.\n\n Thou art fairer than the children of men;\n Grace is poured into thy lips:\n Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.\n Gird thy sword upon thy thigh,\n O mighty one,\n Thy glory and thy majesty.\n And in thy majesty ride on prosperously,\n Because of truth and meekness and righteousness:\n And thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.\n Thine arrows are sharp;\n The peoples fall under thee;\n They are in the heart of the king's enemies.\n Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:\n A sceptre of equity is the sceptre of thy kingdom.\n Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness:\n Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee\n With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.\n All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia;\n Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad. {67}\n Kings' daughters are among thy honourable women:\n Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.\n Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear;\n Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house:\n So will the king desire thy beauty;\n For he is thy lord; and reverence thou him.\n And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift;\n The rich among the people shall entreat thy favor.\n The king's daughter within the palace is all glorious:\n Her clothing is inwrought with gold.\n She shall be led unto the king in broidered work:\n The virgins her companions that follow her\n Shall be brought unto thee.\n With gladness and rejoicing shall they be led:\n They shall enter into the king's palace.\n Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,\n Whom thou shalt make princes in all the earth.\n I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations:\n Therefore shall the peoples give thee thanks for ever and ever.\n\n --_Psalm 45_.\n\n\n{68}\n\nGOD IS OUR REFUGE\n\n God is our refuge and strength,\n A very present help in trouble.\n Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change,\n And though the mountains be moved in the heart of the seas;\n Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,\n Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.\n There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God,\n The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.\n God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:\n God shall help her, and that right early.\n The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved:\n He uttered his voice, the earth melted.\n The Lord of hosts is with us;\n The God of Jacob is our refuge.\n\n Come, behold the works of the Lord,\n What desolations he hath made in the earth.\n He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;\n He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;\n He burneth the chariots in the fire.\n Be still, and know that I am God:\n I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.\n The Lord of hosts is with us;\n The God of Jacob is our refuge.\n --_Psalm 46_.\n\n\n{69}\n\nA SONG OF VICTORY\n\n O clap your hands, all ye peoples;\n Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.\n For the Lord Most High is terrible;\n He is a great King over all the earth.\n He shall subdue the peoples under us,\n And the nations under our feet.\n He shall choose our inheritance for us,\n The excellency of Jacob whom he loved.\n God is gone up with a shout,\n The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.\n\n Sing praises to God, sing praises.\n Sing praises unto our King, sing praises.\n For God is the King of all the earth:\n Sing ye praises with understanding.\n God reigneth over the nations:\n God sitteth upon his holy throne.\n The princes of the peoples are gathered together\n To be the people of the God of Abraham:\n For the shields of the earth belong unto God;\n He is greatly exalted.\n --_Psalm 47_.\n\n\n{70}\n\nA SONG OF MOUNT ZION\n\n Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,\n In the city of our God, in his holy mountain.\n Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,\n Is mount Zion, on the sides of the north,\n The city of the great King.\n\n We have thought on thy lovingkindness, O God,\n In the midst of thy temple.\n As is thy name, O God,\n So is thy praise unto the ends of the earth:\n Thy right hand is full of righteousness.\n Let mount Zion be glad,\n Let the daughters of Judah rejoice,\n Because of thy judgments.\n Walk about Zion, and go round about her:\n Tell the towers thereof.\n Mark ye well her bulwarks,\n Consider her palaces;\n That ye may tell it to the generation following.\n For this God is our God for ever and ever:\n He will be our guide even unto death.\n --_Psalm 48:1, 2, 9-14_.\n\n{71}{72}\n\n[Illustration]\n SHEPHERD WITH HIS FLOCK.\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n This beautiful picture is typical of the Oriental country. The view is\n the Scamander made famous by Homer, and the country is in the vicinity\n of old Troy, mentioned in the New Testament and again brought to\n notice by the conflicts of the great European war (1916).\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{73}\n\nTHE CATTLE UPON A THOUSAND HILLS ARE HIS\n\n God, even God, the Lord, hath spoken,\n And called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the\n going down thereof.\n Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,\n God hath shined forth.\n Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence:\n A fire shall devour before him,\n And it shall be very tempestuous round about him.\n He shall call to the heavens above,\n And to the earth, that he may judge his people:\n Gather my saints together unto me;\n Those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.\n And the heavens shall declare his righteousness;\n For God is judge himself.\n Hear, O my people, and I will speak;\n O Israel, and I will testify unto thee:\n I am God, even thy God.\n I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices;\n And thy burnt offerings are continually before me.\n I will take no bullock out of thy house,\n Nor he-goats out of thy folds.\n For every beast of the forest is mine,\n And the cattle upon a thousand hills. {74}\n I know all the fowls of the mountains:\n And the wild beasts of the field are mine.\n If I were hungry, I would not tell thee:\n For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.\n Will I eat the flesh of bulls,\n Or drink the blood of goats?\n Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving;\n And pay thy vows unto the Most High:\n And call upon me in the day of trouble;\n I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.\n --_Psalm 50:1-15_.\n\n\n{75}\n\nA PRAYER OF REPENTANCE\n\n Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:\n According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out\n my transgressions.\n Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,\n And cleanse me from my sin.\n For I acknowledge my transgressions:\n And my sin is ever before me.\n Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,\n And done that which is evil in thy sight:\n That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest,\n And be clear when thou judgest.\n Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:\n Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.\n Hide thy face from my sins,\n And blot out all mine iniquities.\n Create in me a clean heart, O God;\n And renew a right spirit within me.\n Cast me not away from thy presence;\n And take not thy holy spirit from me.\n Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation:\n And uphold me with a free spirit.\n Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;\n And sinners shall be converted unto thee. {76}\n O Lord, open thou my lips;\n And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.\n For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it:\n Thou hast no pleasure in burnt offering.\n The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:\n A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.\n\n --_Psalm 51:1-17_.\n\n{77}\n\nBE THOU EXALTED, O GOD, ABOVE THE HEAVENS\n\n Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me;\n For my soul taketh refuge in thee:\n Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge,\n Until these calamities be overpast.\n I will cry unto God Most High;\n Unto God that performeth all things for me.\n He shall send from heaven, and save me,\n When he that would swallow me up reproacheth;\n God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.\n My soul is among lions;\n I lie among them that are set on fire,\n Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,\n And their tongue a sharp sword.\n Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;\n Let thy glory be above all the earth.\n\n They have prepared a net for my steps;\n My soul is bowed down:\n They have digged a pit before me;\n They are fallen into the midst thereof themselves.\n My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:\n I will sing, yea, I will sing praises.\n Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp:\n I myself will awake right early. {78}\n I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the peoples:\n I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.\n For thy mercy is great unto the heavens,\n And thy truth unto the skies.\n Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;\n Let thy glory be above all the earth.\n --_Psalm 57_.\n\n\n{79}\n\nTHE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I\n\n Hear my cry, O God;\n Attend unto my prayer.\n From the end of the earth will I call unto thee, when my\n heart is overwhelmed:\n Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.\n For thou hast been a refuge for me,\n A strong tower from the enemy.\n I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever:\n I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings.\n My soul waiteth only upon God:\n From him cometh my salvation.\n He only is my rock and my salvation:\n He is my high tower; I shall not be greatly moved.\n\n My soul, wait thou only upon God;\n For my expectation is from him.\n He only is my rock and my salvation:\n He is my high tower; I shall not be moved.\n With God is my salvation and my glory:\n The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.\n\n --_Psalms 61:1-4; 62:1, 2, 5-7_.\n\n\n{80}\n\nA SONG OF THANKSGIVING\n\n Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion:\n And unto thee shall the vow be performed.\n O thou that hearest prayer,\n Unto thee shall all flesh come.\n Iniquities prevail against me:\n As for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.\n Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,\n and causest to approach unto thee,\n That he may dwell in thy courts:\n We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,\n The holy place of thy temple.\n By terrible things thou wilt answer us in righteousness,\n O God of our salvation;\n Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth,\n And of them that are afar off upon the sea:\n Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains;\n Being girded about with might:\n Which stilleth the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves,\n And the tumult of the peoples.\n They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens:\n Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. {81}\n Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it,\n Thou greatly enrichest it;\n The river of God is full of water:\n Thou providest them corn, when thou hast so prepared the earth.\n Thou waterest her furrows abundantly;\n Thou settlest the ridges thereof:\n Thou makest it soft with showers;\n Thou blessest the springing thereof.\n Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;\n And thy paths drop fatness.\n They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness:\n And the hills are girded with joy.\n The pastures are clothed with flocks;\n The valleys also are covered over with corn;\n They shout for joy, they also sing.\n --_Psalm 65_.\n\n\n{82}\n\nMAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD\n\n Make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth:\n Sing forth the glory of his name:\n Make his praise glorious.\n All the earth shall worship thee,\n And shall sing unto thee;\n They shall sing to thy name.\n O bless our God, ye peoples,\n And make the voice of his praise to be heard:\n Which holdeth our soul in life,\n And suffereth not our feet to be moved.\n For thou, O God, hast proved us:\n Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.\n Come, and hear, all ye that fear God,\n And I will declare what he hath done for my soul.\n I cried unto him with my mouth,\n And he was extolled with my tongue.\n If I regard iniquity in my heart,\n The Lord will not hear:\n But verily God hath heard;\n He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.\n Blessed be God,\n Which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.\n\n --_Psalm 66:1, 2, 4, 8-10, 16-20_.\n\n{83}{84}\n\n[Illustration]\n \"The river of God is full of water.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{85}\n\nLET THE PEOPLES PRAISE THEE\n\n God be merciful unto us, and bless us,\n And cause his face to shine upon us;\n That thy way may be known upon earth,\n Thy saving health among all nations.\n Let the peoples praise thee, O God;\n Let all the peoples praise thee.\n O let the nations be glad and sing for joy:\n For thou shalt judge the peoples righteously,\n And govern the nations upon earth.\n Let the peoples praise thee, O God;\n Let all the peoples praise thee.\n The earth hath yielded her increase:\n God, even our own God, shall bless us.\n God shall bless us;\n And all the ends of the earth shall fear him.\n --_Psalm 67_.\n\n\n{86}\n\nA BATTLE HYMN FOR THE HOSTS OF THE LORD\n\n Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered;\n Let them also that hate him flee before him.\n As smoke is driven away, so drive them away:\n As wax melteth before the fire,\n So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.\n But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God:\n Yea, let them rejoice with gladness.\n Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:\n Cast up a highway for him that rideth through the deserts;\n His name is the Lord; and exult ye before him.\n A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows,\n Is God in his holy habitation.\n God setteth the solitary in families:\n He bringeth out the prisoners into prosperity;\n But the rebellious dwell in a parched land.\n\n O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,\n When thou didst march through the wilderness;\n The earth trembled,\n The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God:\n Yon Sinai trembled at the presence of God, the God of Israel.\n Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain,\n Thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.\n Thy congregation dwelt therein:\n Thou, O God, didst prepare of thy goodness for the poor.\n The Lord giveth the word:\n The women that publish the tidings are a great host.\n Kings of armies flee, they flee;\n And she that tarrieth at home divideth the spoil.\n --_Psalm 68:1-12_.\n\n\n{87}\n\nO LORD, MAKE NO TARRYING!\n\n Make haste, O God, to deliver me;\n Make haste to help me, O Lord.\n Let them be ashamed and confounded\n That seek after my soul:\n Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonour\n That delight in my hurt.\n Let them be turned back by reason of their shame\n That say, \"Aha! Aha!\"\n Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee;\n And let such as love thy salvation say continually,\n \"Let God be magnified.\"\n But I am poor and needy;\n Make haste unto me, O God:\n Thou art my help and my deliverer;\n O Lord, make no tarrying!\n --_Psalm 70_.\n\n{88}\n\nTHE RIGHTEOUS KING\n\n He shall judge thy people with righteousness,\n And thy poor with judgment.\n The mountains shall bring peace to the people,\n And the hills, in righteousness.\n He shall judge the poor of the people,\n He shall save the children of the needy,\n And shall break in pieces the oppressor.\n They shall fear thee while the sun endureth,\n And so long as the moon, throughout all generations.\n He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass:\n As showers that water the earth.\n In his days shall the righteous flourish;\n And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more.\n He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,\n And from the River unto the ends of the earth.\n They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him;\n And his enemies shall lick the dust.\n The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents:\n The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.\n Yea, all kings shall fall down before him:\n All nations shall serve him.\n For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth;\n And the poor, that hath no helper.\n He shall have pity on the poor and needy, {89}\n And the souls of the needy he shall save.\n He shall redeem their soul from oppression and violence;\n And precious shall their blood be in his sight:\n And they shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba:\n And men shall pray for him continually;\n They shall bless him all the day long.\n There shall be abundance of corn in the earth\n upon the top of the mountains;\n The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon:\n And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.\n His name shall endure for ever;\n His name shall be continued as long as the sun:\n And men shall be blessed in him;\n All nations shall call him blessed.\n Give the king thy judgments, O God,\n And thy righteousness unto the king's son.\n Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,\n Who only doeth wondrous things:\n And blessed be his glorious name for ever;\n And let the whole earth be filled with his glory.\n Amen, and Amen.\n --_Psalm 72:2-19_.\n\n\n{90}\n\nTHY WAY WAS IN THE SEA\n\n I will make mention of the deeds of the Lord;\n For I will remember thy wonders of old.\n I will meditate also upon all thy work,\n And muse on thy doings.\n\n Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:\n Who is a great god like unto God?\n Thou art the God that doest wonders:\n Thou hast made known thy strength among the peoples.\n Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people,\n The sons of Jacob and Joseph.\n The waters saw thee, O God;\n The waters saw thee, they were afraid:\n The depths also trembled.\n The clouds poured out water;\n The skies sent out a sound:\n Thine arrows also went abroad.\n The voice of thy thunder was in the whirlwind;\n The lightnings lightened the world:\n The earth trembled and shook.\n Thy way was in the sea,\n And thy paths in the great waters,\n And thy footsteps were not known.\n Thou leddest thy people like a flock,\n By the hand of Moses and Aaron.\n --_Psalm 77:11-20_.\n\n\n{91}\n\nGIVE EAR, O SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL\n\n Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,\n Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;\n Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth.\n Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy might,\n And come to save us.\n Turn us again, O God;\n And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.\n\n O Lord God of hosts,\n How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?\n Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears,\n And given them tears to drink in large measure.\n Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours:\n And our enemies laugh among themselves.\n Turn us again, O God of hosts;\n And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.\n\n Thou broughtest a vine out of Egypt:\n Thou didst drive out the nations, and plantedst it.\n Thou preparedst room before it,\n And it took deep root, and filled the land.\n The mountains were covered with the shadow of it, {92}\n And the boughs thereof were like cedars of God.\n She sent out her branches unto the sea,\n And her shoots unto the River.\n Why hast thou broken down her fences,\n So that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?\n The boar out of the wood doth ravage it,\n And the wild beasts of the field feed on it.\n Turn again, we beseech thee, O God of hosts:\n Look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine,\n And the stock which thy right hand hath planted,\n And the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.\n It is burned with fire, it is cut down:\n They perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.\n Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,\n Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.\n So shall we not go back from thee:\n Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name.\n Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts;\n Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.\n --_Psalm 80_.\n\n{93}{94}\n\n[Illustration]\n BEDOUINS WITH CAMELS IN THE PLAIN NEAR MOUNT SINAI.\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n \"We arrived at a certain place where the mountains betwixt which we\n were traveling opened out into a huge, wide, and very fair valley,\n and beyond this valley appeared the Mount of God, Sinai. This is a\n very extensive valley, lying under the side of the Mount of God.\n This is the huge and wide valley in which the children of Israel\n sojourned in those days, when Saint Moses ascended into the Mount of\n God and was there forty days and forty nights. This is the valley in\n which the calf was made; the place is shown to this day, for a great\n stone stands fixed to the very spot. As you go round about the\n mountain it appears to be one, though when you get within it there\n are many; but the whole is called the Mount of God, especially the\n one on whose summit is the place where the glory of God descended,\n as it is written; and it is in the middle of them all; and while all\n these mountains that are in the group are more glorious than I had\n ever expected to see, yet this one in the middle is so much higher\n than all the others, that when we approached it, straightway all\n these mountains which had appeared to us so glorious seemed but as\n little hills.\"--From the very interesting Diary of Saint Sylvia of\n Aquitaine, who about the year 385 made a pilgrimage to the East.\n This diary, which is one of the earliest \"travel books\" ever\n written, has only recently been discovered.\n\n\n{95}\n\nTHE HOUSE OF THE LORD\n\n How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!\n My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord;\n My heart and my flesh cry out unto the living God.\n Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house,\n And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,\n Even thine altars, O Lord of hosts,\n My King, and my God.\n Blessed are they that dwell in thy house:\n They will be still praising thee.\n Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee;\n In whose heart are the high ways to Zion.\n Passing through the valley of Weeping they make it a place of springs;\n Yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings.\n They go from strength to strength,\n Everyone of them appeareth before God in Zion.\n\n O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer:\n Give ear, O God of Jacob.\n Behold, O God our shield,\n And look upon the face of thine anointed.\n For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. {96}\n I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,\n Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.\n For the Lord God is a sun and a shield:\n The Lord will give grace and glory:\n No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.\n O Lord of hosts,\n Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.\n --_Psalm 84_.\n\n\n{97}\n\nA PLEA FOR MERCY\n\n Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land:\n Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.\n Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people,\n Thou hast covered all their sin.\n Thou hast taken away all thy wrath:\n Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.\n Turn us, O God of our salvation,\n And cause thine indignation toward us to cease.\n Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?\n Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?\n Wilt thou not quicken us again:\n That thy people may rejoice in thee?\n Shew us thy mercy, O Lord,\n And grant us thy salvation.\n\n I will hear what God the Lord will speak:\n For he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints:\n But let them not turn again to folly.\n Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him;\n That glory may dwell in our land.\n Mercy and truth are met together;\n Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.\n Truth springeth out of the earth;\n And righteousness hath looked down from heaven.\n Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good;\n And our land shall yield her increase.\n Righteousness shall go before him;\n And shall make his footsteps a way to walk in.\n --_Psalm 85_.\n\n\n{98}\n\nTHE CRY OF THE NEEDY\n\n Bow down thine ear, O Lord, and answer me;\n For I am poor and needy.\n Preserve my soul; for I am godly:\n O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.\n Be merciful unto me, O Lord;\n For unto thee do I cry all the day long.\n Rejoice the soul of thy servant;\n For unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.\n For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive,\n And plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.\n Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer;\n And hearken unto the voice of my supplications.\n In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee;\n For thou wilt answer me.\n There is none like unto thee among the gods, O Lord;\n Neither are there any works like unto thy works.\n All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord;\n And they shall glorify thy name.\n For thou art great, and doest wondrous things:\n Thou art God alone.\n Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth:\n Unite my heart to fear thy name.\n I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; {99}\n And I will glorify thy name for evermore.\n For great is thy mercy toward me;\n And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest pit.\n O God, the proud are risen up against me,\n And the congregation of violent men have sought after my soul,\n And have not set thee before them.\n But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion and gracious,\n Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy and truth.\n O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me;\n Give thy strength unto thy servant,\n And save the son of thine handmaid.\n Shew me a token for good;\n That they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed,\n Because thou, Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.\n --_Psalm 86_.\n\n\n{100}\n\nTHE PRAISE OF ZION\n\n His foundation is in the holy mountains.\n The Lord loveth the gates of Zion\n More than all the dwellings of Jacob.\n Glorious things are spoken of thee,\n O city of God.\n I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon as among them that know me:\n Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia:\n This one was born there.\n Yea, of Zion it shall be said,\n This one and that one was born in her;\n And the Most High himself will establish her.\n The Lord will count, when he writeth up the peoples,\n This one was born there.\n They that sing as well as they that dance shall say,\n All my fountains are in thee.\n --_Psalm 87_.\n\n{101}{102}\n\n[Illustration]\n MOUNT TABOR\n\n From a photograph in the possession of Rev. Louis F. Giroux of the\n American International College, Springfield, Mass., and used by his\n kind permission.\n\n \"Esdraelon's plain still boasts its myrtle bowers,\n Golden with corn, or carpeted with flowers:\n How like a sainted mind that seeks the skies,\n Crowned with a glory, Tabor's tops arise.\n Jasmine's white bells and henna's yellow bloom,\n Breathe out their sweets till rocks e'en drink perfume;\n In viewless clouds those odors mount the air,\n And Tabor stands like some rich altar there.\"\n --_Nicolas Michell_\n\n\n{103}\n\nTHE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH ARE THINE\n\n I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever:\n With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.\n For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever;\n Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.\n\n And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord;\n Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.\n For who in the skies can be compared unto the Lord?\n Who among the sons of the mighty is like unto the Lord?\n Thou rulest the pride of the sea:\n When the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.\n The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine:\n The world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.\n The north and the south, thou hast created them:\n Tabor and Hermon rejoice in thy name.\n Thou hast a mighty arm:\n Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.\n Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of thy throne:\n Mercy and truth go before thy face.\n Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound:\n They walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.\n In thy name do they rejoice all the day:\n And in thy righteousness are they exalted.\n For thou art the glory of their strength:\n And in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.\n For our shield belongeth unto the Lord;\n And our king to the Holy One of Israel.\n\n --_Psalm 89:1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 11-18_.\n\n\n{104}\n\nAS A WATCH IN THE NIGHT\n\n Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place\n In all generations.\n Before the mountains were brought forth,\n Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,\n Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.\n Thou turnest man to destruction;\n And sayest, Return, ye children of men.\n For a thousand years in thy sight\n Are but as yesterday when it is past,\n And as a watch in the night.\n Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep:\n In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.\n In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up;\n In the evening it is cut down, and withereth.\n For we are consumed in thine anger,\n And in thy wrath are we troubled.\n Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,\n Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.\n For all our days are passed away in thy wrath:\n We bring our years to an end as a tale that is told.\n The days of our years are threescore years and ten,\n Or even by reason of strength fourscore years;\n Yet is their pride but labour and sorrow; {105}\n For it is soon gone, and we fly away.\n Who knoweth the power of thine anger,\n And thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto thee?\n So teach us to number our days,\n That we may get us an heart of wisdom.\n Return, O Lord; how long?\n And let it repent thee concerning thy servants.\n O satisfy us in the morning with thy mercy;\n That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.\n Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us,\n And the years wherein we have seen evil.\n Let thy work appear unto thy servants,\n And thy glory upon their children.\n And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us:\n And establish thou the work of our hands upon us;\n Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.\n --_Psalm 90_.\n\n\n{106}\n\nTHE LORD IS OUR REFUGE\n\n He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High\n Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.\n I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress;\n My God, in whom I trust.\n For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,\n And from the noisome pestilence.\n He shall cover thee with his pinions,\n And under his wings shalt thou take refuge:\n His truth is a shield and a buckler.\n Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night,\n Nor for the arrow that flieth by day;\n For the pestilence that walketh in darkness,\n Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.\n A thousand shall fall at thy side,\n And ten thousand at thy right hand;\n But it shall not come nigh thee.\n Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold,\n And see the reward of the wicked.\n For thou, O Lord, art my refuge!\n Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation;\n There shall no evil befall thee,\n Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent.\n For he shall give his angels charge over thee,\n To keep thee in all thy ways. {107}\n They shall bear thee up in their hands,\n Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.\n Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder:\n The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under feet.\n Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him:\n I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.\n He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;\n I will be with him in trouble:\n I will deliver him, and honour him.\n With long life will I satisfy him,\n And shew him my salvation.\n --_Psalm 91_.\n\n\n{108}\n\nTHE SONG OF THE FLOODS\n\n The Lord reigneth; he is clothed with majesty;\n The Lord is clothed with strength wherewith he hath girded himself:\n The world also is established, that it cannot be moved.\n Thy throne is established of old:\n Thou art from everlasting.\n The floods have lifted up, O Lord,\n The floods have lifted up their voice;\n The floods lift up their waves.\n Above the voices of many waters,\n The mighty breakers of the sea,\n The Lord on high is mighty.\n Thy testimonies are very sure:\n Holiness becometh thine house,\n O Lord, for evermore.\n --_Psalm 93_.\n\n{109}{110}\n\n[Illustration]\n ON THE COAST OF PALESTINE AT SUNSET.\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Fontaine Meriwether,\n and used by her kind permission.\n\n \"The sea is his and he made it,\n And his hands formed the dry land.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{111}\n\nTHE SEA AND THE LAND ARE HIS\n\n O come, let us sing unto the Lord:\n Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.\n Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,\n Let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.\n For the Lord is a great God,\n And a great King above all gods.\n In his hand are the deep places of the earth;\n The heights of the mountains are his also.\n The sea is his, and he made it;\n And his hands formed the dry land.\n O come, let us worship and bow down;\n Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker:\n For he is our God,\n And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.\n\n --_Psalm 95:1-7_.\n\n\n{112}\n\nO SING UNTO THE LORD A NEW SONG\n\n O sing unto the Lord a new song:\n Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.\n Sing unto the Lord, bless his name;\n Shew forth his salvation from day to day.\n Declare his glory among the nations,\n His marvellous works among all the peoples.\n For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised:\n He is to be feared above all gods.\n For all the gods of the peoples are idols:\n But the Lord made the heavens.\n Honour and majesty are before him:\n Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.\n Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the peoples,\n Give unto the Lord glory and strength.\n Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name:\n Bring an offering, and come into his courts.\n O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:\n Tremble before him, all the earth.\n Say among the nations, The Lord reigneth:\n The world also is established that it cannot be moved:\n He shall judge the peoples with equity.\n Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;\n Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;\n Let the field exult, and all that is therein;\n Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy\n Before the Lord, for he cometh;\n For he cometh to judge the earth:\n He shall judge the world with righteousness,\n And the peoples with his truth.\n --_Psalm 96_.\n\n\n{113}\n\nTHE LORD REIGNETH\n\n The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice;\n Let the multitude of isles be glad.\n Clouds and darkness are round about him:\n Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne.\n A fire goeth before him,\n And burneth up his adversaries round about.\n His lightnings lightened the world:\n The earth saw, and trembled.\n The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,\n At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.\n The heavens declare his righteousness,\n And all the peoples have seen his glory.\n Ashamed be all they that serve graven images,\n That boast themselves of idols:\n Worship him, all ye gods.\n Zion heard and was glad,\n And the daughters of Judah rejoiced;\n Because of thy judgments, O Lord.\n For thou, Lord, art most high above all the earth:\n Thou art exalted far above all gods.\n O ye that love the Lord, hate evil:\n He preserveth the souls of his saints;\n He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.\n Light is sown for the righteous,\n And gladness for the upright in heart.\n Be glad in the Lord, ye righteous;\n And give thanks to his holy name.\n --_Psalm 97_.\n\n\n{114}\n\nLET THE SEA ROAR\n\n O sing unto the Lord a new song;\n For he hath done marvellous things:\n His right hand, and his holy arm, hath wrought salvation for him.\n The Lord hath made known his salvation:\n His righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the nations.\n He hath remembered his mercy and his faithfulness toward\n the house of Israel:\n All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.\n Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth:\n Break forth and sing for joy, yea, sing praises.\n Sing praises unto the Lord with the harp;\n With the harp and the voice of melody.\n With trumpets and sound of cornet\n Make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.\n Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;\n The world, and they that dwell therein;\n Let the floods clap their hands;\n Let the hills sing for joy together\n Before the Lord, for he cometh to judge the earth:\n He shall judge the world with righteousness,\n And the peoples with equity.\n --_Psalm 98_.\n\n\n{115}\n\nHOLY IS THE LORD\n\n The Lord reigneth; let the peoples tremble:\n He sitteth above the cherubim; let the earth be moved.\n The Lord is great in Zion;\n And he is high above all the peoples.\n Let them praise thy great and terrible name:\n Holy is he.\n\n The king's strength also loveth justice;\n Thou dost establish equity;\n Thou executest justice and righteousness in Jacob.\n Exalt ye the Lord our God,\n And worship at his footstool:\n Holy is he.\n\n Moses and Aaron among his priests,\n And Samuel among them that call upon his name;\n They called upon the Lord, and he answereth them.\n He spake unto them in the pillar of cloud:\n They kept his testimonies,\n And the statute that he gave them.\n Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God:\n Thou wast a God that forgavest them,\n Though thou tookest vengeance of their doings.\n Exalt ye the Lord our God,\n And worship at his holy hill;\n For the Lord our God is holy.\n --_Psalm 99_.\n\n\n{116}\n\nTHANKSGIVING AND PRAISE\n\n Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.\n Serve the Lord with gladness:\n Come before his presence with singing.\n Know ye that the Lord he is God:\n It is he that hath made us, and we are his;\n We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.\n Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,\n And into his courts with praise:\n Give thanks unto him, and bless his name.\n For the Lord is good; his mercy endureth for ever;\n And his faithfulness unto all generations.\n --_Psalm 100_.\n\n\n{117}\n\nGOD IS UNCHANGEABLE\n\n I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days:\n Thy years are throughout all generations.\n Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth;\n And the heavens are the work of thy hands.\n They shall perish, but thou shalt endure:\n Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment;\n As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:\n But thou art the same,\n And thy years shall have no end.\n --_Psalm 102:24-27_.\n\n\n{118}\n\nOUR FATHER\n\n Bless the Lord, O my soul;\n And all that is within me, bless his holy name.\n Bless the Lord, O my soul,\n And forget not all his benefits:\n Who forgiveth all thine iniquities:\n Who healeth all thy diseases;\n Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;\n Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies:\n Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;\n So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle.\n The Lord executeth righteous acts,\n And judgments for all that are oppressed.\n He made known his ways unto Moses,\n His doings unto the children of Israel.\n The Lord is full of compassion and gracious,\n Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.\n He will not always chide;\n Neither will he keep his anger for ever.\n He hath not dealt with us after our sins,\n Nor rewarded us after our iniquities.\n For as the heaven is high above the earth,\n So great is his mercy toward them that fear him.\n As far as the east is from the west, {119}\n So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.\n Like as a father pitieth his children,\n So the Lord pitieth them that fear him.\n For he knoweth our frame;\n He remembereth that we are dust.\n As for man, his days are as grass;\n As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.\n For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;\n And the place thereof shall know it no more.\n But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting\n to everlasting upon them that fear him,\n And his righteousness unto children's children;\n To such as keep his covenant,\n And to those that remember his precepts to do them.\n The Lord hath established his throne in the heavens;\n And his kingdom ruleth over all.\n Bless the Lord, ye angels of his:\n Ye mighty in strength, that fulfil his word,\n Hearkening unto the voice of his word.\n Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts;\n Ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.\n Bless the Lord, all ye his works,\n In all places of his dominion:\n Bless the Lord, O my soul.\n --_Psalm 108_.\n\n\n{120}\n\nGOD THE CREATOR\n\n Bless the Lord, O my soul.\n O Lord my God, thou art very great;\n Thou art clothed with honour and majesty.\n Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment;\n Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:\n Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters;\n Who maketh the clouds his chariot;\n Who walketh upon the wings of the wind:\n Who maketh winds his messengers;\n His ministers a flaming fire:\n Who laid the foundations of the earth,\n That it should not be moved for ever.\n Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture;\n The waters stood above the mountains.\n At thy rebuke they fled;\n At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away;\n They went up by the mountains, they went down by the valleys,\n Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them.\n Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over;\n That they turn not again to cover the earth.\n He sendeth forth springs into the valleys;\n They run among the mountains:\n They give drink to every beast of the field; {121}\n The wild asses quench their thirst.\n By them the birds of the heaven have their habitation,\n They sing among the branches.\n He watereth the mountains from his chambers:\n The earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.\n He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,\n And herb for the service of man;\n That he may bring forth food out of the earth:\n And wine that maketh glad the heart of man,\n And oil to make his face to shine,\n And bread that strengtheneth man's heart.\n The trees of the Lord are satisfied;\n The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;\n Where the birds make their nests:\n As for the stork, the fir trees are her house.\n The high mountains are for the wild goats;\n The rocks are a refuge for the conies.\n He appointed the moon for seasons:\n The sun knoweth his going down.\n Thou makest darkness, and it is night;\n Wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.\n The young lions roar after their prey,\n And seek their meat from God.\n The sun ariseth, they get them away,\n And lay them down in their dens.\n Man goeth forth unto his work\n And to his labour until the evening.\n O Lord, how manifold are thy works!\n In wisdom hast thou made them all: {122}\n The earth is full of thy riches.\n Yonder is the sea, great and wide,\n Wherein are things creeping innumerable,\n Both small and great beasts.\n There go the ships;\n There is leviathan, whom thou hast formed to take his pastime therein.\n These wait all upon thee,\n That thou mayest give them their meat in due season.\n That thou givest unto them they gather;\n Thou openest thine hand, they are satisfied with good.\n Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled;\n Thou takest away their breath, they die,\n And return to their dust.\n Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created;\n And thou renewest the face of the ground.\n Let the glory of the Lord endure for ever;\n Let the Lord rejoice in his works:\n Who looketh on the earth, and it trembleth;\n He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.\n I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live:\n I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.\n Let my meditation be sweet unto him:\n I will rejoice in the Lord.\n Let sinners be consumed out of the earth,\n And let the wicked be no more.\n Bless the Lord, O my soul.\n Praise ye the Lord.\n --_Psalm 104_.\n\n\n{123}\n\nHE HATH NOT DEALT SO WITH ANY NATION\n\n Oh give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name;\n Make known among the peoples his doings.\n Sing unto him, sing praises unto him;\n Talk ye of all his marvellous works.\n Glory ye in his holy name:\n Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.\n Seek ye the Lord and his strength;\n Seek his face evermore.\n Remember his marvellous works that he hath done,\n His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth,\n O ye children of Abraham his servant,\n Ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.\n He is the Lord our God:\n His judgments are in all the earth.\n He hath remembered his covenant for ever,\n The word which he commanded to a thousand generations,\n The covenant which he made with Abraham,\n And his oath unto Isaac,\n And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute,\n To Israel for an everlasting covenant,\n Saying, \"Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan,\n The lot of your inheritance,\"\n When they were but a few men in number,\n Yea, very few, and sojourners in it. {124}\n And they went about from nation to nation,\n From one kingdom to another people.\n He suffered no man to do them wrong;\n Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,\n Saying, \"Touch not mine anointed ones,\n And do my prophets no harm.\"\n And he called for a famine upon the land;\n He brake the whole staff of bread.\n He sent a man before them;\n Joseph was sold for a servant:\n His feet they hurt with fetters;\n He was laid in chains of iron,\n Until the time that his word came to pass,\n The word of the Lord tried him.\n The king sent and loosed him;\n Even the ruler of peoples, and let him go free.\n He made him lord of his house,\n And ruler of all his substance;\n To bind his princes at his pleasure,\n And teach his elders wisdom.\n Israel also came into Egypt;\n And Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.\n And he increased his people greatly,\n And made them stronger than their adversaries.\n He turned their heart to hate his people,\n To deal subtilly with his servants.\n He sent Moses his servant,\n And Aaron whom he had chosen.\n They set among them his signs, {125}\n And wonders in the land of Ham.\n He sent darkness, and made it dark;\n And they rebelled not against his words.\n He turned their waters into blood,\n And slew their fish.\n Their land swarmed with frogs,\n In the chambers of their kings.\n He spake, and there came swarms of flies,\n And lice in all their borders.\n He gave them hail for rain,\n And flaming fire in their land.\n He smote their vines also and their fig trees;\n And brake the trees of their borders.\n He spake, and the locust came,\n And the cankerworm, and that without number,\n And did eat up every herb in their land,\n And did eat up the fruit of their ground.\n He smote also all the firstborn in their land,\n The chief of all their strength.\n And he brought them forth with silver and gold:\n And there was not one feeble person among his tribes,\n Egypt was glad when they departed;\n For the fear of them had fallen upon them.\n He spread a cloud for a covering;\n And fire to give light in the night.\n They asked, and he brought quails,\n And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.\n He opened the rock, and waters gushed out;\n They ran in the dry places like a river.\n For he remembered his holy word. {126}\n And Abraham his servant.\n And he brought forth his people with joy,\n And his chosen with singing.\n And he gave them the lands of the nations;\n And they took the labour of the peoples in possession:\n That they might keep his statutes,\n And observe his laws.\n Praise ye the Lord.\n\n Praise ye the Lord.\n O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord,\n Or shew forth all his praise?\n Blessed are they that keep judgment,\n And he that doeth righteousness at all times.\n Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people;\n O visit me with thy salvation:\n That I may see the prosperity of thy chosen,\n That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,\n That I may glory with thine inheritance.\n\n We have sinned with our fathers,\n We have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.\n Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt;\n They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies;\n But were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.\n Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake,\n That he might make his mighty power to be known.\n He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up: {127}\n So he led them through the depths, as through a wilderness.\n And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them,\n And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.\n And the waters covered their adversaries:\n There was not one of them left.\n Then believed they his words;\n They sang his praise.\n They soon forgot his works;\n They waited not for his counsel:\n But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,\n And tempted God in the desert.\n And he gave them their request;\n But sent leanness into their soul.\n They envied Moses also in the camp,\n And Aaron the saint of the Lord.\n The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,\n And covered the company of Abiram.\n And a fire was kindled in their company;\n The flame burned up the wicked.\n They made a calf in Horeb,\n And worshipped a molten image.\n Thus they changed their glory\n For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.\n They forgot God their saviour,\n Which had done great things in Egypt;\n Wondrous works in the land of Ham,\n And terrible things by the Red Sea.\n Therefore he said that he would destroy them,\n Had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach,\n To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them. {128}\n Yea, they despised the pleasant land,\n They believed not his word;\n But murmured in their tents,\n And hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord.\n Therefore he lifted up his hand unto them,\n That he would overthrow them in the wilderness:\n And that he would overthrow them among the nations,\n And scatter them in the lands.\n They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor,\n And ate the sacrifices of the dead.\n Thus they provoked him to anger with their doings;\n And the plague broke in upon them.\n Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment:\n And so the plague was stayed.\n And that was counted unto him for righteousness,\n Unto all generations for evermore.\n They angered him also at the waters of Meribah,\n So that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:\n Because they were rebellious against his spirit,\n And he spake unadvisedly with his lips.\n They did not destroy the peoples,\n As the Lord commanded them;\n But mingled themselves with the nations,\n And learned their works:\n And they served their idols;\n Which became a snare unto them:\n Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto demons,\n And shed innocent blood, even the blood of\n their sons and of their daughters, {129}\n Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan;\n And the land was polluted with blood.\n Thus were they defiled with their works,\n And did very evil in their doings.\n Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against this people,\n And he abhorred his inheritance.\n And he gave them into the hand of the nations;\n And they that hated them ruled over them.\n Their enemies also oppressed them,\n And they were brought into subjection under their hand.\n Many times did he deliver them;\n But they were rebellious in their counsel,\n And were brought low in their iniquity.\n Nevertheless he regarded their distress,\n When he heard their cry:\n And he remembered for them his covenant,\n And repented according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.\n He made them also to be pitied\n Of all those that carried them captive.\n\n Save us, O Lord our God,\n And gather us from among the nations,\n To give thanks unto thy holy name,\n And to triumph in thy praise.\n\n Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,\n From everlasting even to everlasting.\n And let all the people say, Amen.\n Praise ye the Lord.\n --_Psalms 105, 106_.\n\n\n{130}\n\nHIS MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER\n\n O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,\n Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary;\n And gathered them out of the lands,\n From the east and from the west,\n From the north and from the south.\n\n They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way;\n They found no city of habitation.\n Hungry and thirsty,\n Their soul fainted in them.\n Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble,\n And he delivered them out of their distresses.\n He led them also by a straight way,\n That they might go to a city of habitation.\n Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,\n And for his wonderful works to the children of men!\n For he satisfieth the longing soul,\n And the hungry soul he filleth with good.\n\n Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,\n Being bound in affliction and iron;\n Because they rebelled against the words of God,\n And contemned the counsel of the Most High:\n Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; {131}\n They fell down, and there was none to help.\n Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble,\n And he saved them out of their distresses.\n He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,\n And brake their bands in sunder.\n Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,\n And for his wonderful works to the children of men!\n For he hath broken the gates of brass,\n And cut the bars of iron in sunder.\n\n Fools because of their transgression,\n And because of their iniquities, are afflicted.\n Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat;\n And they draw near unto the gates of death.\n Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,\n And he saveth them out of their distresses.\n He sendeth his word, and healeth them,\n And delivereth them from their destructions.\n Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,\n And for his wonderful works to the children of men!\n And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving,\n And declare his works with singing.\n They that go down to the sea in ships,\n That do business in great waters;\n These see the works of the Lord,\n And his wonders in the deep.\n For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind,\n Which lifteth up the waves thereof.\n They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: {132}\n Their soul melteth away because of trouble.\n They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,\n And are at their wits' end.\n Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,\n And he bringeth them out of their distresses.\n He maketh the storm a calm,\n So that the waves thereof are still.\n Then are they glad because they be quiet;\n So he bringeth them unto the haven where they would be.\n Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,\n And for his wonderful works to the children of men!\n Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people,\n And praise him in the seat of the elders.\n\n He turneth rivers into a wilderness,\n And watersprings into a thirsty ground;\n A fruitful land into a salt desert,\n For the wickedness of them that dwell therein.\n He turneth a wilderness into a pool of water,\n And a dry land into watersprings.\n And there he maketh the hungry to dwell,\n That they may prepare a city of habitation;\n And sow fields, and plant vineyards,\n And get them fruits of increase.\n He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly;\n And he suffereth not their cattle to decrease.\n Again, they are diminished and bowed down\n Through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.\n He poureth contempt upon princes, {133}\n And causeth them to wander in the waste, where there is no way.\n Yet setteth he the needy on high from affliction,\n And maketh him families like a flock.\n The upright shall see it, and be glad;\n And all iniquity shall stop her mouth.\n Whoso is wise shall give heed to these things,\n And they shall consider the mercies of the Lord.\n --_Psalm 107_.\n\n\n{134}\n\nHIS GLORY IS ABOVE THE HEAVENS\n\n Praise ye the Lord.\n Praise, O ye servants of the Lord,\n Praise the name of the Lord.\n Blessed be the name of the Lord\n From this time forth and for evermore.\n From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same\n The Lord's name is to be praised.\n The Lord is high above all nations,\n And his glory above the heavens.\n Who is like unto the Lord our God,\n Who hath his seat on high,\n Who humbleth himself to behold\n The things that are in heaven and in the earth?\n He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,\n And lifteth up the needy from the dunghill;\n That he may set him with princes,\n Even with the princes of his people.\n When Israel went forth out of Egypt,\n The house of Jacob from a people of strange language;\n Judah became his sanctuary,\n Israel his dominion.\n The sea saw it, and fled; {135}\n Jordan was driven back.\n The mountains skipped like rams,\n The little hills like young sheep.\n What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleest?\n Thou Jordan, that thou turnest back?\n Ye mountains, that ye skip like rams;\n Ye little hills, like young sheep?\n Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord,\n At the presence of the God of Jacob;\n Who turned the rock into a pool of water,\n The flint into a fountain of waters.\n --_Psalms 113:1-8; 114_.\n\n\n{136}\n\nIDOLS OF SILVER AND GOLD\n\n Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,\n But unto thy name give glory,\n For thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.\n Wherefore should the nations say,\n Where is now their God?\n But our God is in the heavens:\n He hath done whatsoever he pleased.\n Their idols are silver and gold,\n The work of men's hands.\n They have mouths, but they speak not;\n Eyes have they, but they see not;\n They have ears, but they hear not;\n Noses have they, but they smell not;\n They have hands, but they handle not;\n Feet have they, but they walk not;\n Neither speak they through their throat.\n They that make them shall be like unto them;\n Yea, everyone that trusteth in them.\n --_Psalm 115:1-8_.\n\n\n{137}\n\nI WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD\n\n I love the Lord, because he hath heard\n My voice and my supplications.\n Because he hath inclined his ear unto me,\n Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.\n The sorrows of death compassed me,\n And the pains of Sheol seized me:\n I found trouble and sorrow.\n Then called I upon the name of the Lord;\n O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.\n Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;\n Yea, our God is merciful.\n The Lord preserveth the simple:\n I was brought low, and he saved me.\n Return unto thy rest, O my soul;\n For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.\n For thou hast delivered my soul from death,\n Mine eyes from tears,\n And my feet from falling.\n I will walk before the Lord\n In the land of the living.\n I believe, for I will speak:\n I was greatly afflicted: {138}\n I said in my haste,\n All men are a lie.\n What shall I render unto the Lord\n For all his benefits toward me?\n I will take the cup of salvation,\n And call upon the name of the Lord.\n I will pay my vows unto the Lord,\n Yea, in the presence of all his people.\n Precious in the sight of the Lord\n Is the death of his saints.\n O Lord, truly I am thy servant:\n I am thy servant, the son of thine handmaid;\n Thou hast loosed my bonds.\n I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving,\n And will call upon the name of the Lord.\n I will pay my vows unto the Lord.\n --_Psalm 116:1-18_.\n\n\n{139}\n\nPRAISE THE LORD, YE NATIONS\n\n O praise the Lord, all ye nations;\n Laud him, all ye peoples.\n For his mercy is great toward us;\n And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.\n Praise ye the Lord.\n --_Psalm 117_.\n\n\n{140}\n\nTHE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND SONG\n\n O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n Let Israel now say,\n That his mercy endureth for ever.\n Let the house of Aaron now say,\n That his mercy endureth for ever.\n Let them now that fear the Lord say,\n That his mercy endureth for ever.\n\n Out of my distress I called upon the Lord:\n The Lord answered me and set me in a large place.\n The Lord is on my side; I will not fear:\n What can man do unto me?\n The Lord is on my side among them that help me:\n Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.\n It is better to trust in the Lord\n Than to put confidence in man.\n It is better to trust in the Lord\n Than to put confidence in princes.\n All nations compassed me about:\n In the name of the Lord I will cut them off.\n They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about:\n In the name of the Lord I will cut them off.\n They compassed me about like bees;\n they are quenched as the fire of thorns: {141}\n In the name of the Lord I will cut them off.\n Thou didst thrust sore at me that I might fall:\n But the Lord helped me.\n The Lord is my strength and song;\n And he is become my salvation.\n The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous:\n The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.\n The right hand of the Lord is exalted:\n The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.\n I shall not die, but live,\n And declare the works of the Lord.\n The Lord hath chastened me sore:\n But he hath not given me over unto death.\n Open to me the gates of righteousness:\n I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto the Lord.\n This is the gate of the Lord;\n The righteous shall enter into it.\n I will give thanks unto thee, for thou hast answered me,\n And art become my salvation.\n The stone which the builders rejected\n Is become the head of the corner.\n This is the Lord's doing;\n It is marvellous in our eyes.\n This is the day which the Lord hath made;\n We will rejoice and be glad in it.\n Save now, we beseech thee, O Lord:\n O Lord, we beseech thee, send now prosperity.\n Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: {142}\n We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.\n The Lord is God, and he hath given us light:\n Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.\n Thou art my God, and I will give thanks unto thee:\n Thou art my God, I will exalt thee.\n O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good;\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n --_Psalm 118_.\n\n\n{143}\n\nTHE SONGS OF THE PURE IN HEART\n\n Blessed are they that are perfect in the way,\n Who walk in the law of the Lord.\n Blessed are they that keep his testimonies,\n That seek him with the whole heart.\n Yea, they do no unrighteousness;\n They walk in his ways.\n Thou hast commanded us thy precepts,\n That we should observe them diligently.\n Oh that my ways were established\n To observe thy statutes!\n Then shall I not be ashamed,\n When I have respect unto all thy commandments.\n I will give thanks unto thee with uprightness of heart,\n When I learn thy righteous judgments.\n I will observe thy statutes:\n O forsake me not utterly.\n\n Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?\n By taking heed thereto according to thy word.\n With my whole heart have I sought thee:\n O let me not wander from thy commandments.\n Thy word have I laid up in mine heart,\n That I might not sin against thee.\n Blessed art thou, O Lord:\n Teach me thy statutes. {144}\n With my lips have I declared\n All the judgments of thy mouth.\n I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies,\n As much as in all riches.\n I will meditate in thy precepts,\n And have respect unto thy ways.\n I will delight myself in thy statutes:\n I will not forget thy word.\n\n Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live;\n So will I observe thy word.\n Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold\n Wondrous things out of thy law.\n I am a sojourner in the earth:\n Hide not thy commandments from me.\n My soul breaketh for the longing\n That it hath unto thy judgments at all times.\n Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed,\n Who wander from thy commandments.\n Take away from me reproach and contempt;\n For I have kept thy testimonies.\n Princes also sat and talked against me:\n But thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.\n Thy testimonies also are my delight\n And my counsellors.\n\n My soul cleaveth unto the dust:\n Quicken thou me according to thy word.\n I declared my ways, and thou answeredst me:\n Teach me thy statutes. {145}\n Make me to understand the way of thy precepts:\n So shall I meditate of thy wondrous works.\n My soul melteth for heaviness:\n Strengthen thou me according unto thy word.\n Remove from me the way of falsehood:\n And grant me thy law graciously.\n I have chosen the way of faithfulness:\n Thy judgments have I set before me.\n I cleave unto thy testimonies:\n O Lord, put me not to shame.\n I will run the way of thy commandments,\n When thou shalt enlarge my heart.\n\n Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes;\n And I shall keep it unto the end.\n Give me understanding, and I shall keep the law;\n Yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.\n Make me to go in the path of thy commandments;\n For therein do I delight.\n Incline my heart unto thy testimonies,\n And not to covetousness.\n Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity,\n And quicken me in thy ways.\n Confirm thy word unto thy servant,\n Which belongeth unto the fear of thee.\n Turn away my reproach whereof I am afraid;\n For thy judgments are good.\n Behold, I have longed after thy precepts:\n Quicken me in thy righteousness.\n Let thy mercies also come unto me, O Lord, {146}\n Even thy salvation, according to thy word.\n So shall I have an answer for him that reproacheth me;\n For I trust in thy word.\n And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth;\n For I have hoped in thy judgments.\n So shall I observe thy law continually\n For ever and ever.\n And I will walk at liberty;\n For I have sought thy precepts.\n I will also speak of thy testimonies before kings,\n And will not be ashamed.\n And I will delight myself in thy commandments,\n Which I have loved.\n I will lift up my hands also unto thy commandments, which I have loved;\n And I will meditate in thy statutes.\n\n Thy hands have made me and fashioned me:\n Give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.\n They that fear thee shall see me and be glad;\n Because I have hoped in thy word.\n I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are righteous,\n And that in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me.\n Let, I pray thee, thy lovingkindness be for my comfort,\n According to thy word unto thy servant.\n Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live:\n For thy law is my delight.\n Let the proud be ashamed; for they have overthrown me wrongfully: {147}\n But I will meditate in thy precepts.\n Let those that fear thee turn unto me,\n And they shall know thy testimonies.\n Let my heart be perfect in thy statutes;\n That I be not ashamed.\n\n My soul fainteth for thy salvation:\n But I hope in thy word.\n Mine eyes fail for thy word,\n While I say, \"When wilt thou comfort me?\"\n For I am become like a bottle in the smoke;\n Yet do I not forget thy statutes.\n How many are the days of thy servant?\n When wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?\n The proud have digged pits for me,\n Who are not after thy law.\n All thy commandments are faithful:\n They persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.\n They had almost consumed me upon earth;\n But I forsook not thy precepts.\n Quicken me after thy lovingkindness;\n So shall I observe the testimony of thy mouth.\n\n For ever, O Lord,\n Thy word is settled in heaven.\n Thy faithfulness is unto all generations:\n Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.\n They abide this day according to thine ordinances;\n For all things are thy servants. {148}\n Unless thy law had been my delight,\n I should then have perished in mine affliction.\n I will never forget thy precepts;\n For with them thou hast quickened me.\n I am thine, save me;\n For I have sought thy precepts.\n The wicked have waited for me to destroy me;\n But I will consider thy testimonies.\n I have seen an end of all perfection;\n But thy commandment is exceeding broad.\n\n Oh how love I thy law!\n It is my meditation all the day.\n Thy commandments make me wiser than mine enemies;\n For they are ever with me.\n I have more understanding than all my teachers;\n For thy testimonies are my meditation.\n I understand more than the aged,\n Because I have kept thy precepts.\n I have refrained my feet from every evil way,\n That I might observe thy word.\n I have not turned aside from thy judgments;\n For thou hast taught me.\n How sweet are thy words unto my taste!\n Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!\n Through thy precepts I get understanding:\n Therefore I hate every false way.\n\n Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.\n I have sworn, and have confirmed it,\n That I will observe thy righteous judgments. {149}\n I am afflicted very much:\n Quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word.\n Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord,\n And teach me thy judgments.\n My soul is continually in my hand;\n Yet do I not forget thy law.\n The wicked have laid a snare for me;\n Yet went I not astray from thy precepts.\n Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever;\n For they are the rejoicing of my heart.\n I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes,\n For ever, even unto the end.\n I hate them that are of a double mind;\n But thy law do I love.\n Thou art my hiding place and my shield:\n I hope in thy word.\n Depart from me, ye evil-doers;\n That I may keep the commandments of my God.\n Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live;\n And let me not be ashamed of my hope.\n Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe,\n And shall have respect unto thy statutes continually.\n Thou hast set at nought all them that err from thy statutes;\n For their deceit is falsehood.\n Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross:\n Therefore I love thy commandments.\n My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; {150}\n And I am afraid of thy judgments.\n I have done judgment and justice:\n Leave me not to mine oppressors.\n Be surety for thy servant for good:\n Let not the proud oppress me.\n Mine eyes fail for thy salvation,\n And for thy righteous word.\n Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy,\n And teach me thy statutes.\n I am thy servant, give me understanding;\n That I may know thy testimonies.\n It is time for the Lord to work;\n For they have made void thy law.\n Therefore I love thy commandments\n Above gold, yea, above fine gold.\n Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right;\n And I hate every false way.\n\n Thy testimonies are wonderful:\n Therefore doth my soul keep them.\n The opening of thy words giveth light;\n It giveth understanding unto the simple.\n I opened wide my mouth, and panted;\n For I longed for thy commandments.\n Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me,\n As thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.\n Order my footsteps in thy word;\n And let not any iniquity have dominion over me. {151}\n Redeem me from the oppression of man:\n So will I observe thy precepts.\n Make thy face to shine upon thy servant;\n And teach me thy statutes.\n Mine eyes run down with rivers of water,\n Because they observe not thy law.\n\n Righteous art thou, O Lord,\n And upright are thy judgments.\n Thou hast commanded thy testimonies in righteousness\n and very faithfulness.\n My zeal hath consumed me,\n Because mine adversaries have forgotten thy words.\n Thy word is very pure;\n Therefore thy servant loveth it.\n I am small and despised:\n Yet do not I forget thy precepts.\n Thy righteousness is everlasting righteousness,\n And thy law is truth.\n Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me:\n Yet thy commandments are my delight.\n Thy testimonies are righteous for ever:\n Give me understanding, and I shall live.\n\n I have called with my whole heart; answer me, O Lord:\n I will keep thy statutes.\n I have called unto thee; save me,\n And I shall observe thy testimonies.\n I rose before the dawning of the morning, and cried:\n I hoped in thy words. {152}\n Mine eyes outwatched the night watches,\n That I might meditate in thy word.\n Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness:\n Quicken me, O Lord, according to thy judgments.\n They draw nigh that follow after wickedness;\n They are far from thy law.\n Thou art nigh, O Lord,\n And all thy commandments are truth.\n Of old have I known from thy testimonies,\n That thou hast founded them for ever.\n\n Consider mine affliction, and deliver me;\n For I do not forget thy law.\n Plead thou my cause, and redeem me:\n Quicken me according to thy word.\n Salvation is far from the wicked;\n For they seek not thy statutes.\n Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord:\n Quicken me according to thy judgments.\n Many are my persecutors and mine adversaries;\n Yet have I not swerved from thy testimonies.\n I beheld the treacherous dealers, and was grieved;\n Because they observe not thy word.\n Consider how I love thy precepts:\n Quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness.\n The sum of thy word is truth;\n And everyone of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.\n\n --_Psalm 119:1-48, 73-160_.\n\n{153}{154}\n\n[Illustration]\n MOUNT CARMEL\n\n \"I will lift my eyes unto the mountains.\"\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{155}\n\nI WILL LIFT MINE EYES UNTO THE MOUNTAINS\n\n I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains:\n From whence shall my help come?\n My help cometh from the Lord,\n Who made heaven and earth.\n\n He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:\n He that keepeth thee will not slumber.\n Behold, he that keepeth Israel\n Shall neither slumber nor sleep.\n The Lord is thy keeper:\n The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.\n The sun shall not smite thee by day,\n Nor the moon by night.\n The Lord shall keep thee from all evil;\n He shall keep thy soul.\n The Lord shall keep thy going out and thy coming in,\n From this time forth and for evermore.\n --_Psalm 121_.\n\n\n{156}\n\nA PILGRIM SONG\n\n I was glad when they said unto me,\n \"Let us go unto the house of the Lord.\"\n Our feet are standing\n Within thy gates, O Jerusalem;\n Jerusalem, that art builded\n As a city that is compact together:\n Whither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord,\n For a testimony unto Israel,\n To give thanks unto the name of the Lord.\n For there are set thrones for judgment,\n The thrones of the house of David.\n Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:\n They shall prosper that love thee.\n Peace be within thy walls,\n And prosperity within thy palaces.\n For my brethren and companions' sakes,\n I will now say, \"Peace be within thee.\"\n For the sake of the house of the Lord our God\n I will seek thy good.\n --_Psalm 122_.\n\n\n{157}\n\nA SONG OF THE EXILES\n\n When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion,\n We were like unto them that dream.\n Then was our mouth filled with laughter,\n And our tongue with singing:\n Then said they among the nations,\n The Lord hath done great things for them.\n The Lord hath done great things for us;\n Whereof we are glad.\n Turn again our captivity, O Lord,\n As the streams in the South.\n They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.\n Though he goeth on his way weeping, bearing forth the seed;\n He shall come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him.\n\n --_Psalm 126_.\n\n{158}\n\n\"DE PROFUNDIS.\"\n\n Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.\n Lord, hear my voice:\n Let thine ears be attentive\n To the voice of my supplications.\n If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities,\n O Lord, who shall stand?\n But there is forgiveness with thee,\n That thou mayest be feared.\n I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait,\n And in his word do I hope.\n My soul looketh for the Lord,\n More than watchmen look for the morning;\n Yea, more than watchmen for the morning.\n O Israel, hope in the Lord;\n For with the Lord there is mercy,\n And with him is plenteous redemption.\n And he shall redeem Israel\n From all his iniquities.\n --_Psalm 130_.\n\n\n{159}\n\nBROTHERHOOD\n\n Behold, how good and how pleasant it is\n For brethren to dwell together in unity!\n It is like the precious oil upon the head,\n That ran down upon the beard,\n Even Aaron's beard;\n That came down upon the skirt of his garments;\n Like the dew of Hermon,\n That cometh down upon the mountains of Zion:\n For there the Lord commanded the blessing,\n Even life for evermore.\n --_Psalm 133_.\n\n\n{160}\n\nBLESS YE THE LORD\n\n Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord,\n Who by night stand in the house of the Lord.\n Lift up your hands to the sanctuary,\n And bless ye the Lord.\n The Lord bless thee out of Zion;\n Even he that made heaven and earth.\n\n Praise ye the Lord.\n Praise ye the name of the Lord;\n Praise him, O ye servants of the Lord:\n Ye that stand in the house of the Lord,\n In the courts of the house of our God.\n Praise ye the Lord; for the Lord is good:\n Sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.\n For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself,\n And Israel for his peculiar treasure.\n For I know that the Lord is great,\n And that our Lord is above all gods.\n Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that hath he done,\n In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.\n He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth;\n He maketh lightnings for the rain;\n He bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries. {161}\n Who smote the firstborn of Egypt,\n Both of man and beast.\n He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt,\n Upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.\n Who smote many nations,\n And slew mighty kings;\n Sihon king of the Amorites,\n And Og king of Bashan,\n And all the kingdoms of Canaan:\n And gave their land for an heritage,\n An heritage unto Israel his people.\n Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever;\n Thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations.\n For the Lord shall judge his people,\n And repent himself concerning his servants.\n\n The idols of the nations are silver and gold,\n The work of men's hands.\n They have mouths, but they speak not;\n Eyes have they, but they see not;\n They have ears, but they hear not;\n Neither is there any breath in their mouths.\n They that make them shall be like unto them;\n Yea, everyone that trusteth in them.\n\n O house of Israel, bless ye the Lord:\n O house of Aaron, bless ye the Lord:\n O house of Levi, bless ye the Lord:\n Ye that fear the Lord, bless ye the Lord.\n Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, {162}\n Who dwelleth at Jerusalem.\n Praise ye the Lord.\n\n O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n O give thanks unto the God of gods:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n O give thanks unto the Lord of lords:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him who alone doeth great wonders:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him who by understanding made the heavens:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him who spread forth the earth above the waters:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him who made great lights:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n The sun to rule by day:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n The moon and stars to rule by night:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him who smote Egypt in their firstborn:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And brought out Israel from among them:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him who divided the Red Sea in sunder:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: {163}\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him who led his people through the wilderness:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him who smote great kings:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And slew famous kings:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n Sihon king of the Amorites:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And Og king of Bashan:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And gave their land for an heritage:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n Even an heritage unto Israel his servant:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n Who remembered us in our low estate:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And hath delivered us from our adversaries:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n He giveth food to all flesh:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n O give thanks unto the God of heaven:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n --_Psalms 134-136_.\n\n\n{164}\n\nTHE EYE OF THE LORD\n\n O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.\n Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,\n Thou understandest my thought afar off.\n Thou searchest out my path and my lying down,\n And art acquainted with all my ways.\n For there is not a word in my tongue,\n But, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.\n Thou hast beset me behind and before,\n And laid thine hand upon me.\n Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;\n It is high, I cannot attain unto it.\n Whither shall I go from thy spirit?\n Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?\n If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:\n If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there.\n If I take the wings of the morning,\n And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;\n Even there shall thy hand lead me,\n And thy right hand shall hold me.\n If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me,\n And the light about me shall be night;\n Even the darkness hideth not from thee,\n But the night shineth as the day:\n The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. {165}\n How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!\n How great is the sum of them!\n If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:\n When I awake, I am still with thee.\n\n Search me, O God, and know my heart:\n Try me, and know my thoughts:\n And see if there be any way of wickedness in me,\n And lead me in the way everlasting.\n\n --_Psalm 139:1-12, 17, 18, 23, 24_.\n\n\n{166}\n\nHAPPY IS THE PEOPLE WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD\n\n Blessed be the Lord my rock,\n Who teacheth my hands to war,\n And my fingers to fight:\n My lovingkindness, and my fortress,\n My high tower, and my deliverer;\n My shield, and he in whom I trust;\n Who subdueth my people under me.\n Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him?\n Or the son of man, that thou makest account of him?\n Man is like to vanity:\n His days are as a shadow that passeth away.\n Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down:\n Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.\n Cast forth lightning, and scatter them;\n Send out thine arrows, and discomfit them.\n Stretch forth thy hand from above;\n Rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters,\n Out of the hand of aliens;\n Whose mouth speaketh deceit,\n And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood,\n\n I will sing a new song unto thee, O God:\n Upon a psaltery of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee. {167}\n Thou art he that giveth salvation unto kings;\n Who rescueth David his servant from the hurtful sword.\n Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hand of aliens,\n Whose mouth speaketh deceit,\n And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.\n\n When our sons shall be as plants grown up in their youth,\n And our daughters as corner stones hewn after the fashion of a palace;\n When our garners are full, affording all manner of store,\n And our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;\n When our oxen are well laden;\n When there is no breaking in, and no going forth,\n And no outcry in our streets:\n Happy is the people that is in such a case;\n Yea, happy is the people whose God is the Lord.\n --_Psalm 144_\n\n\n{168}\n\nSLOW TO ANGER AND PLENTEOUS IN MERCY\n\n I will extol thee, my God, O King;\n And I will bless thy name for ever and ever.\n Every day will I bless thee;\n And I will praise thy name for ever and ever.\n Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;\n And his greatness is unsearchable.\n One generation shall laud thy works to another,\n And shall declare thy mighty acts.\n Of the glorious majesty of thine honour,\n And of thy wondrous works, will I meditate.\n And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts;\n And I will declare thy greatness.\n They shall utter the memory of thy great goodness,\n And shall sing of thy righteousness\n\n The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion;\n Slow to anger, and of great mercy.\n The Lord is good to all;\n And his tender mercies are over all his works.\n All thy works shall give thanks unto thee, O Lord;\n And thy saints shall bless thee.\n They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom,\n And talk of thy power;\n To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts,\n And the glory of the majesty of his kingdom. {169}\n Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,\n And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.\n The Lord upholdeth all that fall,\n And raiseth up all those that be bowed down.\n The eyes of all wait upon thee;\n And thou givest them their food in due season.\n Thou openest thine hand,\n And satisfiest the desire of every living thing.\n The Lord is righteous in all his ways,\n And gracious in all his works.\n The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him,\n To all that call upon him in truth.\n He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him;\n He also will hear their cry, and will save them.\n The Lord preserveth all them that love him;\n But all the wicked will he destroy.\n My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord;\n And let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.\n\n --_Psalm 145_.\n\n\n{170}\n\nSONGS OF PRAISE\n\n Praise ye the Lord.\n Praise the Lord, O my soul.\n While I live will I praise the Lord:\n I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.\n\n Put not your trust in princes,\n Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.\n His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth;\n In that very day his thoughts perish.\n Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help,\n Whose hope is in the Lord his God:\n Which made heaven and earth,\n The sea, and all that in them is;\n Which keepeth truth for ever:\n Which executeth judgment for the oppressed;\n Which giveth food to the hungry:\n The Lord looseth the prisoners;\n The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind;\n The Lord raiseth up them that are bowed down;\n The Lord loveth the righteous;\n The Lord preserveth the strangers;\n He upholdeth the fatherless and widow;\n But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.\n The Lord shall reign for ever, {171}\n Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations.\n Praise ye the Lord.\n\n Praise ye the Lord;\n For it is good to sing praises unto our God;\n For it is pleasant, and praise is comely.\n\n The Lord doth build up Jerusalem;\n He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.\n He healeth the broken in heart,\n And bindeth up their wounds.\n He telleth the number of the stars;\n He giveth them all their names.\n Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;\n His understanding is infinite.\n The Lord upholdeth the meek:\n He bringeth the wicked down to the ground.\n\n Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving;\n Sing praises upon the harp unto our God:\n Who covereth the heaven with clouds,\n Who prepareth rain for the earth,\n Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.\n He giveth to the beast his food,\n And to the young ravens which cry.\n He delighteth not in the strength of the horse:\n He taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man.\n The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him,\n In those that hope in his mercy.\n Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem;\n Praise thy God, O Zion. {172}\n For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates;\n He hath blessed thy children within thee.\n He maketh peace in thy borders;\n He filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.\n He sendeth out his commandment upon earth;\n His word runneth very swiftly.\n He giveth snow like wool;\n He scattereth the hoar frost like ashes.\n He casteth forth his ice like morsels:\n Who can stand before his cold?\n He sendeth out his word, and melteth them:\n He causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.\n He sheweth his word unto Jacob,\n His statutes and his judgments unto Israel.\n He hath not dealt so with any nation:\n And as for his judgments, they have not known them.\n Praise ye the Lord.\n\n Praise ye the Lord.\n Praise ye the Lord from the heavens:\n Praise him in the heights.\n Praise ye him, all his angels:\n Praise ye him, all his host.\n Praise ye him, sun and moon:\n Praise him, all ye stars of light.\n Praise him, ye heavens of heavens,\n And ye waters that be above the heavens.\n Let them praise the name of the Lord:\n For he commanded, and they were created. {173}\n He hath also established them for ever and ever:\n He hath made a decree which shall not pass away.\n Praise the Lord from the earth.\n Ye dragons, and all deeps:\n Fire and hail, snow and vapour;\n Stormy wind, fulfilling his word:\n Mountains and all hills;\n Fruitful trees and all cedars:\n Beasts and all cattle;\n Creeping things and flying fowl:\n Kings of the earth and all peoples;\n Princes and all judges of the earth:\n Both young men and maidens;\n Old men and children:\n Let them praise the name of the Lord;\n For his name alone is exalted:\n His glory is above the earth and heaven.\n And he hath lifted up the horn of his people,\n The praise of all his saints;\n Even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him.\n Praise ye the Lord.\n\n Praise ye the Lord.\n Praise God in his sanctuary:\n Praise him in the firmament of his power.\n Praise him for his mighty acts:\n Praise him according to his excellent greatness.\n Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:\n Praise him with the psaltery and harp. {174}\n Praise him with the timbrel and dance:\n Praise him with stringed instruments and the pipe.\n Praise him upon the loud cymbals:\n Praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.\n Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.\n Praise ye the Lord.\n --_Psalms 146-148, 150_.\n\n\n{175}{176}\n\n[Illustration]\n TWO WOMEN GRINDING AT THE MILL\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n The hand mill for grinding grain shown in the picture is exactly the\n same as those in use in Palestine from the earliest times. It\n consists of two circular stones, one of which is placed on top of\n the other, the upper and lower surfaces being flat. The underside of\n the upper stone is slightly concave, fitting into the convex surface\n of the lower stone. From the center of the lower stone a strong pin of\n wood passes through a funnel-shaped hole in the upper stone. Into\n this hole the grain is thrown, and as it is ground escapes as meal\n to a smooth sheepskin placed beneath. On the surface of the upper\n stone near the circumference, a handle is fixed by which the stone\n is turned. The meal is ground every day. The work, which is very\n laborious, is performed by the women of the household. In the\n picture this mill is rather more elaborate than usual, the lower\n stone being elongated and used as a trough for the meal as it falls\n over the edges of the mill. There are two baskets of grain and one\n of meal. One of the women is about to put a handful of grain in the\n mill. Both are helping to turn the upper stone by the handle\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{177}\n\nSELECTIONS FROM JOB\n\n{178}\n\nPERSONS REPRESENTED.\n _Friends of Job_.\n _Job, a rich man of the East_.\n _Eliphaz, the Temanite_.\n _Bildad, the Shuhite_.\n _Zophar, the Naamathite_.\n _Elihu, son of Barachel, the Buzite_.\n\n _The Wife of Job_.\n _The LORD_.\n _Satan_.\n _Sons of God, Messengers, Friends, Spectators_.\n\n\nPLACES.\n _The Land of Uz, a country east of Palestine_.\n _The Court of Heaven_.\n\n\nTIME.\n The Patriarchal Age.\n\n\n{179}\n\nJOB\n\nThere is one question over which men have puzzled for many, many\nhundreds of years. It is the question, \"Why do good people suffer?\"\nWhen wicked people suffered, the reason seemed to be plain. It was\nbecause they had done wrong; and people who do wrong ought to suffer.\nBut good people as well as wicked people suffer, and it has always\nbeen very hard for many to see how God can be good and this still be\ntrue.\n\nThis is the question that a Hebrew poet tried to answer in the book of\nJob. He pictured a man named Job who had lived a good life and feared\nGod, and yet who suffered. He lost the flocks and herds which had made\nhim rich. A whirlwind swept away the house in which his sons and\ndaughters were feasting, and killed them all. At last a disease for\nwhich there was no known cure came upon him. Poor and alone, he faced\na certain death of great suffering.\n\nThen three friends came to see him. Finding him suffering so, they\nbelieved that he must have been a great sinner, and that the suffering\nwas God's punishment for his sin. They tried to make him see that he\nhad sinned. At first they only hint it, very gently and tenderly, but\nwhen he still insists that he has not sinned in any way which should\nbring such suffering, they become more harsh and {180} plainly charge\nhim with being greedy of gain and cruel to the poor. He says that he\nhas not been guilty of these things. And so, the poet means to say,\nwhen men suffer, it does not always mean that they have sinned. Then,\nin the poem, God speaks out of a storm. He says that Job cannot\nunderstand the sea or the sky or the storm or the winter's cold or the\ninstincts of the animals. Does he think, then, that he will be able to\nunderstand how God deals with men? He trusts God in the things that\nare good. Can he not trust him in the things that seem evil also? Job\nis willing to trust God, and the book ends with a picture of a happy,\nprosperous old age for this man who has suffered so much.\n\nWhat is the writer's answer, then, to the question why good men\nsuffer? His answer is that we cannot tell why such men suffer. But we\nknow that God is wise and good, and we may trust him, even if we find\nit impossible, as we always shall, to answer all the questions of\nlife.\n\nThe book of Job is a great dramatic poem. It is dramatic not because\nit was meant to be acted as the Greek and English drama; the Hebrews\nknew nothing about drama of this kind. But it consists of dialogue\nbetween various speakers, and has the true dramatic spirit and\nintensity of personal feeling. It is the nearest approach to the drama\nin the Bible. It is printed here in dramatic form because it was felt\nthat this would be suggestive and helpful to the reader. It has a\nprologue and an epilogue which are in prose, while the speeches are in\npoetic form, and are printed like the blank verse of the Greek or\nEnglish drama.\n\n\n{181}\n\nPROLOGUE\n\nThere was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man\nwas perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil.\nAnd there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His\nsubstance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels,\nand five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very\ngreat household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children\nof the east. And his sons went and held a feast in the house of each\none upon his day; and they sent and called for their three sisters to\neat and to drink with them. And whenever the feast days came round Job\nsent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and\noffered burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job\nsaid, \"It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their\nhearts.\" Thus did Job continually.\n\nNow there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves\nbefore the Lord, and Satan came also among them.\n\nAnd thus they spoke:--\n\nTHE LORD--\"Whence comest thou?\"\n\nSATAN--\"From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and\ndown in it.\"\n\nTHE LORD--\"Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like\nhim in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God,\nand shunneth evil.\"\n\nSATAN--\"Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge\nabout him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every\nside? thou hast blessed the {182} work of his hands, and his substance\nis increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all\nthat he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face.\"\n\nTHE LORD--\"Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself\nput not forth thine hand.\"\n\nThen Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. After this on a\ncertain day messengers came with tidings to Job.\n\nFIRST MESSENGER--\"The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside\nthem: and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they\nhave slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am\nescaped alone to tell thee.\"\n\nSECOND MESSENGER--\"The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath\nburned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only\nam escaped alone to tell thee.\"\n\nTHIRD MESSENGER--\"The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the\ncamels, and have taken them away, yea, and slain the servants with the\nedge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.\"\n\nFOURTH MESSENGER--\"Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking\nwine in their eldest brother's house: and, behold, there came a great\nwind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and\nit fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped\nalone to tell thee.\"\n\nJOB--(He arose, rent his mantle, shaved his head, and fell on the\nground and worshipped.)\n\n{183}\n\n\"Naked came I into the world, and naked I must return out of it. The\nLord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the\nLord.\"\n\nAgain there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves\nbefore the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself\nbefore the Lord.\n\nAnd thus they spoke:--\n\nTHE LORD--\"From whence comest thou?\"\n\nSATAN--\"From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and\ndown in it.\"\n\nTHE LORD--\"Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like\nhim in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God,\nand shunneth evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although\nthou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.\"\n\nSATAN--\"Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his\nlife. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh,\nand he will renounce thee to thy face.\"\n\nTHE LORD--\"Behold, he is in thy hands; only spare his life.\"\n\nSatan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with\nsore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a\npotsherd to scrape himself, and he sat among the ashes.\n\nTHE WIFE OF JOB--\"Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce\nGod, and die.\"\n\nJOB--\"Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall\nwe receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?\"\n\n{184}\n\nNow when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon\nhim, they came everyone from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and\nBildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: and they made an\nappointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. And\nwhen they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted\nup their voice, and wept; and they rent everyone his mantle, and\nsprinkled dust upon their heads. So they sat down with him upon the\nground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him:\nfor they saw that his grief was very great.\n\n(The action of the dramatic poem itself now begins.)\n\nI\n\nJOB.\n\n Why died I not at birth?\n Why did life receive me?\n For now should I have lain down and been quiet;\n I should have slept; then had I been at rest:\n With kings and counsellors of the earth,\n Which built up waste places for themselves;\n Or with princes that had gold,\n Who filled their houses with silver:\n There the wicked cease from troubling;\n And there the weary be at rest.\n There the prisoners are at ease together;\n They hear not the voice of the taskmaster.\n The small and great are there; {185}\n And the servant is free from his master.\n Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,\n And life unto the bitter in soul;\n Which long for death, but it cometh not;\n And dig for it more than for hid treasures;\n Which rejoice exceedingly,\n And are glad, when they can find the grave?\n Why is light given to a man whose way is hid,\n And whom God hath hedged in?\n For my sighing cometh before I eat,\n And my groans are poured out like water.\n For the thing which I fear cometh upon me,\n And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me.\n I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither have I rest;\n But trouble cometh.\n\n\nELIPHAZ.\n\n If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved?\n But who can withhold himself from speaking?\n Behold, thou hast instructed many,\n And thou hast strengthened the weak hands.\n Thy words have upholden him that was falling,\n And thou hast confirmed the feeble knees.\n But now it is come unto thee, and thou faintest;\n It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.\n Is not thy fear of God thy confidence,\n And thy hope the integrity of thy ways?\n Now a thing was secretly brought to me,\n And mine ear received a whisper thereof. {186}\n In thoughts from the visions of the night,\n When deep sleep falleth on men,\n Fear came upon me, and trembling,\n Which made all my bones to shake.\n Then a spirit glided before my face;\n The hair of my flesh stood up.\n It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof;\n A form was before mine eyes:\n There was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,\n Shall mortal man be more just than God?\n Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?\n Behold, he putteth no trust in his servants;\n And his angels he chargeth with folly:\n How much more them that dwell in houses of clay.\n\n But man is born unto trouble,\n As the sparks fly upward.\n But as for me, I would seek unto God,\n And unto God would I commit my cause:\n Who doeth great things and unsearchable;\n Marvellous things without number:\n Who giveth rain upon the earth,\n And sendeth waters upon the fields:\n So that he setteth up on high those that be low;\n And those which mourn are exalted to safety.\n He frustrateth the devices of the crafty,\n So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.\n He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: {187}\n And the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.\n They meet with darkness in the daytime,\n And grope at noonday as in the night.\n But he saveth from the sword of their mouth,\n Even the needy from the hand of the mighty.\n So the poor hath hope,\n And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.\n\n Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:\n Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.\n For he maketh sore, and bindeth up;\n He woundeth, and his hands make whole.\n In famine he shall redeem thee from death;\n And in war from the power of the sword.\n Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue;\n Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.\n At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh;\n Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.\n For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field;\n And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.\n Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,\n Like as a shock of corn cometh in in its season.\n Lo this, we have searched it, so it is;\n Hear it, and know thou it for thy good.\n\n\nJOB.\n\n Oh that my vexation were but weighed,\n And my calamity laid in the balances together!\n For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas:\n Therefore have my words been rash. {188}\n For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,\n The poison whereof my spirit drinketh up:\n The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.\n\n Oh that I might have my request;\n And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!\n Even that it would please God to crush me;\n That he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!\n Then should I yet have comfort;\n Yea, I would exult in pain that spareth not:\n For I have not denied the words of the Holy One.\n What is my strength, that I should wait?\n And what is mine end, that I should be patient?\n Is my strength the strength of stones?\n My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook,\n As the channel of brooks that pass away;\n Which are black by reason of the ice,\n And wherein the snow hideth itself:\n When they grow warm, they vanish:\n When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.\n The caravans that travel by the way of them turn aside;\n They go up into the waste, and perish.\n The caravans of Tema looked,\n The companies of Sheba waited for them.\n They were ashamed because they had hoped;\n They came thither, and were confounded.\n See now,--ye are just like that,\n Ye see a terror, and are afraid.\n Did I say, Give unto me?\n Or, Offer a present for me of your substance? {189}\n Or, Deliver me from the adversary's hand?\n Or, Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors?\n\n Teach me, and I will hold my peace:\n And cause me to understand wherein I have erred.\n\n\nJOB.\n\n(He speaks now to the Lord.)\n\n What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him,\n And that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him,\n And that thou shouldest visit him every morning,\n And try him every moment?\n\n If I have sinned, what do I unto thee, O thou watcher of men?\n Why hast thou set me as a mark for thee,\n So that I am a burden to myself?\n And why dost thou not pardon my transgression,\n and take away mine iniquity?\n For now shall I lie down in the dust;\n And thou shalt seek me diligently, but I shall not be.\n\n\nBILDAD.\n\n How long wilt thou speak these things?\n And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a mighty wind?\n Doth God pervert judgment?\n Or doth the Almighty pervert justice?\n If thy children have sinned against him,\n And he have delivered them into the hand of their transgression: {190}\n If thou wouldest seek diligently unto God,\n And make thy supplication to the Almighty;\n If thou wert pure and upright;\n Surely now he would awake for thee,\n And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.\n\n For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age,\n And apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out:\n (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing,\n Because our days upon earth are a shadow:)\n Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee,\n And utter words out of their heart?\n \"Can the rush grow up without mire?\n Can the flag grow without water?\"\n Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down,\n It withereth before any other herb.\n So are the paths of all that forget God;\n And the hope of the godless man shall perish:\n Whose confidence shall break in sunder,\n And whose trust is a spider's web.\n He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand:\n He shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure.\n He is green before the sun,\n And his shoots go forth over his garden.\n His roots are wrapped about the heap,\n He beholdeth the place of stones.\n If he be destroyed from his place,\n Then it shall deny him, saying, \"I have not seen thee.\" {191}\n Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man,\n Neither will he uphold the evil-doers.\n He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter,\n And thy lips with shouting.\n They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame;\n And the tent of the wicked shall be no more.\n\n\nJOB.\n\n Of a truth I know that it is so:\n But how can man be just with God?\n Should he desire to contend with him,\n He cannot answer him one of a thousand.\n He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength:\n Who hath hardened himself against him, and prospered?\n Who removeth the mountains, and they know it not.\n When he overturneth them in his anger.\n Who shaketh the earth out of her place,\n And the pillars thereof tremble.\n Who commandeth the sun, and it riseth not;\n And sealeth up the stars.\n Who alone stretcheth out the heavens,\n And treadeth upon the waves of the sea.\n Who maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,\n And the chambers of the south.\n Who doeth great things past finding out;\n Yea, marvellous things without number.\n Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not:\n He passeth on also, but I perceive him not. {192}\n If we speak of the strength of the mighty, lo, he is there!\n And if of judgment, who will appoint me a time?\n Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me:\n Though I be perfect, it shall prove me perverse.\n I am perfect; I regard not myself;\n I despise my life.\n It is all one; therefore I say,\n He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.\n\n Now my days are swifter than a courier:\n They flee away, they see no good.\n They are passed away as the swift ships:\n As the eagle that swoopeth on the prey.\n My soul is weary of my life;\n I will give free course to my complaint;\n I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.\n I will say unto God, \"Do not condemn me;\n Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.\n Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress,\n That thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands?\n\n Are not my days few? cease then,\n And let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,\n Before I go whence I shall not return,\n Even to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death;\n A land of thick darkness, as darkness itself;\n A land of the shadow of death, without any order,\n And where the light is as darkness.\"\n\n{193}\n\nZOPHAR.\n\n Should not the multitude of words be answered?\n And should a man full of talk be justified?\n Should thy boastings make men hold their peace?\n And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?\n For thou sayest, \"My doctrine is pure,\n And I am clean in thine eyes.\"\n But Oh that God would speak,\n And open his lips against thee;\n And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom,\n That it is manifold in effectual working!\n Know therefore that God exacteth of thee\n less than thine iniquity deserveth.\n Canst thou by searching find out God?\n Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?\n It is high as heaven; what canst thou do?\n Deeper than Sheol; what canst thou know?\n The measure thereof is longer than the earth,\n And broader than the sea.\n\n For he knoweth vain men:\n He seeth iniquity also, even though he consider it not.\n If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away,\n And let not unrighteousness dwell in thy tents;\n Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot;\n Yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:\n For thou shalt forget thy misery;\n Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away:\n And thy life shall be clearer than the noonday;\n Though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning.\n\n{194}\n\nJOB.\n\n No doubt but ye are the people,\n And wisdom shall die with you.\n But I have understanding as well as you;\n I am not inferior to you:\n Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?\n Lo, mine eye hath seen all this,\n Mine ear hath heard and understood it.\n What ye know, the same do I know also:\n I am not inferior unto you.\n Surely I would speak to the Almighty,\n And I desire to reason with God.\n But ye are forgers of lies,\n Ye are all physicians of no value.\n Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace!\n And it should be your wisdom.\n Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes.\n\n Though he slay me, yet will I wait for him:\n Nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him.\n This also shall be my salvation;\n For a godless man shall not come before him.\n Hear diligently my speech,\n And let my declaration be in your ears.\n Behold now, I have ordered my cause;\n I know that I am righteous.\n Who is he that will contend with me?\n\n How many are mine iniquities and sins?\n Make me to know my transgression and my sin.\n Wherefore hidest thou thy face, {195}\n And holdest me for thine enemy?\n Wilt thou harass a driven leaf?\n And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?\n\n Man that is born of a woman\n Is of few days, and full of trouble.\n He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down:\n He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.\n And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one,\n And bringest me into judgment with thee?\n\n For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,\n And that the tender branch thereof will not cease.\n Though the root thereof grow old in the earth,\n And the stock thereof die in the ground;\n Yet through the scent of water it will bud,\n And put forth boughs like a plant.\n But man dieth, and wasteth away:\n Yea, man giveth up his spirit, and where is he?\n\n If a man die, shall he live again?\n All the days of my warfare would I wait,\n Till my release should come.\n Thou shouldest call, and I would answer thee:\n Thou wouldest have a desire to the work of thine hands.\n\n\nTHE FIRST CYCLE OF SPEECHES IS ENDED.\n\nThe three friends center their thought about God. The question is, why\nhas Job suffered? Their answer is, because he has sinned. God is just,\nand would never make a man suffer unless he had sinned. _Eliphaz_ says\nthat all men are imperfect, and so {196} suffer. Let Job acknowledge\nthat he has sinned, and this suffering will be only discipline, and\nGod will again bless him. _Bildad_ says that the fathers have always\nunderstood that God was just. The man who does not believe as they did\nmust be wicked. _Zophar_ says that God knows Job has sinned, even if\nJob himself is too blind to see it; else he would not make Job suffer.\n_Job_ is perplexed. Has he sinned so as to merit this suffering? No.\nIf they say that God is just--yes, but what does God mean, then, by\ndealing thus with him? He had expected sympathy from his friends. Why\ndo they not give it? He can only turn helplessly to God himself. Would\nthat he could meet God as one might a man, and plead his cause! But,\nno! Even that chance for justice is cut off. And yet they can talk of\nGod as being just!\n\n\nII\n\nELIPHAZ.\n\n Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge,\n And fill his belly with the east wind?\n Should he reason with unprofitable talk,\n Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?\n Yea, thou doest away with fear,\n And restrainest devotion before God.\n For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth,\n And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.\n Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I;\n Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.\n Art thou the first man that was born?\n Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?\n Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God?\n And dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?\n What knowest thou, that we know not? {197}\n What understandest thou, which is not in us?\n With us are both the grayheaded and the very aged men,\n Much older than thy father.\n Are the consolations of God too small for thee,\n And the word that dealeth gently with thee?\n Why doth thine heart carry thee away?\n And why do thine eyes wink?\n That thou turnest thy spirit against God,\n And lettest such words go out of thy mouth.\n\n\nJOB.\n\n I have heard many such things:\n Miserable comforters are ye all.\n Shall vain words have an end?\n Or what provoketh thee that thou answerest?\n I also could speak as ye do;\n If your soul were in my soul's stead,\n I could join words together against you,\n And shake mine head at you.\n But I would strengthen you with my mouth,\n And the solace of my lips should assuage your grief.\n\n God delivereth me to the ungodly,\n And casteth me into the hands of the wicked.\n I was at ease, and he brake me asunder;\n Yea, he hath taken me by the neck, and dashed me to pieces:\n He hath also set me up for his mark.\n His archers compass me round about, {198}\n My face is red with weeping,\n And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;\n Although there is no violence in mine hands,\n And my prayer is pure.\n\n O earth, cover not thou my blood,\n And let my cry have no resting place.\n Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,\n And he that voucheth for me is on high.\n My friends scorn me:\n But mine eye poureth out tears unto God;\n That he would maintain the right of a man with God,\n And of a son of man with his neighbour!\n For when a few years are come,\n I shall go the way whence I shall not return.\n My spirit is consumed, my days are extinct,\n The grave is ready for me.\n Surely there are mockers with me,\n And mine eye abideth in their provocation.\n But return ye, all of you, and come now:\n And I shall not find a wise man among you.\n My days are past, my purposes are broken off,\n Even the thoughts of my heart.\n They change the night into day:\n The light, say they, is near unto the darkness.\n If I look for Sheol as mine house:\n If I have spread my couch, in the darkness;\n If I have said to corruption, \"Thou art my father\";\n To the worm, \"Thou art my mother, and my sister\"; {199}\n Where then is my hope?\n And as for my hope, who shall see it?\n It shall go down to the bars of Sheol,\n When once there is rest in the dust.\n\n\nBILDAD.\n\n How long will ye lay snares for words?\n Consider, and afterwards we will speak.\n Wherefore are we counted as beasts,\n And are become unclean in your sight?\n Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger,\n Shall the earth be forsaken for thee?\n Or shall the rock be removed out of its place?\n Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out,\n And the spark of his fire shall not shine.\n The light shall be dark in his tent,\n And his lamp above him shall be put out.\n The steps of his strength shall be straitened,\n And his own counsel shall cast him down.\n He shall be rooted out of his tent wherein he trusteth;\n And he shall be brought to the king of terrors.\n He shall be driven from light into darkness,\n And chased out of the world.\n He shall have neither son nor son's son among his people,\n Nor any remaining where he sojourned.\n They that come after shall be astonished at his day,\n As they that went before were frightened.\n Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous,\n And this is the place of him that knoweth not God.\n\n\n{200}\n\nJOB.\n\n How long will ye vex my soul,\n And break me in pieces with words?\n These ten times have ye reproached me:\n Ye are not ashamed that ye deal hardly with me.\n And if indeed I have erred,\n Mine error remaineth with myself.\n If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me,\n And plead against me my reproach:\n Know now that God hath wronged me in my cause,\n And hath compassed me with his net.\n Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard:\n I cry for help, but there is no judgment.\n He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass,\n And hath set darkness in my paths.\n He hath put my brethren far from me,\n And mine acquaintance are wholly estranged from me.\n My kinsfolk have failed,\n And my familiar friends have forgotten me.\n\n Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends;\n For the hand of God hath touched me.\n Why do ye persecute me as God,\n And are not satisfied with my flesh?\n Oh that my words were now written!\n Oh that they were inscribed in a book!\n That with an iron pen and lead\n They were graven in the rock for ever!\n But I know that my redeemer liveth, {201}\n And that he shall stand up at the last upon the earth:\n And after my skin hath been thus destroyed,\n Yet from my flesh shall I see God:\n Whom I shall see for myself,\n And mine eyes shall behold, and not another.\n\n\nZOPHAR.\n\n Knowest thou not this of old time,\n Since man was placed upon earth,\n That the triumphing of the wicked is short,\n And the joy of the godless but for a moment?\n Though his excellency mount up to the heavens,\n And his head reach unto the clouds;\n He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found:\n Yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.\n The eye which saw him shall see him no more;\n Neither shall his place any more behold him.\n For he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor;\n He hath violently taken away an house, and he shall not build it up.\n Because he knew no quietness within him,\n He shall not save aught of that wherein he delighteth.\n There was nothing left that he devoured not;\n Therefore his prosperity shall not endure.\n In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits:\n The hand of everyone that is in misery shall come upon him.\n The heavens shall reveal his iniquity,\n And the earth shall rise up against him. {202}\n The increase of his house shall depart,\n His goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.\n This is the portion of a wicked man from God,\n And the heritage appointed unto him by God.\n\n\nJOB.\n\n Hear diligently my speech;\n And let this be your consolations.\n Suffer me, and I also will speak;\n And after that I have spoken, mock on.\n As for me, is my complaint to man?\n And why should I not be impatient?\n\n Wherefore do the wicked live,\n Become old, yea, wax mighty in power?\n Their seed is established with them in their sight,\n And their offspring before their eyes.\n Their houses are safe from fear,\n Neither is the rod of God upon them.\n They send forth their little ones like a flock,\n And their children dance.\n They sing to the timbrel and harp,\n And rejoice at the sound of the pipe.\n They spend their days in prosperity,\n And in a moment they go down to Sheol.\n Yet they said unto God, \"Depart from us;\n For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.\n What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? {203}\n And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?\"\n Lo, their prosperity is not in their hand:\n The counsel of the wicked is far from me.\n\n How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out?\n That their calamity cometh upon them?\n That God distributeth sorrows in his anger?\n That they are as stubble before the wind,\n And as chaff that the storm carrieth away?\n\n Ye say, God layeth up his iniquity for his children.\n Let him recompense it unto himself, that he may know it.\n Let his own eyes see his destruction,\n And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.\n For what pleasure hath he in his house after him,\n When the number of his months is cut off in the midst?\n\n Shall any teach God knowledge?\n Seeing he judgeth those that are high.\n One dieth in his full strength,\n Being wholly at ease and quiet:\n And another dieth in bitterness of soul,\n And never tasteth of good.\n They lie down alike in the dust,\n And the worm covereth them.\n\n Behold, I know your thoughts,\n And the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.\n For ye say, Where is the house of the tyrant?\n And where is the tent wherein the wicked dwelt? {204}\n Have ye not asked them that go by the way?\n And do ye not know their tokens?\n That the evil man is reserved to the day of calamity?\n That they are led forth to the day of wrath?\n Who shall declare his way to his face?\n And who shall repay him what he hath done?\n Yet shall he be borne to the grave,\n And shall keep watch over the tomb.\n The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him,\n And all men shall draw after him,\n As there were innumerable before him.\n How then comfort ye me in vain,\n Seeing in your answers there remaineth only falsehood?\n\n\nTHE SECOND CYCLE OF SPEECHES IS ENDED.\n\nIn the first cycle, the three friends had tried to bring Job to their\nidea of God, and had failed. Now they center their thought about the\nwicked man,--how his wickedness brings suffering. _Eliphaz_ says that\nall men know that the wicked suffer. _Bildad_ says that the very order\nof nature is such that the wicked suffer. _Zophar_ says that, even if\nthe wicked have any prosperity, it is short, and the end is suffering.\nAll this is to rouse the conscience of Job to believe that he is\nsuffering for his sins. Job, overwhelmed by their lack of sympathy, at\nfirst does not try to meet their arguments, but continues his\ncomplaint and prayer to God. Zophar's speech arouses him to answer,\nand he says Zophar does not speak the truth. The wicked live and die\nas happily as the righteous.\n\nThe real argument is ended. The friends have tried to show that Job\nsuffers because he has sinned. They have come to the question from the\nside of God and from the side of man; and in each case Job has denied\ntheir position. Nothing is left but to charge Job directly with sin.\n\n\n{205}\n\nIII\n\nELIPHAZ.\n\n Can a man be profitable unto God?\n Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself.\n Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou are righteous?\n Or, is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?\n Is it for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee,\n That he entereth with thee into judgment?\n\n Is not thy wickedness great?\n Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.\n For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought,\n And stripped the naked of their clothing.\n Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink,\n And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.\n Thou hast sent widows away empty,\n And the arms of the fatherless have been broken.\n Therefore snares are round about thee,\n And sudden fear troubleth thee,\n Or darkness, that thou canst not see,\n And abundance of waters cover thee.\n Is not God in the height of heaven?\n And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!\n And thou sayest, \"What doth God know?\n Can he judge through the thick darkness?\n Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not;\n And he walketh in the circuit of heaven.\"\n Wilt thou keep the old way\n Which wicked men have trodden? {206}\n If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up;\n If thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.\n And lay thou thy treasure in the dust,\n And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks;\n And the Almighty shall be thy treasure,\n And precious silver unto thee.\n For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty,\n And shalt lift up thy face unto God.\n Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee;\n And thou shalt pay thy vows.\n Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee;\n And light shall shine upon thy ways.\n\n\nJOB.\n\n Even to-day is my complaint rebellious:\n My stroke is heavier than my groaning.\n Oh that I knew where I might find him,\n That I might come even to his dwelling place!\n I would order my cause before him,\n And fill my mouth with arguments.\n I would know the words which he would answer me,\n And understand what he would say unto me.\n Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?\n Nay; but he would give heed unto me.\n There the upright might reason with him;\n So should I be delivered for ever from my judge.\n Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; {207}\n And backward, but I cannot perceive him:\n On the left hand, when he doth work, but I cannot behold him:\n He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him.\n But he knoweth the way: that I take;\n When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.\n My foot hath held fast to his steps;\n His way have I kept, and turned not aside.\n I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips;\n I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.\n\n But he is in one mind, and who can turn him?\n And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.\n For he performeth that which is appointed for me:\n And many such things are with him.\n Therefore am I troubled at his presence;\n When I consider, I am afraid of him.\n For God hath made my heart faint,\n And the Almighty hath troubled me:\n Because I was not cut off before the darkness,\n Neither did he cover the thick darkness from my face.\n\n\nBILDAD.\n\n Dominion and fear are with him;\n He maketh peace in his high places.\n Is there any number of his armies?\n And upon whom doth not his light arise?\n How then can man be just with God? {208}\n Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?\n Behold, even the moon hath no brightness,\n And the stars are not pure in his sight:\n How much less man, that is a worm!\n And the son of man, which is a worm!\n\n\nJOB.\n\n How hast thou helped him that is without power!\n How hast thou saved the arm that hath no strength!\n How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom,\n And plentifully declared sound knowledge!\n To whom hast thou uttered words?\n And whose spirit came forth from thee?\n\n They that are deceased tremble\n Beneath the waters and the inhabitants thereof.\n Sheol is naked before him,\n And Abaddon hath no covering.\n He stretcheth out the north over empty space,\n And hangeth the earth upon nothing.\n He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds;\n And the cloud is not rent under them.\n He closeth in the face of his throne,\n And spreadeth his cloud upon it.\n He hath described a boundary upon the face of the waters\n Unto the confines of light and darkness.\n The pillars of heaven tremble\n And are astonished at his rebuke.\n He stirreth up the sea with his power,\n And by his understanding he smiteth through Rahab. {209}\n By his spirit the heavens are garnished;\n His hand hath pierced the swift serpent.\n\n Lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways:\n And how small a whisper do we hear of him!\n But the thunder of his power who can understand?\n\n As God liveth, who hath taken away my right;\n And the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;\n (For my life is yet whole in me,\n And the spirit of God is in my nostrils;)\n Surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness,\n Neither shall my tongue utter deceit.\n God forbid that I should justify you:\n Till I die I will not put away mine integrity from me.\n My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go:\n My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.\n\n\nZOPHAR.\n\n This is the portion of a wicked man with God,\n And the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty.\n Though he heap up silver as the dust,\n And prepare raiment as the clay;\n He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on,\n And the innocent shall divide the silver.\n He openeth his eyes, and he is not.\n Terrors overtake him like waters;\n A tempest stealeth him away in the night.\n The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth;\n And it sweepeth him out of his place.\n\n{210}\n\nJOB.\n\n Oh that I were as in the months of old,\n As in the days when God watched over me;\n When his lamp shined upon my head,\n And by his light I walked through darkness;\n As I was in the ripeness of my days,\n When the secret of God was upon my tent;\n When the Almighty was yet with me,\n And my children were about me;\n When I went forth to the gate unto the city,\n When I prepared my seat in the street,\n The young men saw me and hid themselves,\n And the aged rose up and stood;\n The princes refrained talking,\n And laid their hand on their mouth;\n The voice of the nobles was hushed,\n And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.\n\n For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me;\n And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me:\n Because I delivered the poor that cried,\n The fatherless also, that had none to help him.\n The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me:\n And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.\n I put on righteousness, and it clothed me:\n My justice was as a robe and a diadem.\n I was eyes to the blind,\n And feet was I to the lame.\n I was a father to the needy:\n And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out. {211}\n But now they that are younger than I have me in derision,\n Upon my right hand rise the rabble;\n They thrust aside my feet,\n And they cast up against me their ways of destruction.\n\n And now my soul is poured out within me;\n Days of affliction have taken hold upon me.\n In the night season my bones are pierced in me,\n And the pains that gnaw me take no rest.\n He hath cast me into the mire,\n And I am become like dust and ashes.\n I cry unto thee, and thou dost not answer me:\n I stand up, and thou lookest at me.\n Thou liftest me up to the wind, thou causest me to ride upon it;\n And thou dissolvest me in the storm.\n\n If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant,\n When they contended with me:\n What then shall I do when God riseth up?\n And when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?\n\n If I have withheld the poor from their desire,\n Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;\n Or have eaten my morsel alone,\n And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;\n\n If I have seen any perish for want of clothing,\n Or that the needy had no covering;\n\n If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless,\n Because I saw my help in the gate: {212}\n\n Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade,\n And mine arm be broken from the bone.\n\n If I have made gold my hope,\n And have said to the fine gold,\n Thou art my confidence;\n If I rejoiced because my wealth was great,\n And because mine hand had gotten much;\n\n If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me,\n Or lifted up myself when evil found him;\n\n If the men of my tent said not,\n Who can find one that hath not been satisfied with his food?\n The stranger did not lodge in the street;\n But I opened my doors to the traveller.\n\n Oh that I had one to hear me!\n (Lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me;)\n And that I had the indictment which mine adversary hath written!\n Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder;\n I would bind it unto me as a crown.\n I would declare unto him the number of my steps;\n As a prince would I go near unto him.\n\n If my land cry out against me,\n And the furrows thereof weep together;\n If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money,\n Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life: {213}\n Let thistles grow instead of wheat,\n And cockle instead of barley.\n\n\nIN THE THIRD CYCLE OF SPEECHES\n\nThe three friends still try to show Job that he must have sinned.\n_Eliphaz_ charges him directly with the sins that a rich man in his\nposition could most easily commit. _Bildad_ only repeats in feebler\nphrase former statements about man's impurity in the pure sight of\nGod. _Zophar_ either does not appear at all, or maintains his former\nposition with no new argument. _Job_ still wishes he might find God to\nplead his cause, and, at the end, affirms formally his innocence of\nthe sins with which Eliphaz had charged him.\n\nThe argument has ended. Neither side has moved the other a single step\nfrom the position taken at the beginning. The question of why Job\nsuffers is still unanswered. If it is ever to be answered, some other\nsolution than that of the three friends must be offered.\n\n\nIV\n\nSo these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in\nhis own eyes. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel\nthe Buzite, of the family of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled,\nbecause he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three\nfriends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and\nyet had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited to speak unto Job, because\nthey were older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer\nin the mouth of these three men, his wrath was kindled.\n\n\nELIHU.\n\n(He speaks to the friends.)\n\n I am young, and ye are very old; {214}\n Wherefore I held back, and durst not shew you mine opinion.\n I said, \"Days should speak,\n And multitude of years should teach wisdom.\"\n But there is a spirit in man,\n And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding.\n It is not the great alone that are wise,\n Nor the aged that understand judgment.\n Therefore I said, \"Hearken to me;\n I also will shew mine opinion.\"\n Behold, I waited for your words,\n I listened for your reasons,\n Whilst ye searched out what to say.\n Yea, I attended unto you,\n And, behold, there was none that convinced Job,\n Or that answered his words, among you.\n\n(He speaks to Job.)\n\n Howbeit, Job, I pray thee, hear my speech\n And hearken to all my words.\n Behold now, I have opened my mouth,\n My tongue hath spoken in my mouth.\n My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart:\n And that which my lips know they shall speak sincerely.\n The spirit of God hath made me,\n And the breath of the Almighty giveth me life.\n If thou canst, answer thou me;\n Set thy words in order before me, stand forth. {215}\n Behold, I am toward God even as thou art:\n I also am formed out of the clay.\n Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid,\n Neither shall my pressure be heavy upon thee.\n Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing,\n And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,\n \"I am clean, without transgression;\n I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me:\n Behold, he findeth occasions against me,\n He counteth me for his enemy;\n He putteth my feet in the stocks,\n He marketh all my paths.\"\n\n Behold, I will answer thee, in this thou art not just;\n For God is greater than man.\n Why dost thou strive against him?\n For he giveth not account of any of his matters.\n For God speaketh once,\n Yea twice, though man regardeth it not.\n In a dream, in a vision of the night,\n When deep sleep falleth upon men,\n In slumberings upon the bed;\n Then he openeth the ears of men,\n And sealeth their instruction,\n That he may withdraw man from his purpose,\n And hide pride from man;\n He keepeth back his soul from the pit,\n And his life from perishing by the sword.\n To shew unto man what is right for him;\n Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, {216}\n \"Deliver him from going down to the pit,\n I have found a ransom.\"\n His flesh shall be fresher than a child's;\n He returneth to the days of his youth:\n He prayeth unto God, and he is favourable unto him;\n So that he seeth his face with joy:\n And he restoreth unto man his righteousness.\n He singeth before men, and saith,\n \"I have sinned, and perverted that which was right,\n And it profited me not:\n He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit,\n And my life shall behold the light.\"\n Lo, all these things doth God work,\n Twice, yea thrice, with a man,\n To bring back his soul from the pit,\n That he may be enlightened with the light of the living.\n\n Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me:\n Hold thy peace, and I will speak.\n If thou hast any thing to say, answer me:\n Speak, for I desire to justify thee.\n If not, hearken thou unto me:\n Hold thy peace, and I will teach thee wisdom.\n\n(He speaks again to the friends.)\n\n Hear my words, ye wise men;\n And give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.\n For the ear trieth words,\n As the palate tasteth meat.\n Let us choose for us that which is right: {217}\n Let us know among ourselves what is good.\n For Job hath said, \"I am righteous,\n And God hath taken away my right.\"\n\n Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding:\n Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness;\n And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.\n For the work of a man shall he render unto him,\n And cause every man to find according to his ways.\n Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly,\n Neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.\n\n Is it fit to say to a king, \"Thou art vile?\"\n Or to nobles, \"Ye are wicked?\"\n How much less to him that respecteth not the persons of princes,\n Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor?\n For they all are the work of his hands.\n In a moment they die, even at midnight;\n For his eyes are upon the ways of a man,\n And he seeth all his goings.\n There is no darkness, nor shadow of death,\n Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.\n\n Therefore speak what thou knowest.\n Men of understanding will say unto me,\n Yea, every wise man that heareth me:\n \"Job speaketh without knowledge,\n And his words are without wisdom.\n Would that Job were tried unto the end,\n Because of his answering like wicked men. {218}\n For he addeth rebellion unto his sin,\n He clappeth his hands among us,\n And multiplieth his words against God.\"\n\n(He speaks again to Job.)\n\n Thinkest thou this to be thy right,\n Or sayest thou, \"My righteousness is more than God's,\"\n That thou sayest, \"What advantage will it be unto thee?\"\n And, \"What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?\"\n I will answer thee,\n And thy companions with thee.\n\n Look unto the heavens, and see;\n And behold the skies, which are higher than thou.\n If thou hast sinned, what doest thou against him?\n And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?\n If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?\n Or what receiveth he of thine hand?\n\n There they cry, but none giveth answer,\n Because of the pride of evil men.\n Surely God will not hear vanity,\n Neither will the Almighty regard it.\n How much less when thou sayest thou beholdest him not,\n The cause is before him, and thou waitest for him!\n But now, because he hath not visited in his anger,\n Neither doth he greatly regard arrogance;\n Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity;\n He multiplieth words without knowledge. {219}\n Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any:\n He is mighty in strength of understanding.\n He preserveth not the life of the wicked:\n But giveth to the afflicted their right.\n He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous:\n But with kings upon the throne\n He setteth them for ever, and they are exalted.\n And if they be bound in fetters,\n And be taken in the cords of affliction;\n Then he sheweth them their work,\n And their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.\n He openeth also their ear to instruction.\n Behold, God is great, and we know him not;\n The number of his years is unsearchable.\n For he draweth up the drops of water,\n Which distil in rain from his vapour:\n Which the skies pour down\n And drop upon man abundantly.\n Yea, can any understand the spreadings of the clouds,\n The thunderings of his pavilion?\n Behold, he spreadeth his light around him;\n And he covereth the bottom of the sea.\n For by these he judgeth the peoples;\n He giveth meat in abundance.\n He covereth his hands with the lightning;\n And giveth it a charge that it strike the mark.\n The noise thereof telleth concerning him,\n The cattle also concerning the storm that cometh up.\n At this also my heart trembleth, {220}\n And is moved out of its place.\n\n Hearken ye unto the noise of his voice,\n And the sound that goeth out of his mouth.\n He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven,\n And his lightning unto the ends of the earth.\n After it a voice roareth;\n He thundereth with the voice of his majesty:\n And he stayeth them not when his voice is heard.\n God thundereth marvellously with his voice;\n Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.\n For he saith to the snow, \"Fall thou on the earth\";\n Likewise to the shower of rain,\n And to the showers of his mighty rain.\n He sealeth up the hand of every man;\n That all men whom he hath made may know it.\n Then the beasts go into coverts,\n And remain in their dens.\n Out of the chamber of the south cometh the storm:\n And cold out of the north.\n By the breath of God ice is given:\n And the breadth of the waters is straitened.\n Yea, he ladeth the thick cloud with moisture;\n He spreadeth abroad the cloud of his lightning:\n And it is turned round about by his guidance,\n That they may do whatsoever he commandeth them\n Upon the face of the habitable world:\n Whether it be for correction, or for his land,\n Or for mercy, that he cause it to come.\n\n Hearken unto this, O Job: {221}\n Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.\n Dost thou know how God layeth his charge upon them,\n And causeth the lightning of his cloud to shine?\n Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds,\n The wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?\n How thy garments are warm,\n When the earth is still by reason of the south wind?\n Canst thou with him spread out the sky,\n Which is strong as a molten mirror?\n\n Teach us what we shall say unto him;\n For we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness.\n Shall it be told him that I would speak?\n Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?\n And now men see not the light which is bright in the skies:\n But the wind passeth, and cleanseth them.\n Out of the north cometh golden splendour:\n God hath upon him terrible majesty.\n Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out; he is excellent in power:\n And in judgment and plenteous justice he will not afflict.\n Men do therefore fear him:\n He regardeth not any that are wise of heart.\n\n\n(_Elihu_ offers his solution to the question, Why does Job suffer? He\nis young, conceited, and wordy, but sincere in his belief that he has\nwisdom which his elders and betters have not found. It is difficult to\nsee what that wisdom is. Most of what he says has been better said\nbefore. If he adds anything, it is the thought that God sometimes\nsends suffering, not only to punish for past sin, but to keep man from\nfuture sin.)\n\n{222}\n\nV\n\nTHE LORD.\n\n(He speaks to Job out of the whirlwind.)\n\n Who is this that darkeneth counsel\n By words without knowledge?\n\n Gird up now thy loins like a man;\n For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.\n Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?\n Declare, if thou hast understanding.\n Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest?\n Or who stretched the line upon it?\n Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened?\n Or who laid the corner stone thereof;\n When the morning stars sang together,\n And all the sons of God shouted for joy?\n Or who shut up the sea with doors,\n When it brake forth,\n When I made the cloud the garment thereof,\n And thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,\n And prescribed for it my decree,\n And set bars and doors,\n And said, \"Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;\n And here shall thy proud waves be stayed\"?\n\n Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began,\n And caused the dayspring to know its place; {223}\n That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,\n And the wicked be shaken out of it?\n It is changed as clay under the seal;\n And all things stand forth as a garment:\n And from the wicked their light is withholden,\n And the high arm is broken.\n\n Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?\n Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep?\n Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee?\n Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?\n Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth?\n Declare, if thou knowest it all.\n Where is the way to the dwelling of light,\n And as for darkness, where is the place thereof;\n That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof,\n And that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof?\n Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born,\n And the number of thy days is great!\n\n Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow,\n Or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail,\n Which I have reserved against the time of trouble,\n Against the day of battle and war?\n By what way is the light parted,\n Or the east wind scattered upon the earth?\n Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood,\n Or a way for the lightning of the thunder;\n To cause it to rain on a land where no man is; {224}\n On the wilderness, wherein there is no man;\n To satisfy the waste and desolate ground;\n And to cause the tender grass to spring forth?\n\n Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades,\n Or loose the bands of Orion?\n Canst thou lead forth the signs of the Zodiac in their season?\n Or canst thou guide the Bear with her train?\n Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens?\n Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth?\n Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds,\n That abundance of waters may cover thee?\n Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go,\n And say unto thee, \"Here we are\"?\n\n Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts?\n Or who hath given understanding to the mind?\n Who can number the clouds by wisdom?\n Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,\n When the dust runneth into a mass,\n And the clods cleave fast together?\n\n Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness?\n Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,\n When they couch in their dens,\n And abide in the covert to lie in wait?\n Who provideth for the raven his food,\n When his young ones cry unto God,\n And wander for lack of meat? {225}\n Who hath sent out the wild ass free?\n Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?\n Whose house I have made the wilderness,\n And the salt land his dwelling place ..\n He scorneth the tumult of the city,\n Neither heareth he the shoutings of the driver.\n The range of the mountains is his pasture,\n And he searcheth after every green thing.\n\n Will the wild-ox be content to serve thee?\n Or will he abide by thy crib?\n Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the furrow?\n Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?\n Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great?\n Or wilt thou leave to him thy labour?\n Wilt thou confide in him, that he will bring home thy seed,\n And gather the corn of thy threshing-floor?\n\n The wing of the ostrich rejoiceth;\n But are her pinions and feathers kindly?\n For she leaveth her eggs on the earth,\n And warmeth them in the dust,\n And forgetteth that the foot may crush them,\n Or that the wild beast may trample them.\n She is hardened against her young ones, as if they were not hers:\n Though her labour be in vain, she is without fear;\n Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,\n Neither hath he imparted to her understanding. {226}\n What time she lifteth up herself on high,\n She scorneth the horse and his rider.\n\n Hast thou given the horse his might?\n Hast thou clothed his neck with the quivering mane?\n Hast thou made him to leap as a locust?\n The glory of his snorting is terrible.\n He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength:\n He goeth out to meet the armed men.\n He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed;\n Neither turneth he back from the sword.\n The quiver rattleth against him,\n The flashing spear and the javelin.\n He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage;\n Neither believeth he that it is the voice of the trumpet\n As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, \"Aha!\"\n And he smelleth the battle afar off,\n The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.\n\n Doth the hawk soar by thy wisdom,\n And stretch her wings toward the south?\n Doth the eagle mount up at thy command,\n And make her nest on high?\n She dwelleth on the rock, and hath her lodging there,\n Upon the crag of the rock, and the strong hold.\n From thence she spieth out the prey;\n Her eyes behold it afar off.\n Her young ones also suck up blood:\n And where the slain are, there is she.\n\n\n{227}\n\nJOB.\n\n Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee?\n I lay mine hand upon my mouth.\n Once have I spoken, and I will not answer;\n Yea twice, but I will proceed no further.\n\n\nTHE LORD.\n\n(Out of the whirlwind.)\n\n Gird up thy loins now like a man:\n I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.\n Wilt thou even disannul my judgment?\n Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be justified?\n Or hast thou an arm like God?\n And canst thou thunder with a voice like him?\n Deck thyself now with excellency and dignity;\n And array thyself with honour and majesty.\n Pour forth the overflowings of thine anger:\n And look upon everyone that is proud, and abase him.\n Look on everyone that is proud, and bring him low;\n And tread down the wicked where they stand.\n Hide them in the dust together;\n Bind their faces in the hidden place.\n Then will I also confess of thee\n That thine own right hand can save thee.\n\n Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee;\n He eateth grass as an ox.\n Lo now, his strength is in his loins,\n And his force is in the muscles of his belly. {228}\n He moveth his tail like a cedar:\n The sinews of his thighs are knit together.\n His bones are as tubes of brass;\n His limbs are like bars of iron.\n He is the chief of the ways of God:\n He only that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.\n Surely the mountains bring him forth food;\n Where all the beasts of the field do play.\n He lieth under the lotus trees,\n In the covert of the reed, and the fen.\n The lotus trees cover him with their shadow;\n The willows of the brook compass him about.\n Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not:\n He is confident, though Jordan swell even to his mouth.\n Shall any take him when he is on the watch,\n Or pierce through his nose with a snare?\n\n Canst thou draw out leviathan with a fish hook?\n Or press down his tongue with a cord?\n Canst thou put a rope into his nose?\n Or pierce his jaw through with a hook?\n Will he make many supplications unto thee?\n Or will he speak soft words unto thee?\n Will he make covenant with thee,\n That thou shouldest take him for a servant for ever?\n Wilt thou play with him as with a bird?\n Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? {229}\n Shall the bands of fishermen make traffic of him?\n Shall they part him among the merchants?\n Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons,\n Or his head with fish spears?\n Lay thine hand upon him;\n Remember the battle, and do so no more.\n Behold, the hope of him is in vain:\n Shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?\n None is so fierce that he dare stir him up:\n Who then is he that can stand before me?\n Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay him?\n Whatsoever is under the whole heaven in mine.\n I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,\n Nor his mighty strength, nor his comely proportion.\n Who can strip off his outer garment?\n Who shall come within his double bridle?\n Who can open the doors of his face?\n Round about his teeth is terror.\n His strong scales are his pride,\n Shut up together as with a close seal.\n One is so near to another,\n That no air can come between them.\n They are joined one to another;\n They stick together, that they cannot be sundered.\n His nostrils flash forth light,\n And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.\n Out of his mouth go burning torches,\n And sparks of fire leap forth.\n Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth, {230}\n As of a boiling pot and burning rushes.\n His breath kindleth coals,\n And a flame goeth forth from his mouth.\n In his neck abideth strength,\n And terror danceth before him.\n The flakes of his flesh are joined together:\n They are firm upon him; they cannot be moved.\n His heart is as firm as a stone;\n Yea, firm as the nether millstone.\n When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid;\n By reason of consternation they are beside themselves.\n If one lay at him with the sword, it cannot avail;\n Nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft.\n He counteth iron as straw,\n And brass as rotten wood.\n The arrow cannot make him flee:\n Slingstones are turned with him into stubble.\n Clubs are counted as stubble:\n He laugheth at the rushing of the javelin.\n His underparts are like sharp potsherds:\n He spreadeth as it were a threshing wain upon the mire.\n He maketh the deep to boil like a pot:\n He maketh the sea like ointment.\n He maketh a path to shine after him;\n One would think the deep to be hoary.\n Upon earth there is not his like,\n That is made without fear.\n He beholdeth every thing that is high:\n He is king over all the sons of pride.\n\n{231}\n\nJOB.\n\n(He replies to the Lord.)\n\n I know that thou canst do all things,\n And that no purpose of thine can be restrained.\n Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge?\n Therefore have I uttered that which I understood not,\n Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.\n Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak;\n I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.\n I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear;\n But now mine eye seeth thee,\n Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent\n In dust and ashes.\n\n\n(Jehovah speaks from the storm. Job has questioned why he suffered.\nCan he expect the question to be answered? Let him look to nature\nabout him. Does he understand the daily doings of nature? Does he know\nhow the world was created, or how the rain and the snow come? Can he\nguide the stars? Does he understand the strange instincts of the\nanimals? Can he control even one of the great works of God? How then\nwill he think to comprehend the dealings of God in his own life?\n\nGod does not try to answer the question of why Job suffers. He tries\nto raise Job to such a position of trust in him that he will not ask\nthe question. The solution of the question lies, not in the knowledge\nof their answers, but in a trust of God which does not demand an\nanswer, for it sums up all answers in one--that God is wise and good.\nThis is not unreasoning; for God reasons from his works that Job can\nsee to the deep things of life that he cannot see. If Job sees God's\nwisdom in the one, he may trust his wisdom in the other.\n\nSo the problem of why Job suffers is at last solved; only the solution\nis not one of knowledge, but of trust, and Job finds more than a\nsolution; he finds God. \"Now mine eye seeth Thee.\")\n\n{232}\n\nEPILOGUE.\n\nAnd it was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job,\nthe Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, \"My wrath is kindled against\nthee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the\nthing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Now therefore, take unto\nyou seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer\nup for yourself a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for\nyou; for him will I accept, that I deal not with you after your folly;\nfor ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant\nJob hath.\" So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar\nthe Naamathite went, and did according as the Lord commanded them: and\nthe Lord accepted Job. And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when\nhe prayed for his friends: and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he\nhad before. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his\nsisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and\ndid eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and\ncomforted him concerning all the evil that the Lord had brought upon\nhim: every man also gave him a piece of money, and everyone a ring of\ngold. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his\nbeginning: and he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand\ncamels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses. He had\nalso seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the\nfirst, Jemimah; and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of\nthe third, Keren-happuch. And in all the land were no women found so\nfair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance\namong their brethren. And after this Job lived an hundred and forty\nyears, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. So\nJob died, being old and full of days.\n\n{233}\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE SONG OF SONGS\n\n{234}\n\nThe \"Song of Songs,\" sometimes called \"Solomon's Song,\" and\n\"Canticles,\" is a collection of Hebrew wedding songs. These songs in\nform and spirit approach nearer to what we call lyric poetry than\nanything else in the literature of the Bible. In their exquisite\nfreshness and grace they may well be compared with the lyrical poetry\nof the Elizabethan period in England.\n\n\n{235}\n\nHIS BANNER OVER ME WAS LOVE\n\n As a lily among thorns,\n So is my love among the daughters.\n As the apple tree among the trees of the wood,\n So is my beloved among the sons.\n I sat down under his shadow with great delight,\n And his fruit was sweet to my taste.\n He brought me to the banqueting house,\n And his banner over me was love.\n\n\n{236}\n\nTHE WINTER IS PAST, THE RAIN IS OVER AND GONE\n\n My beloved spake, and said unto me,\n Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.\n For, lo, the winter is past,\n The rain is over and gone;\n The flowers appear on the earth;\n The time of the singing of birds is come,\n And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land;\n The fig tree ripeneth her green figs,\n And the vines are in blossom,\n They give forth their fragrance.\n Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.\n O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock,\n in the covert of the steep place,\n Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice;\n For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.\n Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyards;\n For our vineyards are in blossom.\n My beloved is mine, and I am his:\n He feedeth his flock among the lilies.\n Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away,\n Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart\n Upon the mountains of Bether.\n\n\n{237}\n\nIN THE GARDEN OF LOVE\n\n Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,\n With me from Lebanon:\n Look from the top of Amana,\n From the top of Senir and Hermon,\n From the lions' dens,\n From the mountains of the leopards.\n Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my bride;\n Thou hast ravished my heart with a glance of thine eyes,\n With one chain of thy neck.\n How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride!\n How much better is thy love than wine!\n And the smell of thine ointments than all manner of spices!\n Thy lips, O my bride, drop as the honeycomb:\n Honey and milk are under thy tongue;\n And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.\n A garden shut up is my sister, my bride;\n A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.\n Thy shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits;\n Henna with spikenard plants,\n Spikenard and saffron,\n Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense;\n Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.\n Thou art a fountain of gardens,\n A well of living waters,\n And flowing streams from Lebanon.\n Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south;\n Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out.\n Let my beloved come in to his garden,\n And eat his precious fruits.\n\n\n{238}\n\nWHITHER IS THY BELOVED GONE?\n\n Whither is thy beloved gone,\n O thou fairest among women?\n Whither hath thy beloved turned him,\n That we may seek him with thee?\n\n My beloved is gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices,\n To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.\n I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine:\n He feedeth his flock among the lilies.\n I am my beloved's,\n And his desire is toward me.\n Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field;\n Let us lodge in the villages.\n Let us get up early to the vineyards;\n Let us see whether the vine hath budded, and its blossom be open,\n And the pomegranates be in flower:\n There will I give thee my love.\n The mandrakes give forth fragrance,\n And at our doors are all manner of precious fruits, new and old,\n Which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.\n\n\n{239}\n\nLOVE IS STRONG AS DEATH\n\n Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm:\n For love is strong as death;\n Jealousy is cruel as the grave:\n The flashes thereof are flashes of fire,\n A very flame of the Lord.\n Many waters cannot quench love,\n Neither can the floods drown it:\n If a man would give all the substance of his house for love,\n He would utterly be contemned.\n\n{240}\n\n{241}\n\nSELECTIONS FROM ECCLESIASTES\n\n\n{242}\n\nECCLESIASTES\n\nThis is, in some respects, the most curious book in the Bible. It has\npuzzled many people. Like Proverbs, it is put together without very\nmuch order, but that does not make the greatest puzzle of the book.\nThe question has been, \"What does the author intend to teach?\" The\nbook seems to take a very dark view of life. It almost seems as though\nthe author thought nothing was worth living for. Over and over he says\nthat all is vanity; that is, emptiness, nothingness. He questions\nwhether there is a life after death. It seems to the careless reader\nthat this book is only gloomy, dark, and hopeless. But that is a\nsuperficial view. If one reads with more care, one finds another\nstrain in the book. It is good for a man to enjoy his labor. This is\nthe gift of God. Let a man eat and drink and enjoy his labor. This is\nhis portion, or wages, from God. Such thoughts as these occur again\nand again in the book. One begins to see that all is not darkness. On\nthe contrary, there is, so far as it goes, a very excellent way of\nliving put forward in the book. The author's question is, What are the\nwages of life? What ought one to think of as making life worth living?\nHis answer is, The work of life itself, with the ordinary pleasures\nthat come with it, are the wages. It is these things that make life\nworth living. Now this author does not see all the truth. He does not\neven sum up the whole of life. It is a great lack that in his\npictures, in the first few chapters, of the things that may be\nexpected to yield pleasure, he says nothing about the unselfish life.\nThe life he describes is all getting, getting, getting, and never\ngiving. Now the life that simply spends itself in trying to get things\nand never tries to help others is sure not to be a very happy life.\n\"Vanity of vanities\" is its very proper conclusion. This picture of\nlife is too narrow. It needs to be enlarged by the rich and beautiful\nNew Testament ideal of the life of unselfish love.\n\n\n{243}\n\nTO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON\n\n To everything there is a season,\n And a time to every purpose under the heaven:\n A time to be born,\n And a time to die;\n A time to plant,\n And a time to pluck up that which is planted;\n A time to kill,\n And a time to heal;\n A time to break down,\n And a time to build up;\n A time to weep,\n And a time to laugh;\n A time to mourn,\n And a time to dance;\n A time to cast away stones,\n And a time to gather stones together;\n A time to embrace,\n And a time to refrain from embracing;\n A time to seek,\n And a time to lose;\n A time to keep,\n And a time to cast away;\n A time to rend,\n And a time to sew; {244}\n A time to keep silence,\n And a time to speak;\n A time to love,\n And a time to hate;\n A time for war,\n And a time for peace.\n\n\n{245}\n\nREMEMBER ALSO THY CREATOR\n\n Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth:\n Or ever the evil days come,\n And the years draw nigh,\n When thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.\n Or ever the sun, and the light,\n And the moon and the stars,\n Be darkened\n And the clouds return after the rain.\n\n In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble,\n And the strong men shall bow themselves,\n And the grinders cease because they are few,\n And those that look out of the windows be darkened,\n And the doors be shut in the street.\n When the sound of the grinding is low,\n And one shall rise up at the voice of a bird,\n And all the daughters of music shall be brought low:\n Yea, they shall be afraid of that which is high,\n And terror shall be in the way;\n And the almond tree shall blossom,\n And the grasshopper shall be a burden,\n And desire shall fail:\n Because man goeth to his long home.\n And the mourners go about the streets: {246}\n Or ever the silver cord be loosed,\n Or the golden bowl broken,\n Or the pitcher broken at the fountain\n Or the wheel broken at the cistern:\n And the dust return to the earth, as it was;\n And the spirit return unto God who gave it.\n\n\n{247}\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE PROVERBS\n\n\n{248}\n\nPROVERBS\n\nProverbs is a collection of sayings of wise men, coming from many\nsources and gathered by many men. It is a little library of smaller\nbooks. The poetry is more uniform than any other in the Bible. The\nsubjects, on the contrary, are the most various. All sides of life are\nrepresented. But chiefly the proverbs are concerned with showing the\nwisdom of living a good, honest, industrious life, and the foolishness\nof being lazy, immoral, greedy for money, and evil in thought and\nconduct. A great deal is said about the fool. He is the one who is\nshortsighted and careless of consequences; who talks slander and so\nhurts his friends; who forgets that the laws of God punish evil doing,\nand so hurts himself. The idea is that the wicked man acts as though\nhe had not common sense.\n\n\n{249}\n\nTHE PRAISES OF WISDOM\n\n\nWISDOM CRIETH ALOUD IN THE STREET\n\n Wisdom crieth aloud in the street;\n She uttereth her voice in the broad places;\n She crieth in the chief place of meeting;\n At the entering in of the gates,\n In the city, she uttereth her words:\n\n \"How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?\n And scorners delight in scorning,\n And fools hate knowledge?\n Turn you at my reproof:\n Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you,\n I will make known my words unto you.\n Because I have called, and ye refused;\n I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;\n But ye have set at nought all my counsel,\n And would none of my reproof:\n I also will laugh in the day of your calamity;\n I will mock when your fear cometh;\n When your fear cometh as a storm,\n And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind;\n When distress and anguish come upon you.\n Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; {250}\n They shall seek me diligently, but they shall not find me:\n For that they hated knowledge,\n And did not choose the fear of the Lord:\n They would not have my counsel;\n They despised all my reproof:\n Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,\n And be filled with their own devices.\n For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them,\n And the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.\n But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely,\n And shall be quiet without fear of evil.\"\n\n\nWISDOM IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN RUBIES\n\n My son, forget not my law;\n But let thine heart keep my commandments:\n For length of days, and years of life,\n And peace, shall they add to thee.\n Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:\n Bind them about thy neck;\n Write them upon the table of thine heart:\n So shalt thou find favour and good understanding\n In the sight of God and man.\n Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,\n And lean not upon thine own understanding:\n In all thy ways acknowledge him,\n And he shall direct thy paths.\n Be not wise in thine own eyes;\n Fear the Lord, and depart from evil;\n It shall be health to thy navel, {251}\n And marrow to thy bones.\n Honour the Lord with thy substance,\n And with the firstfruits of all thine increase:\n So shall thy barns be filled with plenty\n And thy vats shall overflow with new wine.\n\n My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord;\n Neither be weary of his reproof:\n For whom the Lord loveth he reproveth;\n Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.\n Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,\n And the man that getteth understanding.\n For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver,\n And the gain thereof than fine gold.\n She is more precious than rubies:\n And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her.\n Length of days is in her right hand;\n In her left hand are riches and honour.\n Her ways are ways of pleasantness,\n And all her paths are peace.\n She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her:\n And happy is everyone that retaineth her.\n The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;\n By understanding he established the heavens.\n By his knowledge the depths were broken up,\n And the skies drop down the dew.\n\n\n{252}\n\nTHE GLORY OF WISDOM\n\n Doth not wisdom cry,\n And understanding put forth her voice?\n In the top of high places by the way,\n Where the paths meet, she standeth;\n Beside the gates, at the entry of the city,\n At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud:\n\n Unto you, O men, I call;\n And my voice is to the sons of men.\n O ye simple, understand subtilty;\n And, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.\n Hear, for I will speak excellent things;\n And the opening of my lips shall be right things.\n For my mouth shall utter truth;\n And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.\n All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;\n There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.\n They are all plain to him that understandeth,\n And right to them that find knowledge.\n Receive my instruction, and not silver;\n And knowledge rather than choice gold.\n For wisdom is better than rubies;\n And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto her.\n\n I, Wisdom, have made subtilty my dwelling,\n And find out knowledge and discretion.\n The fear of the Lord is to hate evil:\n Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, {253}\n And the froward mouth, do I hate.\n Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge:\n I am understanding; I have might.\n By me kings reign,\n And princes decree justice.\n By me princes rule,\n And nobles, even all the judges of the earth.\n I love them that love me;\n And those that seek me diligently shall find me.\n Riches and honour are with me;\n Yea, durable riches and righteousness.\n My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold;\n And my revenue than choice silver.\n I walk in the way of righteousness,\n In the midst of the paths of judgment:\n That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance,\n And that I may fill their treasuries.\n\n The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way,\n Before his works of old.\n I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,\n Or ever the earth was.\n When there were no depths, I was brought forth;\n When there were no fountains abounding with water.\n Before the mountains were settled,\n Before the hills was I brought forth:\n While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,\n Nor the highest part of the dust of the world.\n When he established the heavens, I was there:\n When he set a circle upon the face of the deep: {254}\n When he made firm the skies above:\n When the fountains of the deep became strong:\n When he gave to the sea its bound,\n That the waters should not transgress his commandment:\n When he marked out the foundations of the earth;\n Then I was by him, as a master workman:\n And I was daily his delight,\n Rejoicing always before him;\n Rejoicing in his habitable earth;\n And my delight was with the sons of men.\n Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me:\n For blessed are they that keep my ways.\n Hear instruction, and be wise,\n And refuse it not.\n Blessed is the man that heareth me,\n Watching daily at my gates,\n Waiting at the posts of my doors.\n For whoso findeth me findeth life,\n And shall obtain favour of the Lord.\n But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:\n All they that hate me love death.\n\n\n{255}\n\nENTER NOT INTO THE PATH OF THE WICKED\n\n Enter not into the path of the wicked,\n And walk not in the way of evil men.\n Avoid it, pass not by it;\n Turn from it, and pass on.\n\n Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go:\n Keep her; for she is thy life.\n\n The way of the wicked is as darkness:\n They know not at what they stumble.\n But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn,\n That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.\n\n Go to the ant, thou sluggard,\n Consider her ways, and be wise:\n Which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,\n Provideth her meat in the summer,\n And gathereth her food in the harvest.\n\n\n{256}\n\nPRAISE OF THE WISE AND VIRTUOUS WOMAN\n\n A virtuous woman who can find?\n For her price is far above rubies.\n The heart of her husband trusteth in her,\n And he shall have no lack of gain.\n She doeth him good and not evil\n All the days of her life.\n\n She seeketh wool and flax,\n And worketh willingly with her hands.\n She is like the merchant-ships;\n She bringeth her food from afar.\n She riseth also while it is yet night,\n And giveth meat to her household,\n And their task to her maidens.\n She considereth a field, and buyeth it:\n With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.\n She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable:\n Her lamp goeth not out by night.\n She layeth her hands to the distaff,\n And her hands hold the spindle.\n She spreadeth out her hand to the poor;\n Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.\n She is not afraid of the snow for her household;\n For all her household are clothed with scarlet. {257}\n She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry;\n Her clothing is fine linen and purple.\n Her husband is known in the gates,\n When he sitteth among the elders of the land.\n She maketh linen garments and selleth them;\n And delivereth girdles unto the merchant.\n Strength and dignity are her clothing;\n And she laugheth at the time to come.\n She openeth her mouth with wisdom;\n And the law of kindness is on her tongue.\n She looketh well to the ways of her household,\n And eateth not the bread of idleness.\n Her children rise up, and call her blessed;\n Her husband also, and he praiseth her, saying:\n \"Many daughters have done virtuously,\n But thou excellest them all.\"\n\n Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:\n But a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.\n Give her of the fruit of her hands;\n And let her works praise her in the gates.\n\n\n{258}\n\n{259}\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE PROPHETS\n\n{260}\n\nThe Roll of the Prophets\n\n Isaiah.\n Jeremiah.\n Daniel.\n Ezekiel.\n Amos.\n Hosea.\n Micah.\n Obadiah.\n Joel.\n Jonah.\n Zephaniah.\n Nahum.\n Habakkuk.\n Haggai.\n Zechariah.\n Malachi.\n\n\n{261}{262}\n\n\n[Illustration]\n \"THE PROPHETS\"\n\n From the frieze of \"The Prophets,\" by Sargent, in the Public Library\n at Boston.\n\n The prophets here represented are Jeremiah, Jonah, Isaiah, Habakkuk.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{263}\n\nTHE PROPHETS\n\nThere are two groups of prophetic books in the Old Testament: the\nlonger books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel, in one group,\nand what are known as the books of the \"Twelve Minor Prophets,\" in\nanother group. These books, especially those of the \"Minor Prophets.\"\nare often neglected by readers of the Bible. \"Minor Prophets\" is a\nvery unfortunate name for that group of great souls whose messages\nhave come down to us from the ages. The word came into use because\nthese books; smaller in size than some others, were grouped together\nin the Bible. The writers themselves were not minor or inferior in any\nsense of the word. The word \"prophet\" is also, in itself, somewhat\nmisleading. The men who are called prophets did not simply predict\nfuture events. They were really what we would call reformers. They\ncried out against the evils of the times in which they lived, and\ntried to turn the nation back to God when it had sinned.\n\nIt must be admitted that it is not very easy, especially for young\npeople, to read these books, and yet they are intensely interesting if\none can only realize that these words were spoken by living men, each\nblazing with indignation against wrong, men of heroic character, who\nwere ready, if necessary, to look in the face of death, in their\nspeaking of the truth.\n\nLittle or nothing can be told of the personal history of many of these\nmen. Striking passages have been chosen from each of the prophets to\nshow the character of the message which they spoke.\n\n\n{264}\n\nISAIAH\n\nTHE GREATEST PROPHET OF THE OLD TESTAMENT\n\n(David and Solomon had long been dead. The kingdom of Judah was not so\nstrong as the old kingdom over which they had ruled. It was constantly\nquarreling with the kingdom at the North, which had been separated by\nrebellion. It was often in danger of being overcome by the greater\nkingdoms about it. The kings were not always wise rulers. Many of the\npeople did not care to serve Jehovah alone. They wanted to serve other\ngods as well. The rich were often cruel to the poor. Good men saw\nthese things with sorrow. They knew that God must punish such a\nnation. One of these good men was Isaiah the Prophet, a citizen of\nJerusalem, and a friend of the kings of Judah. When he was a young man\nhe had a vision of the holiness of God and the sin of the people. This\nvision made him a prophet, for it called him to the task of showing to\nthe people the holiness of God, which he himself had seen, and to the\nnecessity of turning away from sin.\n\nThis is how he tells of the vision which he saw:)--\n\n\nI\n\nTHE CALL OF ISAIAH\n\nIn the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a\nthrone, high and lifted up, and his train filled {265} the temple.\nAbove him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he\ncovered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain\nhe did fly. And one cried unto another, and said,--\n\n \"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts:\n the whole earth is full of his Glory.\"\n\nAnd the foundations of the thresholds were moved at the voice of him\nwho cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, \"Woe is\nme! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell\nin the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the\nKing, the Lord of hosts.\"\n\nThen flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand,\nwhich he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: and he touched\nmy mouth with it, and said, \"Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine\niniquity is taken away, and thy sin forgiven.\"\n\nAnd I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, \"Whom shall I send, and who\nwill go for us?\" Then I said, \"Here am I; send me.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand\nnot; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this\npeople fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they\nsee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with\ntheir heart, and turn again, and be healed.\"\n\nThen said I, \"Lord, how long?\"\n\n{266}\n\nAnd he answered, \"Until cities be waste without inhabitant, and houses\nwithout man, and the land become utterly waste, and the Lord have\nremoved men far away, and the forsaken places be many in the midst of\nthe land.\"\n\n\nII\n\nISAIAH'S FIRST PUBLIC SERVICE\n\n(Soon after, two kings from the North threatened to make war against\nJudah. The king of Judah was frightened. Isaiah tried to encourage\nhim, and persuade him to trust God, but in vain. The king was a\ncoward, and dared neither fight nor trust God, but instead he sent to\nthe far-away land of Assyria for help.\n\nThis is the way in which Isaiah tried to encourage the timid king:)--\n\n\nAnd it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of\nUzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son\nof Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it;\nbut could not prevail against it. And it was told the house of David,\nsaying, \"Syria is confederate with Ephraim.\"\n\nAnd his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of\nthe forest are moved with the wind.\n\nThen said the Lord unto Isaiah, \"Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and\nShear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, in\nthe high way of the fuller's field; and say unto him, Take heed, and\nbe quiet; fear not, neither let thine heart be faint, because of these\ntwo tails of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and\nSyria, and of the son of Remaliah. Because Syria hath {267} counselled\nevil against thee, Ephraim also, and the son of Remaliah, saying, Let\nus go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein\nfor us, and set up a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeel:\nthus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to\npass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is\nRezin: and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is\nRemaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be\nestablished.\"\n\n(But the effort of the prophet was wholly without effect.)\n\nSo Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, \"I\nam thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of\nthe king of Syria and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which\nrise up against me.\"\n\nAnd Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the\nLord, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a\npresent to the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria hearkened unto\nhim: and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it,\nand carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.\n\n(Many years passed away. The prophet tried to make his people better,\nbut often without success. He tried to get the rulers to trust in\nJehovah rather than in armies and the aid of foreign kings. Sometimes\nhe succeeded, but more often he failed. The land was still subject to\nAssyria, and had paid heavy tribute ever since Ahaz had hired the king\nof Assyria to help him against the Northern kings. Other lands were\nalso under the yoke of Assyria, and all of them wanted to win their\nfreedom. At last the king of Babylon sent messengers to these other\ncountries to see if he could not get {268} their kings to join in\nrevolt against Assyria. But Isaiah did not favor this alliance, for\nthis also was trusting, not to Jehovah, but to armies and foreign\nkings.)\n\nAt that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon,\nsent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he heard that he had been\nsick, and was recovered. And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed\nthem the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and\nthe spices, and the precious oil, and all the house of his armour, and\nall that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house,\nnor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. Then came\nIsaiah the prophet unto King Hezekiah, and said unto him, \"What said\nthese men? and from whence came they unto thee?\"\n\nAnd Hezekiah said, \"They are come from a far country unto me, even\nfrom Babylon.\"\n\nThen said he, \"What have they seen in thine house?\"\n\nAnd Hezekiah answered, \"All that is in mine house have they seen:\nthere is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.\"\n\nThen said Isaiah to Hezekiah, \"Hear the word of the Lord of hosts.\nBehold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which\nthy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to\nBabylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And thy sons shall\nthey take away; they shall be servants in the palace of the king of\nBabylon.\"\n\nThen said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, \"Good is the word of the Lord which\nthou hast spoken.\"\n\n{269}{270}\n\n[Illustration]\n ON THE ROAD FROM JERUSALEM TO JERICHO.\n From a photograph in the possession of Rev. Louis F. Giroux of the\n American International College, Springfield, Mass., and used by his\n kind permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{271}\n\nHe said moreover, \"For there shall be peace and truth in my days.\"\n\n(This king of Babylon was soon after defeated by the king of Assyria\nand driven out of Babylon. For some time he hid himself among the\nswamps in the southern part of his kingdom, but later was captured and\nkilled.)\n\n\nIII\n\nDELIVERANCE FROM THE ASSYRIANS\n\n(About ten years after the king of Babylon had sent his messengers to\nHezekiah there was a revolt against Assyria in Palestine. Hezekiah, in\nspite of the opposition of Isaiah, was deep in the plot. When\nSennacherib, the king of Assyria, heard of the revolt, he sent his\narmies to Palestine to punish the kings who had dared to defy him.\nJudah and the other small kingdoms were not able to meet the Assyrian\narmies. The whole land was in terror, and Hezekiah, the king, who had\nbeen so eager for war, was glad enough, now that it had actually come,\nto seek the wise counsel of the prophet.)\n\nNow it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, that\nSennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities\nof Judah and took them. And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from\nLachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood\nby the conduit of the upper pool in the high way of the fuller's\nfield. Then came forth to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over\nthe household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the\nrecorder. And Rabshakeh said unto them, \"Say ye now to Hezekiah, 'Thus\nsaith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this\nwherein thou trustest? I say, thy counsel and {272} strength for the\nwar are but vain words: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast\nrebelled against me? Behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this\nbruised reed, even upon Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into\nhis hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust\non him. But if thou say to me, We trust in the Lord our God: is not\nthat he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away,\nand hath said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this\naltar? Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my master the king\nof Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able\non thy part to set riders upon them. How then canst thou turn away the\nface of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy\ntrust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? And am I now come up\nwithout the Lord against this land to destroy it? The Lord said unto\nme, Go up against this land, and destroy it.'\"\n\nThen said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, \"Speak, I pray\nthee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it:\nand speak not to us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people\nthat are on the wall.\"\n\nBut Rabshakeh said, \"Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to\nthee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit\nupon the wall?\"\n\nThen Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews'\nlanguage, and said, \"Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of\nAssyria. Thus saith the king, 'Let {273} not Hezekiah deceive you; for\nhe shall not be able to deliver you: neither let Hezekiah make you\ntrust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us; this city\nshall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.' Hearken not\nto Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, 'Make your peace with\nme, and come out to me; and eat ye every one of his vine, and everyone\nof his fig tree, and drink ye everyone the waters of his own cistern:\nuntil I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of\ncorn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. Beware lest Hezekiah\npersuade you, saying, The Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods\nof the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of\nAssyria? Who are they among all the gods of these countries, that have\ndelivered their country out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver\nJerusalem out of my hand?'\"\n\nBut they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's\ncommandment was, \"Answer him not.\"\n\nThen came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and\nShebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah\nwith their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his\nclothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house\nof the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and\nShebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with\nsackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. And they said unto\nhim, \"Thus saith Hezekiah, 'This day is a day of trouble, {274} and of\nrebuke, and of confusion. It may be the Lord thy God will hear the\nwords of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to\ndefy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord thy God\nhath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is\nleft.'\"\n\nSo the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said unto\nthem, \"Thus shall ye say to your master, 'Thus saith the Lord, Be not\nafraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of\nthe king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will put a spirit in\nhim, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return unto his own land;\nand I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.'\"\n\nSo Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against\nLibnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. And he\nheard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, \"He is come out to fight\nagainst thee.\" And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah,\nsaying, \"Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, 'Let\nnot thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem\nshall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou\nhast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by\ndestroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?'\"\n\nAnd Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and\nread it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread\nit before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, \"O Lord\nof hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest upon the cherubim, thou art\n{275} the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou\nhast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open\nthine eyes, O Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib,\nwhich hath sent to defy the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of\nAssyria have laid waste all the countries and their land, and have\ncast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of\nmen's hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them. Now\ntherefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the\nkingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou\nonly.\"\n\nThen Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, \"Thus saith\nthe Lord, the God of Israel, 'Whereas thou hast prayed to me against\nSennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word which the Lord hath\nspoken concerning him: The daughter of Zion hath despised thee and\nlaughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head\nat thee. Whom hast thou defied and blasphemed? and against whom hast\nthou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against\nthe Holy One of Israel. By thy servants hast thou defied the Lord, and\nhast said, With the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the\nheight of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will\ncut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof:\nand I will enter into his farthest height, the forest of his fruitful\nfield. Hast thou not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it\nof ancient times? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest\nlay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps. Therefore their {276}\ninhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded;\nthey were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, and as a\nfield of corn before it be grown up. But I know thy sitting down, and\nthy going out, and thy coming in, and thy raging against me. Because\nof thy raging against me, and because thine arrogancy is come up into\nmine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in\nthy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.'\"\n\n\n\"Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, 'He\nshall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall\nhe come before it with shield, nor cast up siege works against it. By\nthe way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not\ncome unto this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city to\nsave it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.'\"\n\nAnd the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the\nAssyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when men\narose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead. So\nSennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went back and dwelt at\nNineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of\nNisroch his god, two of his sons smote him with the sword: and they\nescaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his\nstead.\n\n[Footnote: Other stories of the reigns of Hezekiah and the kings of\nJudah and Israel may be found in Volume III. ]\n\n\n{277}\n\n[Footnote: The following are selections from the great poems of\nIsaiah. For majesty of utterance, for lofty and inspired thought,\nthese are unmatched in literature.]\n\n\nGOD IS MY SALVATION\n\n I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord,\n For though thou wast angry with me,\n Thine anger is turned away,\n And thou comfortest me.\n\n Behold God is my salvation;\n I will trust, and will not be afraid:\n For the Lord Jehovah is my strength and song;\n And he is become my salvation.\n\n Therefore with joy shall ye draw water\n Out of the wells of salvation.\n\n Give thanks unto the Lord,\n Call upon his name,\n Declare his doings among the peoples,\n Make mention that his name is exalted.\n\n Sing unto the Lord for he hath done excellent things:\n Let this be known in all the earth.\n Cry aloud, and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion:\n For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.\n\n\n{278}\n\nTHE COMING MESSIAH\n\n For unto us a child is born,\n Unto us a son is given;\n And the government shall be upon his shoulder;\n And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,\n Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.\n\n Of the increase of his government\n And of peace there shall be no end\n Upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom;\n To establish it with judgment,\n And with righteousness, from henceforward even for ever.\n The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.\n\n\n{279}\n\nA SONG OF TRIUMPH\n\n Sing unto the Lord a new song,\n And his praise from the end of the earth;\n Ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein,\n The isles, and the inhabitants thereof.\n Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice,\n The villages that Kedar doth inhabit;\n Let the inhabitants of Sela sing,\n Let them shout from the top of the mountains.\n Let them give glory unto the Lord,\n And declare his praise in the islands.\n\n The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man;\n He shall stir up zeal like a man of war:\n He shall cry, yea, he shall shout aloud;\n He shall do mightily against his enemies.\n\n\n{280}\n\nPARABLE OF THE VINEYARD\n\n Let me sing of my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard.\n My wellbeloved had a vineyard\n In a very fruitful hill:\n And he made a trench about it,\n And gathered out the stones thereof,\n And planted it with the choicest vine,\n And built a tower in the midst of it,\n And also hewed out a winepress therein:\n And he looked that it should bring forth grapes--\n And it brought forth wild grapes.\n\n\nAnd now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray\nyou, betwixt me and my vineyard.\n\nWhat could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in\nit? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes,\nbrought it forth wild grapes? And now come, I will tell you what I\nwill do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it\nshall be eaten up; I will break down the fence thereof, and it shall\nbe trodden down: and I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned nor\nhoed; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command\nthe clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the\nLord of hosts is the {281} house of Israel, and the men of Judah his\npleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for\nrighteousness, but behold a cry.\n\n\nTHE CONDEMNATION UPON UNFRUITFULNESS\n\nWoe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till\nthere be no room, and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the\nland! In mine ears saith the Lord of hosts, \"Of a truth many houses\nshall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. For ten\nacres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall\nyield but an ephah.\"\n\nWoe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow\nstrong drink; that tarry late into the night, till wine inflame them!\nAnd the harp and the lute, the tabret and the pipe, and wine are in\ntheir feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither have\nthey considered the operation of his hands. Therefore my people are\ngone into captivity, for lack of knowledge: and their honourable men\nare famished, and their multitude are parched with thirst. Therefore\nhell hath enlarged her desire, and opened her mouth without measure:\nand their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that\nrejoiceth among them, descend into it. And the mean man is bowed down\nand the great man is humbled, and the eyes of the lofty are humbled:\nbut the Lord of hosts is exalted in judgment, and God the Holy One is\nsanctified in righteousness. {282} Then shall the lambs feed as in\ntheir pasture, and the waste places of the fat ones shall wanderers\neat.\n\nWoe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it\nwere with a cart rope: that say, \"Let him make speed, let him hasten\nhis work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of\nIsrael draw nigh and come, that we may know it!\"\n\nWoe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness\nfor light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and\nsweet for bitter!\n\nWoe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their\nown sight!\n\nWoe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to\nmingle strong drink: which justify the wicked for a reward, and take\naway the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the\ntongue of fire devoureth the stubble, and as the dry grass sinketh\ndown in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their\nblossom shall go up as dust: because they have rejected the law of the\nLord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.\n\n\n{283}\n\n[Footnote: The prophet threatens Judah with invasion by the dreaded\nAssyrian army.]\n\nTHE DOOM OF THE UNFRUITFUL NATION\n\n For all this his anger is not turned away,\n But his hand is stretched forth still.\n\n And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from afar,\n And he will hiss for them from the end of the earth:\n And, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly;\n None shall be weary nor stumble among them;\n None shall slumber nor sleep;\n Neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed,\n Nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:\n Whose arrows are sharp,\n And all their bows bent;\n Their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint,\n And their wheels like a whirlwind:\n Their roaring shall be like a lion,\n They shall roar like young lions:\n Yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey,\n And carry it away safe, and there shall be none to deliver.\n\n And they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea;\n And if one look unto the land, behold, darkness and distress,\n And the light is darkened in the clouds thereof.\n\n\n{284}\n\nCOMFORT YE MY PEOPLE\n\n Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,\n Saith your God.\n Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,\n And cry unto her,\n That her warfare is accomplished,\n That her iniquity is pardoned;\n That she hath received of the Lord's hand\n Double for all her sin.\n\n Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord,\n Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.\n Every valley shall be exalted,\n And every mountain and hill shall be made low:\n And the crooked shall be made straight,\n And the rough places plain:\n And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,\n And all flesh shall see it together:\n For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.\n\n The voice of one saying, \"Cry.\"\n And one said, \"What shall I cry?\"\n All flesh is grass,\n And all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:\n The grass withereth,\n The flower fadeth, {285}\n Because the breath of the Lord bloweth upon it:\n Surely the people is grass.\n The grass withereth,\n The flower fadeth:\n But the word of our God shall stand forever.\n\n O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion,\n Get thee up into the high mountain;\n O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem,\n Lift up thy voice with strength;\n Lift it up, be not afraid;\n Say unto the cities of Judah, \"Behold your God.\"\n\n Behold, the Lord God will come as a mighty one,\n And his arm shall rule for him:\n Behold his reward is with him,\n And his recompense before him.\n He shall feed his flock like a shepherd,\n He shall gather the lambs in his arms,\n And carry them in his bosom,\n And shall gently lead those that give suck.\n\n\n{286}\n\nAWAKE, O ZION!\n\n Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion;\n Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city;\n For henceforth there shall no more come into thee\n the uncircumcised and the unclean.\n\n Shake thyself from the dust;\n Arise, sit thee down, O Jerusalem:\n Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.\n\n How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him\n That bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace,\n That bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation;\n That saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth.\n\n The voice of the watchmen! they lift up the voice,\n Together do they sing,\n For they shall see, eye to eye,\n When the Lord returneth to Zion.\n\n Break forth into joy, sing together,\n Ye waste places of Jerusalem:\n For the Lord hath comforted his people,\n He hath redeemed Jerusalem. {287}\n\n The Lord hath made bare his holy arm\n In the eyes of the nations;\n And all the ends of the earth\n Shall see the salvation of our God.\n\n Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence,\n Touch no unclean thing:\n Go ye out of the midst of her;\n Be ye clean ye that bear the vessels of the Lord.\n\n For ye shall not go out in haste,\n Neither shall ye go by flight;\n For the Lord will go before you,\n And the God of Israel will be your rearguard.\n\n\n{288}\n\nTHE TRIUMPH OF THE MAN OF SORROWS\n\n Who hath believed that which we have heard?\n And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?\n\n For he grew up before him as a tender plant,\n And as a root out of a dry ground:\n He hath no form nor comeliness, that we should look upon him;\n Nor beauty that we should desire him.\n\n He was despised and rejected of men;\n A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief:\n And as one from whom men hide their face he was despised,\n And we esteemed him not.\n\n Surely he hath borne our griefs,\n And carried our sorrows:\n Yet we did esteem him stricken,\n Smitten of God and afflicted.\n\n But he was wounded for our transgressions,\n He was bruised for our iniquities:\n The chastisement of our peace was upon him,\n And with his stripes we are healed.\n\n All we like sheep have gone astray;\n We have turned everyone to his own way;\n And the Lord hath laid on him\n The iniquity of us all. {289}\n\n He was oppressed,\n Yet he humbled himself,\n And opened not his mouth;\n As a lamb is led to the slaughter,\n And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb;\n Yea, he opened not his mouth.\n\n By oppression and judgment he was taken away;\n And his life who shall recount?\n For he was cut off out of the land of the living;\n For the transgressions of my people was he stricken.\n\n And they made his grave with the wicked,\n And with the rich in his death;\n Although he had done no violence,\n Neither was any deceit in his mouth.\n\n Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him;\n He hath put him to grief:\n When his soul shall make an offering for sin,\n He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,\n And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand:\n He shall see, and be satisfied with the travail of his soul.\n\n By his knowledge shall my righteous servant make many righteous:\n And he shall bear their iniquities.\n Therefore will I divide with him a portion of the great,\n And he shall divide the spoil with the strong:\n Because he poured out his soul unto death,\n And was numbered with the transgressors:\n Yet he bare the sin of many,\n And made intercession for the transgressors.\n\n\n{290}\n\nBEAUTIFUL ZION\n\n O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted,\n Behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors,\n And lay thy foundations with sapphires.\n\n And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies,\n And thy gates of carbuncles,\n And all thy borders of precious stones.\n\n And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord;\n And great shall be the peace of thy children:\n In righteousness shalt thou be established.\n\n Thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear;\n And from terror, for it shall not come nigh thee.\n\n Behold I have created the smith\n That bloweth the fire of coals,\n And bringeth forth a weapon for its work;\n And I have created the waster to destroy.\n No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;\n And every tongue that shall rise against thee\n in judgment thou shalt condemn.\n This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,\n And their righteousness which is of me, saith the Lord.\n\n\n{291}\n\nHO, EVERY ONE THAT THIRSTETH\n\n Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,\n And he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat;\n Yea, come, buy wine and milk,\n Without money and without price.\n\n Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?\n And your labor for that which satisfieth not?\n Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good,\n And let your soul delight itself in fatness.\n\n Incline your ear and come unto me;\n Hear, and your soul shall live:\n And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,\n Even the sure mercies of David.\n\n Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples,\n And a leader and commander to the peoples.\n Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not,\n And a nation that knew not thee shall run unto thee,\n Because of the Lord thy God,\n And for the Holy One of Israel;\n For he hath glorified thee.\n\n Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,\n Call ye upon him while he is near:\n Let the wicked forsake his way,\n And the unrighteous man his thoughts: {292}\n\n And let him return unto the Lord,\n And he will have mercy upon him;\n And to our God,\n For he will abundantly pardon.\n\n For my thoughts are not your thoughts,\n Neither are your ways my ways,\n Saith the Lord.\n For as the heavens are higher than the earth,\n So are my ways higher than your ways,\n And my thoughts than your thoughts.\n\n For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven,\n And returneth not thither, but watereth the earth,\n And maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the\n sower and bread to the eater;\n So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:\n It shall not return unto me void,\n But it shall accomplish that which I please,\n And it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.\n\n For ye shall go out with joy,\n And be led forth with peace:\n The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing,\n And all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands.\n Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree,\n And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree:\n And it shall be to the Lord for a name,\n For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.\n\n\n{293}\n\nARISE, SHINE\n\n Arise, shine; for thy light is come,\n And the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.\n For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,\n And gross darkness the peoples:\n But the Lord shall arise upon thee,\n And his glory shall be seen upon thee.\n\n And nations shall come to thy light,\n And kings to the brightness of thy rising.\n Lift up thine eyes round about, and see:\n They all gather themselves together, they come to thee:\n Thy sons shall come from far,\n And thy daughters shall be carried in the arms.\n\n Then thou shalt see and be lightened,\n And thine heart shall tremble and be enlarged;\n Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee,\n The wealth of the nations shall come unto thee.\n\n The multitude of camels shall cover thee,\n The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;\n They all shall come from Sheba, they shall bring gold and frankincense,\n And shall proclaim the praises of the Lord. {294}\n\n All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered unto thee,\n The rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee;\n They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar,\n And I will beautify the house of my glory.\n\n Who are these that fly as a cloud,\n And as doves to their windows?\n Surely the isles shall wait for me,\n And the ships of Tarshish first,\n To bring thy sons from far,\n Their silver and their gold with them,\n For the name of the Lord thy God,\n And for the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.\n And strangers shall build up thy walls,\n And their kings shall minister unto thee:\n For in my wrath I smote thee,\n But in my favour have I had mercy on thee.\n\n Thy gates shall be open continually,\n They shall not be shut day nor night;\n That men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations,\n And their kings led with them:\n For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish;\n Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.\n\n The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee,\n The fir tree, the pine, and the box tree together;\n To beautify the place of my sanctuary,\n And I will make the place of my feet glorious. {295}\n\n And the sons of them that afflict thee\n Shall come bending unto thee;\n And all they that despised thee\n Shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet.\n\n And they shall call thee the City of the Lord,\n The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.\n Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated,\n So that no man passed through thee,\n I will make thee an eternal excellency,\n A joy of many generations.\n\n For brass I will bring gold,\n And for iron I will bring silver,\n And for wood brass,\n And for stones iron.\n\n I will also make thy officers peace,\n And thine exactors righteousness;\n Violence shall no more be heard in thy land,\n Desolation nor destruction within thy borders;\n And thou shalt call thy walls Salvation,\n And thy gates Praise.\n\n The sun shall be no more thy light by day,\n Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee:\n But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light,\n And thy God thy glory. {296}\n\n Thy sun shall no more go down,\n Neither shall thy moon withdraw itself:\n For the Lord shall be thine everlasting light,\n And the days of thy mourning shall be ended.\n\n Thy people also shall be all righteous,\n They shall inherit the land for ever;\n The branch of my planting,\n The work of my hands,\n That I may be glorified.\n The little one shall become a thousand,\n And the small one a strong nation:\n I the Lord will hasten it in its time.\n\n\n{297}\n\nJEREMIAH\n\n(The life of Jeremiah was a very sad one. He lived in those days just\nbefore the captivity when the nation with its splendid history was\ndrifting to certain doom, as a ship drifts upon the rocks. The people\nwere sunk in corruption; they had no ambition and no hope. Jeremiah\ncould not save the nation from the fate which the selfishness and\nwickedness of the people had brought upon it, but he could cry out\nwith all the strength of his strong soul against the evil. Politically\nhe saw that submission to Egypt or to Babylon was inevitable, and he\nfavored Babylon, because the northern kingdom was much stronger than\nthe southern. The time of the activity of Jeremiah as a prophet was\nabout forty years, from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah\nuntil after the beginning of the captivity. When the people of Judah\nwere carried into captivity Jeremiah was allowed to remain behind. He\nhoped that the little remnant of people which was left in the land by\nthe conquerors might be the seed of a new and better nation, but in\nthis he was bitterly disappointed. The governor of the colony was\nassassinated, and Jeremiah was dragged off to Egypt by the frightened\npeople. It is said that the prophet met his death by stoning, at the\nhands of his own countrymen. Jeremiah has been compared to Milton and\nto Savonarola. His life was one of those which seem to fail in their\nimmediate purpose, but which have very great influence upon the\nprogress of humanity.)\n\n\n{298}\n\nI\n\nTHE CALL OF JEREMIAH\n\n(Jeremiah was not as eager as was Isaiah when God's call first came to\nhim. He was reluctant and slow to obey.)\n\n\nThe word of God came to him saying, \"I have appointed thee a prophet\nunto the nations.\"\n\nThen said I, \"Ah, Lord God, behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.\"\n\nBut the Lord said unto me, \"Say not, I am a child: for to whomsoever I\nshall send thee thou shalt go, and whatsoever I shall command thee\nthou shalt speak. Be not afraid because of them: for I am with thee to\ndeliver thee.\"\n\nThen the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth; and the Lord\nsaid unto me, \"Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth: see, I have\nthis day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up\nand to break down, and to destroy and to overthrow; to build, and to\nplant.\"\n\nMoreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, \"Jeremiah, what\nseest thou?\"\n\nAnd I said, \"I see a rod of an almond tree.\"\n\nThen said the Lord unto me, \"Thou hast well seen: for I watch over my\nword to perform it.\"\n\nAnd the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, \"What\nseest thou?\"\n\nAnd I said, \"I see a boiling caldron; and the face thereof is from the\nnorth.\"\n\n\n{299}{300}\n\n[Illustration]\n A STREET IN JERUSALEM, WITH THE HOUSES BUILT OVER THE STREET.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{301}\n\nThen the Lord said unto me, \"Out of the north evil shall break forth\nupon all the inhabitants of the land. For, lo, I will call all the\nfamilies of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall\ncome, and they shall set everyone his throne at the entering of the\ngates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and\nagainst all the cities of Judah. And I will utter my judgments against\nthem touching all their wickedness; because they have forsaken me, and\nhave burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their\nown hands. Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto\nthem all that I command thee: be not dismayed at them, lest I dismay\nthee before them. For, behold, I have made thee this day a fortified\ncity, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls, against the whole land,\nagainst the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the\npriests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall\nfight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am\nwith thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.\"\n\n\nII\n\nTHE POTTER AND HIS CLAY\n\n(The people of the East, where the prophets lived and spoke,\nunderstood teaching which was put before them in the form of pictures\nand images and symbols better than any other way. So the prophets\nwould often use figures of speech and do striking things to attract\nthe attention of the people. One day Jeremiah went to the workshop of\nthe potter, and found him at work with {302} his wheel. This is the\nway in which he used what he saw to teach the people of God's power\nover them):--\n\nThe word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, \"Arise, and go\ndown to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my\nwords.\"\n\nThen I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought his\nwork on the wheels. And when the vessel that he made of the clay was\nmarred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as\nseemed good to the potter to make it.\n\nThen the word of the Lord came to me, saying, \"O house of Israel,\ncannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the\nclay in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.\nAt what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a\nkingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it; if that\nnation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will\nrepent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant\nI shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build\nand to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice,\nthen I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.\nNow therefore go, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of\nJerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord: 'Behold, I frame evil against\nyou, and devise a device against you: return ye now everyone from his\nevil way, and amend your ways and your doings.'\"\n\nBut they say, \"There is no hope: for we will walk after {303} our own\ndevices, and we will do everyone after the stubbornness of his evil\nheart.\"\n\nTherefore thus saith the Lord, \"Shall the snow of Lebanon fail from\nthe rock of the field? or shall the cold waters that flow down from\nafar be dried up? For my people hath forgotten me, they have burned\nincense to false gods; and they have caused them to stumble in their\nways, in the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths, in a way not cast up;\nto make their land an astonishment, and a perpetual hissing; everyone\nthat passeth thereby shall be astonished, and shake his head. I will\nscatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will look upon\ntheir back, and not their face, in the day of their calamity.\"\n\n\n(At another time he took an earthen vessel which the potter had made\nand broke it in the sight of the people.)\n\n\nThus said the Lord, \"Go, and buy a potter's earthen vessel, and take\nof the elders of the people, and of the elders of the priests; and go\nforth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of\nthe gate Harsith, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee:\nand say, 'Hear ye the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah, and\ninhabitants of Jerusalem; thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of\nIsrael, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, at which whosoever\nheareth, his ears shall tingle. Because they have forsaken me, and\nhave estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other\ngods, whom they knew not, they and their fathers and the kings of\nJudah; and have filled his place with the blood of innocents; and have\n{304} built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire\nfor burnt offerings unto Baal; which I commanded not, nor spake it,\nneither came it into my mind: therefore, behold, the days come, saith\nthe Lord, that this place shall no more be called Topheth, nor The\nvalley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of Slaughter. And I will\nmake void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will\ncause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand\nof them that seek their life: and their carcases will I give to be\nfood for the birds of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. And\nI will make this city an astonishment, and an hissing; everyone that\npasseth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the\nplagues thereof. And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons\nand the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat everyone the\nflesh of his friend, in the siege and in the distress, wherewith their\nenemies, and they that seek their life, shall distress them.'\n\n\"Then shalt thou break the vessel in the sight of the men that go with\nthee, and shalt say unto them, 'Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Even so\nwill I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's\nvessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury in\nTopheth, till there lie no place to bury. Thus will I do unto this\nplace, saith the Lord, and to the inhabitants thereof, even making this\ncity as Topheth: and the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the\nkings of Judah, which are defiled, shall be as the place of Topheth,\neven all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all\nthe host of {305} heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto\nother gods.'\"\n\nThen came Jeremiah from Topheth, whither the Lord had sent him to\nprophesy; and he stood in the court of the Lord's house, and said to\nall the people: \"Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,\n'Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the\nevil that I have pronounced against it; because they have made their\nheart hard, that they might not hear my words.'\"\n\n\nIII\n\nTHE KING'S ANGER\n\n(Jeremiah had his prophecies written down by his clerk. But when the\nking read from the scroll on which they were written, he was so angry\nthat he cut up the scroll, and burned it. This did not prevent the\nprophecies from being known, for Jeremiah had them written upon a new\nscroll.)\n\n\nAnd it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah,\nking of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord,\nsaying, \"Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words\nthat I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and\nagainst all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days\nof Josiah, even unto this day. It may be that the house of Judah will\nhear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may\nreturn every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity\nand their sin.\"\n\nThen Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and {306} Baruch wrote\nfrom the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which he had\nspoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.\n\nAnd Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, \"I cannot go into the house of\nthe Lord: therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast\nwritten from my mouth, the words of the Lord in the ears of the people\nin the Lord's house upon the fast day: and also thou shalt read them\nin the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. It may be they\nwill present their supplication before the Lord, and will return\neveryone from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that\nthe Lord hath pronounced against this people.\"\n\nAnd Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the\nprophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the Lord in\nthe Lord's house.\n\nNow it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah,\nking of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem,\nand all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem,\nproclaimed a fast before the Lord. Then read Baruch in the book the\nwords of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the ears of all the\npeople. And when Micaiah had heard out of the book all the words of\nthe Lord, he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's\nchamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there. Then Micaiah declared\nunto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book\nin the ears of the people.\n\nTherefore all the princes sent Jehudi unto Baruch, {307} saying, \"Take\nin thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the\npeople, and come.\"\n\nSo Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto\nthem. And they said unto him, \"Sit down now, and read it to us.\" So\nBaruch read it to them.\n\nNow it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they turned in\nfear one toward another, and said unto Baruch, \"We will surely tell\nthe king of all these words.\"\n\nAnd they asked Baruch, saying, \"Tell us now, How didst thou write all\nthese words at his mouth?\"\n\nThen Baruch answered them, \"He pronounced all these words unto me with\nhis mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.\"\n\nThen said the princes unto Baruch, \"Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah;\nand let no man know where ye are.\"\n\nAnd they went in to the king into the court; but they had laid up the\nroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; and they told all the\nwords in the ears of the king. So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the\nroll: and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And\nJehudi read it to the king, and to all the princes which stood beside\nthe king. Now the king sat in the winter house in the ninth month: and\nthere was a fire in the brasier burning before him. And it came to\npass, when Jehudi had read three or four sections, that the king cut\nit with his penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the\nbrasier, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was in the\nbrasier. And they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither\nthe king, {308} nor any of his servants that heard all these words.\nMoreover Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to\nthe king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.\nAnd the king commanded his officers to take Baruch the scribe and\nJeremiah the prophet: but the Lord hid them.\n\nThen the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after the king had burned\nthe roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah,\nsaying, \"Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former\nwords that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah\nhath burned.\n\n\"And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah thou shalt say, 'Thus saith\nthe Lord: Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written\ntherein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy\nthis land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?\n\n\"'Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He\nshall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body\nshall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the\nfrost. And I will punish him and his family and his servants for their\niniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of\nJerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have\npronounced against them, and they hearkened not.'\"\n\nThen took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the\nson of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the\nwords of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the\nfire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.\n\n\n{309}\n\nIV\n\nJEREMIAH IN PRISON\n\n(Jeremiah continued to rebuke the people for the evil of their lives,\nand especially to insist that they could find no hope in an alliance\nwith the faithless nation of Egypt. This so enraged some of the\nprinces that the prophet was put into prison, and then into the\nfoulest dungeon of the prison. How he suffered for truth-telling, and\nhow he escaped, is told in the following story):--\n\n\nAnd Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the\nson of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the\nland of Judah. But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the\nland, hearkened unto the words of the Lord, which he spake by the\nprophet Jeremiah.\n\nAnd Zedekiah the king sent his officer to the prophet Jeremiah,\nsaying, \"Pray now unto the Lord our God for us.\"\n\nNow Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not\nyet put him into prison. And Pharaoh's army was come forth out of\nEgypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of\nthem, they went away from Jerusalem.\n\nThen came the word of the Lord unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,\n\"Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: 'Thus shall ye say to the\nking of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me; Behold,\nPharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt\ninto their own land. And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight\n{310} against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with\nfire.' Thus saith the Lord: 'Deceive not yourselves, saying, The\nChaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. For\nthough ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight\nagainst you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should\nthey rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.'\"\n\nAnd it came to pass that when the army of the Chaldeans went away from\nJerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, then Jeremiah went forth out of\nJerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to look after his property.\nAnd when he was in the gate of the city, a captain of the guard was\nthere; and he laid hold of Jeremiah the prophet, saying, \"Thou art\ndeserting to the Chaldeans.\"\n\nThen said Jeremiah, \"It is false; I am not deserting to the\nChaldeans;\" but he hearkened not to him: so the officer laid hold of\nJeremiah, and brought him to the princes.\n\nAnd the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him\nin prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that\nthe prison.\n\nWhen Jeremiah was come into the dungeon house, and into the cells, and\nJeremiah had remained there many days; then Zedekiah the king sent,\nand brought him: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and\nsaid, \"Is there any word from the Lord?\"\n\nAnd Jeremiah said, \"There is. Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of\nthe king of Babylon.\"\n\nMoreover Jeremiah said unto King Zedekiah, \"Wherein have I sinned\nagainst thee, or against thy servants, or {311} against this people,\nthat ye have put me in prison? Where now are your prophets which\nprophesied unto you, saying, 'The king of Babylon shall not come\nagainst you, nor against this land'? And now hear, I pray thee, O my\nlord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before\nthee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the\nscribe, lest I die there.\"\n\nThen Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the\ncourt of the guard, and they gave him daily a loaf of bread from the\nbakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. Thus Jeremiah\nremained in the court of the guard.\n\nAnd the king's officers heard the words that Jeremiah spake unto all\nthe people, saying, \"Thus saith the Lord, 'He that abideth in this\ncity shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but\nhe that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live.' Thus saith the Lord,\n'This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king\nof Babylon, and he shall take it.'\"\n\nThen the princes said unto the king, \"Let this man, we pray thee, be\nput to death; forasmuch as he weakeneth the hands of the men of war\nthat remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking\nsuch words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this\npeople, but their hurt.\"\n\nAnd Zedekiah the king said, \"Behold, he is in your hand: for the king\ncannot do anything against you.\"\n\nThen took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon that was in the\ncourt of the guard: and they let down {312} Jeremiah with cords. And\nin the dungeon there was no water, but mire: and Jeremiah sank in the\nmire.\n\nNow when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, which was in the king's house,\nheard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon, he went forth out of\nthe king's house, and spake to the king, saying, \"My lord the king,\nthese men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the\nprophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is likely to die\nin the place where he is, because of the famine: for there is no more\nbread in the city.\"\n\nThen the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, \"Take from\nhence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of\nthe dungeon, before he die.\"\n\nSo Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the\nking under the storehouse, and took thence old clothes and old rags,\nand let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.\n\nAnd Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, \"Put now these old\nclothes and rags under thine arms under the cords.\" And Jeremiah did\nso. So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of\nthe dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.\n\nThen Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him\ninto the third entry that is in the house of the Lord: and the king\nsaid unto Jeremiah, \"I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.\"\n\nThen Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, \"If I declare it unto thee wilt thou\nnot surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, thou wilt not\nhearken unto me.\"\n\n{313}\n\nSo Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, \"As the\nLord liveth, that made us, I will not put thee to death, neither will\nI give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.\"\n\nThen said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, \"Thus saith the Lord, the God of\nhosts, the God of Israel: 'If thou wilt go forth unto the king of\nBabylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not\nbe burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: but if thou\nwilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this\ncity be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it\nwith fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.'\"\n\nAnd Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, \"I am afraid of the Jews\nthat deserted to the Chaldeans, lest the Chaldeans deliver me into\ntheir hand, and they mock me.\"\n\nBut Jeremiah said, \"They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee,\nthe voice of the Lord, in that which I speak unto thee: so it shall be\nwell with thee, and thy soul shall live. But if thou refuse to go\nforth, this is the word that the Lord hath shewed me: Behold, all the\nwomen that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought\nforth to the king of Babylon's princes: and thou shalt cause this city\nto be burned with fire.\"\n\nThen said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, \"Let no man know of these words, and\nthou shalt not die.\"\n\nSo Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard until the day that\nJerusalem was taken.\n\n\n{314}\n\nV\n\nCONFUSION IN THE LAND\n\n(Jerusalem is taken and Jeremiah is kindly treated by the victors. The\npeople who remain in the land, now a royal colony, take courage, but\nthe assassination of the governor throws everything into confusion.)\n\n\nAnd it came to pass when Jerusalem was taken, in the ninth year of\nZedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadnezzar king\nof Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and besieged it; in the\neleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the\nmonth, a breach was made in the walls of the city. Then all the\nprinces of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate.\n\nAnd it came to pass that when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the\nmen of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by\nnight, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate between the two\nwalls. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and overtook\nZedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they\nbrought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land\nof Hamath, and he gave judgment upon him.\n\nThen the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before\nhis eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.\nMoreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him in fetters, to\ncarry him to Babylon.\n\n{315}{316}\n\n[Illustration]\n ANATHOTH, THE HOME OF JEREMIAH.\n From a photograph taken by Prof. D. G. Lyon, and used by his kind\n permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{317}\n\nAnd the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the\npeople, with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.\n\nThen Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into\nBabylon the remainder of the people that stayed in the city, the\ndeserters also, that came to him, and the remainder of the people that\nstayed.\n\nBut Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the\npeople, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them\nvineyards and fields at the same time.\n\nNow Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to\nNebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, \"Take him, and look well\nto him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto\nthee.\"\n\nSo the king's princes sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the\nguard, and committed him to Gedaliah the royal governor, commanding\nthat he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.\n\nNow the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in\nthe court of the guard, saying, \"Go, and speak to Ebed-melech the\nEthiopian, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:\nBehold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for\ngood; and they shall be accomplished before thee in that day. But I\nwill deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord: and thou shalt not be\ngiven into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will\nsurely save thee, and thou {318} shalt not fall by the sword, but thy\nlife shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in\nme, saith the Lord.'\"\n\nThe word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after Nebuzaradan the\ncaptain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him\nbound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah, which\nwere carried away captive unto Babylon. And the captain of the guard\ntook Jeremiah, and said unto him, \"The Lord thy God pronounced this\nevil upon this place: and the Lord hath brought it, and done according\nas he spake; because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not\nobeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. And now,\nbehold, I loose thee this day from the chains which are upon thine\nhand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come,\nand I will look well unto thee; but if it seem ill unto thee to come\nto Babylon, forbear. All the land is before thee; whither it seemeth\ngood and convenient for thee to go, thither go.\"\n\nAgain he said: \"Go back to Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon has made\ngovernor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the\npeople: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go.\"\n\nSo the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a present, and let\nhim go. Then went Jeremiah to Gedaliah the royal governor to Mizpah,\nand dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.\n\nNow when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even\nthey and their men, heard that the {319} king of Babylon had made\nGedaliah governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and\nwomen, and children, and of the poorest of the land, of them that were\nnot carried away captive to Babylon; then they came to Gedaliah to\nMizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan\nthe sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of\nEphai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they\nand their men.\n\nAnd Gedaliah spoke earnestly unto them and to their men, saying, \"Fear\nnot to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of\nBabylon, and it shall be well with you. As for me, behold, I will\ndwell at Mizpah, to stand before the Chaldeans, which shall come unto\nus: but ye, gather ye wine and summer fruits and oil, and put them in\nyour vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.\"\n\nLikewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the children\nof Ammon, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that\nthe king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set\nover them Gedaliah, they returned out of all places whither they were\ndriven and came to the land of Judah and gathered much wine and summer\nfruits.\n\nThen Jonathan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces\nthat were in the fields came to Gedaliah at Mizpah and said to him,\n\"Dost thou know that Baalis of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son\nof Nethaniah to take thy life?\"\n\n{320}\n\nBut Gedaliah the royal governor believed them not. Then Johanan the\nson of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, \"Let me\ngo, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no\nman shall know it: wherefore should he take thy life, that all the\nJews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant\nof Judah perish?\"\n\nBut Gedaliah the royal governor said to Johanan the son of Kareah,\n\"Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.\"\n\nNow it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael, one of the\nchief officers of the king, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah the\nroyal governor at Mizpah; and there they ate bread together in Mizpah.\n\nThen arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were\nwith him, and smote Gedaliah the royal governor, and slew him, whom\nthe king of Babylon had made governor over the land.\n\nIshmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah,\nat Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, even the men of\nwar. And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah,\nand no man knew it, that there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh,\nand from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven and\ntheir clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with oblations and\nfrankincense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the Lord.\nAnd Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah weeping as he\nwent and it came to pass as he met them he said to them, \"Come to\nGedaliah.\"\n\n{321}\n\nWhen they came into the city Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them,\nand cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were\nwith him.\n\nBut ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, \"Slay us\nnot: for we have stores hidden in the field, of wheat, and of barley,\nand of oil, and of honey.\" So he forbare, and slew them not among\ntheir brethren.\n\nNow the pit wherein Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom\nhe had slain, by the side of Gedaliah, (the same was that which Asa\nthe king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel,) Ishmael the son\nof Nethaniah filled with them that were slain.\n\nThen Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that\nwere in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people that\nremained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had\ncommitted to Gedaliah the royal governor: Ishmael carried them away\ncaptive, and departed to go over to the children of Ammon.\n\nBut when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces\nthat were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael had done, they\ntook all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael, and found him by the\ngreat waters that are in Gibeon.\n\nNow it came to pass that when all the people which were with Ishmael\nsaw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that\nwere with him, then they were glad. So all the people that Ishmael had\ncarried away captive from Mizpah deserted and returned, and went to\nJohanan the son of Kareah.\n\n{322}\n\nBut Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men,\nand went to the children of Ammon.\n\nThen took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the\nforces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had\nrecovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after he had\nslain Gedaliah the royal governor, even the men of war, and the women,\nand the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from\nGibeon: and they departed, and dwelt in Geruth Chimham, which is by\nBeth-lehem, to go to enter into Egypt, because of the Chaldeans: for\nthey were afraid of them, because Ishmael had slain Gedaliah the royal\ngovernor, whom the king of Babylon made governor over the land.\n\n\nVI\n\nTHE FLIGHT TO EGYPT\n\n(The remnant of the people wish to take refuge in Egypt. They consult\nJeremiah, who tells them that they must not desert the land.)\n\n\nThen all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah,\nand Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least\neven unto the greatest, came near, and said unto Jeremiah the prophet,\n\"Let, we pray thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray\nfor us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant; for we are\nleft but a few of many, as thine eyes do {323} behold us: that the\nLord thy God may shew us the way wherein we should walk, and the thing\nthat we should do.\"\n\nThen Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, \"I have heard you; behold, I\nwill pray unto the Lord your God according to your words; and it shall\ncome to pass that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will\ndeclare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.\"\n\nThen they said to Jeremiah, \"The Lord be a true and faithful witness\namongst us, if we do not even according to all the word wherewith the\nLord thy God shall send thee to us. Whether it be good, or whether it\nbe evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send\nthee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord\nour God.\"\n\nAnd it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the Lord came\nunto Jeremiah. Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the\ncaptains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from\nthe least even to the greatest, and said unto them, \"Thus saith the\nLord, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your\nsupplication before him: 'If ye will still abide in this land, then\nwill I build you up, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and\nnot pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto\nyou. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be\nnot afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and\nto deliver you from his hand. And I will grant you mercy, that he may\nhave mercy {324} upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.'\nBut if ye say, 'We will not dwell in this land'; so that ye obey not\nthe voice of the Lord your God; saying, 'No; but we will go into the\nland of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the\ntrumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:' now\ntherefore hear ye the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah: thus saith\nthe Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, 'If ye wholly set your faces to\nenter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; then it shall come to pass,\nthat the sword, which ye fear, shall overtake you there in the land of\nEgypt, and the famine, whereof ye are afraid, shall follow hard after\nyou there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.\n\n\"'So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into\nEgypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine,\nand by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from\nthe evil that I will bring upon them.'\n\n\"For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; 'As mine anger\nand my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem,\nso shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into\nEgypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a\ncurse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.'\n\n\"The Lord hath spoken concerning you, O remnant of Judah, 'Go ye not\ninto Egypt': know certainly that I have testified unto you this day.\n\n\"For ye have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; {325} for ye\nsent me unto the Lord your God, saying, 'Pray for us unto the Lord our\nGod; and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, so\ndeclare unto us, and we will do it:' and I have this day declared it\nto you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in any\nthing for the which he hath sent me unto you. Now therefore know\ncertainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the\npestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go to sojourn there.\"\n\n\n(The people refuse to heed the warning of Jeremiah. They all journey\nto Egypt, taking the prophet with them.)\n\n\nAnd it came to pass that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking\nunto all the people all the words of the Lord their God, wherewith the\nLord their God had sent him to them, even all these words, then spoke\nAzariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all\nthe proud men, saying to Jeremiah, \"Thou speakest falsely: the Lord\nour God hath not sent thee to say, 'Ye shall not go into Egypt to\nsojourn there': but Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against\nus, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us\nto death, and carry us away captives to Babylon.\"\n\nSo Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and\nall the people, obeyed not the voice of the Lord, to dwell in the land\nof Judah. But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the\nforces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all the\nnations whither they had been driven to sojourn in {326} the land of\nJudah; the men, and the women, and the children, and the king's\ndaughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard\nhad left with Gedaliah the royal governor, and Jeremiah the prophet,\nand Baruch the son of Neriah; and they came into the land of Egypt;\nfor they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: and they came even to\nTahpanhes.\n\nThen came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,\n\"Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in mortar in the\nbrickwork, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in\nthe sight of the men of Judah; and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord\nof hosts, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I will send and take\nNebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his\nthrone upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his\nroyal pavilion over them. And he shall come, and shall smite the land\nof Egypt; such as are for death shall be given to death, and such as\nare for captivity to captivity, and such as are for the sword to the\nsword.\n\n\"'And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he\nshall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array\nhimself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment;\nand he shall go forth from thence in peace. He shall also break the\npillars of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses\nof the gods of Egypt shall he burn with fire.'\"\n\nThe word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the {327} Jews which\ndwelt in the land of Egypt, which dwelt at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes,\nand at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying, \"Thus saith the\nLord of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Ye have seen all the evil that I\nhave brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and,\nbehold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein;\nbecause of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to\nanger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods,\nwhom they knew not, neither they, nor ye, nor your fathers.'\n\n\"Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early\nand sending them, saying, 'Oh, do not this abominable thing that I\nhate.' But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from\ntheir wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods. Wherefore my\nfury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of\nJudah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and\ndesolate, as it is this day.\n\n\"Therefore now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of\nIsrael: 'Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your own souls,\nto cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the\nmidst of Judah, to leave you none remaining; in that ye provoke me\nunto anger with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other\ngods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to sojourn; that ye may\nbe cut off, and that ye may be a curse and a reproach among all the\nnations of the earth? Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your\nfathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness\n{328} of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of\nyour wives, which they committed in the land of Judah, and in the\nstreets of Jerusalem?\n\n\"They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared,\nnor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and\nbefore your fathers.\n\n\"Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I\nwill set my face against you for evil, even to cut off all Judah. And\nI will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into\nthe land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in\nthe land of Egypt shall they fall; they shall be consumed by the sword\nand by the famine; they shall die, from the least even unto the\ngreatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an\nexecration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.\n\n\"'For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have\npunished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the\npestilence: so that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into\nthe land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they\nshould return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire\nto return to dwell there: for none shall return save such as shall\nescape.'\"\n\nThen all the men which knew that their wives burned incense unto other\ngods, and all the women that stood by, a great assembly, even all the\npeople that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah,\nsaying, \"As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of\nthe Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But {329} we will certainly\nperform every word that is gone forth out of our mouth, to burn\nincense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto\nher, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes,\nin the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had\nwe plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we\nleft off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink\nofferings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed\nby the sword and by the famine. And when we burned incense to the\nqueen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make\nher cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her,\nwithout our husbands?\"\n\nThen Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women,\neven to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, \"The\nincense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of\nJerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the\npeople of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and came it not\ninto his mind? so that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the\nevil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have\ncommitted; therefore is your land become a desolation, and an\nastonishment, and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day.\nBecause ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the\nLord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in his\nlaw, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil\nis happened unto you, as it is this day.\"\n\n{330}\n\nMoreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women,\n\"Bear the word of the Lord, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:\nthus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: 'Ye and your\nwives have both spoken with your mouths, and with your hands have\nfulfilled it, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have\nvowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink\nofferings unto her: establish then your vows, and perform your vows.'\n\n\"Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judah that dwell in the\nland of Egypt: 'Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord,\nthat my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah\nin all the land of Egypt, saying, As the Lord God liveth. Behold, I\nwatch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah\nthat are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by\nthe famine, until there be an end of them. And they that escape the\nsword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah,\nfew in number; and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the\nland of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand,\nmine, or theirs.\n\n\"'And this shall be the sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will\npunish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely\nstand against you for evil': thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will give\nPharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into\nthe hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah\ninto the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that\nsought his life.'\"\n\n{331}\n\nThe word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke unto Baruch the son of\nNeriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah,\nin the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah,\nsaying, \"Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch:\n'Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the Lord hath added sorrow to my\npain; I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest. Thus shalt thou\nsay unto him, Thus saith the Lord: Behold, that which I have built\nwill I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up; and\nthis in the whole land.\n\n\"'And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for,\nbehold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life\nwill I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.'\"\n\n\nVII\n\nTHE LAST PROPHECIES OF JEREMIAH\n\n(The last prophecies of Jeremiah in which he predicts the doom of\nBabylon.)\n\n\nThe word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the\nnations.\n\n\n_The Doom of Babylon_\n\nThe word that the Lord spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land\nof the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet.\n\n{332}\n\n\"Declare ye among the nations and publish, and set up a standard;\npublish, and conceal not: say, 'Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame,\nMerodach is dismayed; her images are put to shame, her idols are\ndismayed.'\n\n\"'For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which\nshall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they are\nfled, they are gone, both man and beast. In those days, and in that\ntime,' saith the Lord, 'the children of Israel shall come, they and\nthe children of Judah together; they shall go on their way weeping,\nand shall seek the Lord their God. They shall inquire concerning Zion\nwith their faces thitherward, saying, Come ye, and join yourselves to\nthe Lord in an everlasting covenant that shall not be forgotten.\n\n\"'My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to\ngo astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone\nfrom mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place. All\nthat found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We\noffend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation\nof justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.\n\n\"'Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of\nthe Chaldeans, and be as the he-goats before the flocks. For, lo, I\nwill stir up and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great\nnations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array\nagainst her; from thence she shall be taken: {333} their arrows shall\nbe as of an expert mighty man; none shall return in vain. And Chaldea\nshall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied,' saith the\nLord.\n\n\"'Because ye are glad, because ye rejoice, O ye that plunder mine\nheritage, because ye are wanton as an heifer that treadeth out the\ncorn, and neigh as strong horses; your mother shall be sore ashamed;\nshe that bare you shall be confounded: behold, she shall be the\nhindermost of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.\nBecause of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it\nshall be wholly desolate: everyone that goeth by Babylon shall be\nastonished, and hiss at all her plagues. Set yourselves in array\nagainst Babylon round about, all ye that bend the bow; shoot at her,\nspare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the Lord. Shout against\nher round about; she hath submitted herself; her bulwarks are fallen,\nher walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the Lord; take\nvengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her. Cut off the sower\nfrom Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest:\nfor fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn everyone to his\npeople, and they shall flee everyone to his own land.'\n\n\"Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first\nthe king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadnezzar\nking of Babylon hath broken his bones. Therefore thus saith the Lord\nof hosts, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I will punish the king of\nBabylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria. {334}\nAnd I will bring Israel again to his pasture, and he shall feed on\nCarmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon the hills of\nEphraim and in Gilead. In those days, and in that time,' saith the\nLord, 'the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be\nnone; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will\npardon them whom I leave as a remnant.\n\n\"'Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against\nthe inhabitants of Pekod: slay and utterly destroy after them,' saith\nthe Lord, 'and do according to all that I have commanded thee. A sound\nof battle is in the land, and of great destruction. How is the hammer\nof the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a\ndesolation among the nations! I have laid a snare for thee, and thou\nart also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found,\nand also caught, because thou hast striven against the Lord.'\n\n\"The Lord hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons\nof his indignation: for the Lord, the Lord of hosts, hath a work to do\nin the land of the Chaldeans. Come against her from the utmost border,\nopen her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly:\nlet nothing of her be left. Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to\nthe slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their\nvisitation. The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of\nBabylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the\nvengeance of his temple.\n\n\"Call together the archers against Babylon, all them {335} that bend\nthe bow; camp against her round about; let none thereof escape:\nrecompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath\ndone, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the Lord, against\nthe Holy One of Israel. 'Therefore shall her young men fall in her\nstreets, and all her men of war shall be brought to silence in that\nday,' saith he Lord. \"Behold, I am against thee, O thou proud one,'\nsaith the Lord, the Lord of hosts: 'for thy day is come, the time that\nI will visit thee. And the proud one shall stumble and fall, and none\nshall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it\nshall devour all that are round about him.'\n\n\"Thus saith the Lord of hosts: 'The children of Israel and the\nchildren of Judah are oppressed together: and all that took them\ncaptives hold them fast; they refuse to let them go. Their redeemer is\nstrong; the Lord of hosts is his name: he shall thoroughly plead their\ncause, that he may give rest to the earth, and disquiet the\ninhabitants of Babylon. A sword is upon the Chaldeans,' saith the\nLord, 'and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and\nupon her wise men. A sword is upon the boasters, and they shall dote:\na sword is upon her mighty men, and they shall be dismayed.\n\n\"'A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all\nthe mingled people that are in the midst of her, and they shall become\nas women: a sword is upon her treasures, and they shall be robbed.\n\n\"'A drought is upon her waters, and they shall be {336} dried up: for\nit is a land of graven images, and they are mad upon idols. Therefore\nthe wild beasts of the desert with the wolves shall dwell there, and\nthe ostriches shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited\nfor ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.'\n\n\"'As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities\nthereof,' saith the Lord; 'so shall no man dwell there, neither shall\nany son of man sojourn therein. Behold, a people cometh from the\nnorth; and a great nation, and many kings shall be stirred up from the\nuttermost parts of the earth. They lay hold on bow and spear; they are\ncruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea, and they\nride upon horses; every one set in array, as a man to the battle,\nagainst thee, O daughter of Babylon. The king of Babylon hath heard\nthe fame of them, and his hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of\nhim, and pangs as of a woman in travail. Behold, he shall come up like\na lion from the pride of Jordan against the strong habitation: but I\nwill suddenly make them run away from her; and whoso is chosen, him\nwill I appoint over her: for who is like me? and who will appoint me a\ntime? and who is the shepherd that will stand before me?'\n\n\"Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against\nBabylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of\nthe Chaldeans: Surely they shall drag them away, even the little ones\nof the flock; surely he shall make their habitation desolate {337}\nwith them. At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth trembleth,\nand the cry is heard among the nations.\n\n\"Thus saith the Lord: 'Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and\nagainst them that dwell in Leb-kamai, a destroying wind. And I will\nsend unto Babylon strangers, that shall fan her; and they shall empty\nher land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round\nabout. Let not the archer bend his bow, and let him not lift himself\nup in his coat of mail: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye\nutterly all her host. And they shall fall down slain in the land of\nthe Chaldeans, and thrust through in her streets.'\n\n\"For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, of his God, of the Lord of\nhosts; though their land is full of guilt against the Holy One of\nIsrael. Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and save every man his life;\nbe not cut off in her iniquity: for it is the time of the Lord's\nvengeance; he will render unto her a recompense. Babylon hath been a\ngolden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the\nnations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. Babylon\nis suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her\npain, if so be she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, but\nshe is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own\ncountry: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even\nto the skies.\n\n\"The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us\ndeclare in Zion the work of the Lord our God. Make sharp the arrows;\nhold firm the shields: {338} the Lord hath stirred up the spirit of\nthe kings of the Medes; because his device is against Babylon, to\ndestroy it: for it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his\ntemple. Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon, make the watch\nstrong, set the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the Lord hath both\ndevised and done that which he spake concerning the inhabitants of\nBabylon. O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures,\nthine end is come, the measure of thy covetousness. The Lord of hosts\nhath sworn by himself, saying, 'Surely I will fill thee with men, as\nwith the cankerworm; and they shall lift up a shout against thee.'\n\n\"He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by\nhis wisdom, and by his understanding hath he stretched out the\nheavens: when he uttereth his voice, there is a tumult of waters in\nthe heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the\nearth; he maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind\nout of his treasuries. Every man is become brutish and is without\nknowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his graven image: for\nhis molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They\nare vanity, a work of delusion: in the time of their visitation they\nshall perish. The portion of Jacob is not like these; for he is the\nformer of all things; and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance: the\nLord of hosts is his name.\n\n\"'Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: and with thee will I\nbreak in pieces the nations; and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;\nand with thee will I break {339} in pieces the horse and his rider;\nand with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and him that rideth\ntherein; and with thee will I break in pieces man and woman; and with\nthee will I break in pieces the old man and the youth; and with thee\nwill I break in pieces the young man and the maid; and with thee will\nI break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I\nbreak in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee\nwill I break in pieces governors and deputies. And I will render unto\nBabylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they\nhave done in Zion in your sight,' saith the Lord.\n\n\"'Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain,' saith the Lord,\n'which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon\nthee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt\nmountain. And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a\nstone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever,' saith the\nLord.\n\n\"'Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the\nnations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her\nthe kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz: appoint a marshal against\nher; cause the horses to come up as the rough cankerworm. Prepare\nagainst her the nations, the kings of the Medes, the governors\nthereof, and all the deputies thereof, and all the land of his\ndominion. And the land trembleth and is in pain: for the purposes of\nthe Lord against Babylon do stand, to make the land of Babylon a\ndesolation, {340} without inhabitant. The mighty men of Babylon have\nforborne to fight, they remain in their strong holds; their might hath\nfailed; they are become as women: her dwelling places are set on fire;\nher bars are broken. One post shall run to meet another, and one\nmessenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city\nis taken on every quarter: and the passages are surprised, and the\nreeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.\n\n\"For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: 'The daughter of\nBabylon is like a threshing-floor at the time when it is trodden; yet\na little while, and the time of harvest shall come for her.\nNebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed\nme, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a\ndragon, he hath filled his maw with my delicates; he hath cast me\nout.'\n\n\"The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the\ninhabitant of Zion say; and, My blood be upon the inhabitants of\nChaldea, shall Jerusalem say.\n\n\"Therefore thus saith the Lord: 'Behold, I will plead thy cause, and\ntake vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her\nfountain dry. And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for\njackals, an astonishment, and an hissing, without inhabitant. They\nshall roar together like young lions; they shall growl as lions'\nwhelps. When they are heated, I will make their feast, and I will make\nthem drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and\nnot wake,' saith the Lord.\n\n{341}\n\n\"'I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with\nhe-goats. How is Sheshach taken! and the praise of the whole earth\nsurprised! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! The\nsea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the\nwaves thereof. Her cities are become a desolation, a dry land, and a\ndesert, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man\npass thereby. And I will do judgment upon Bel in Babylon, and I will\nbring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up; and the\nnations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of\nBabylon shall fall.'\n\n\"My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and save yourselves every\nman from the fierce anger of the Lord. And let not your heart faint,\nneither fear ye for the rumour that shall be heard in the land; for a\nrumour shall come one year, and after that in another year shall come\na rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.\n\n\"'Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the\ngraven images of Babylon, and her whole land shall be ashamed; and all\nher slain shall fall in the midst of her. Then the heaven and the\nearth, and all that is therein, shall sing for joy over Babylon; for\nthe spoilers shall come unto her from the north,' saith the Lord.\n\n\"As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon\nshall fall the slain of all the land. Ye that have escaped the sword,\ngo ye, stand not still; {342} remember the Lord from afar, and let\nJerusalem come into your mind. We are ashamed, because we have heard\nreproach; confusion hath covered our faces: for strangers are come\ninto the sanctuaries of the Lord's house.\n\n\"'Wherefore, behold, the days come,' saith the Lord, 'that I will do\njudgment upon her graven images; and through all her land the wounded\nshall groan. Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she\nshould fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers\ncome unto her,' saith the Lord.\n\n\"The sound of a cry from Babylon, and of great destruction from the\nland of the Chaldeans! for the Lord spoileth Babylon, and destroyeth\nout of her the great voice; and their waves roar like many waters, the\nnoise of their voice is uttered: for the spoiler is come upon her,\neven upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, their bows are broken\nin pieces: for the Lord is a God of recompenses, he shall surely\nrequite. 'And I will make drunk her princes and her wise men, her\ngovernors and her deputies, and her mighty men; and they shall sleep a\nperpetual sleep, and not wake,' saith the King, whose name is the Lord\nof hosts. Thus saith the Lord of hosts: 'The broad walls of Babylon\nshall be utterly overthrown, and her high gates shall be burned with\nfire; and the peoples shall labour for vanity, and the nations for the\nfire; and they shall be weary.'\"\n\nThe word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of\nNeriah, the son of Mahseiah, when {343} he went with Zedekiah the king\nof Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. Now Seraiah was\nchief chamberlain. And Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that\nshould come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written\nconcerning Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, \"When thou comest to\nBabylon, then see that thou read all these words, and say, 'O Lord,\nthou hast spoken concerning this place, to cut it off, that none shall\ndwell therein, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate\nfor ever.' And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this\nbook, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst\nof Euphrates: and thou shalt say, 'Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall\nnot rise again because of the evil that I will bring upon her: and\nthey shall be weary.'\"\n\n\n{344}\n\nEZEKIEL\n\n(The book of Ezekiel differs from every other book of prophecy in the\nfact that none of it was written in Palestine. It was written in\nBabylonia, whither Ezekiel had been taken captive while still a youth.\nThe captives knew what was going on in Jerusalem. When the city was\nfirst taken, at the occasion when Ezekiel was made captive, the\nBabylonians were content to carry off ten thousand of the best of the\npeople, with great treasure. The writer of Kings says that \"none\nremained, save the poorest of the people of the land.\" Over this poor\nremnant of a wrecked state the Babylonian government set up a king.\nFor nine years he remained loyal to Babylon. Then, with the foolish\nhope that Egypt would help him when war came, he revolted against the\npower of Babylon. Soon Babylonian armies appeared before Jerusalem,\nand, two years after, the city fell. More captives were deported, the\ncity was burned, the walls broken down, no king set up, but only a\ngovernor, and the kingdom of Israel, over which only one family had\nruled since the time of David, nearly five hundred years before, was\nforever at an end. The fall of Jerusalem was in 586 B. C.\n\nWith every device of vision and picture and pleading Ezekiel tried to\nkeep the captives true to their country and their God. It is good to\nknow that he succeeded in his attempt. The Jews in Babylonia kept\ntheir faith, and, in later years, it was from them that these\nprophetic books went, together with a strong influence for religious\nreform, back to Palestine.)\n\n\nI\n\nA LAMENTATION FOR THE PRINCES OF ISRAEL\n\n\nMoreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes\nof Israel, and say, \"What was thy mother?\n\n\"A lioness: she couched among lions, in the midst of the {345} young\nlions she nourished her whelps. And she brought up one of her whelps;\nhe became a young lion: and he learned to catch the prey, he devoured\nmen. The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit: and\nthey brought him with hooks unto the land of Egypt. Now when she saw\nthat she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of\nher whelps, and made him a young lion. And he went up and down among\nthe lions, he became a young lion: and he learned to catch the prey,\nhe devoured men. And he knew their palaces, and laid waste their\ncities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of\nthe noise of his roaring. Then the nations set against him on every\nside from the provinces: and they spread their net over him; he was\ntaken in their pit. And they put him in a cage with hooks, and brought\nhim to the king of Babylon; they brought him into strong holds, that\nhis voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.\n\n\"Thy mother was like a vine, in thy blood, planted by the waters: she\nwas fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. And she\nhad strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and their\nstature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in\ntheir height with the multitude of their branches. But she was plucked\nup in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried\nup her fruit: her strong rods were broken off and withered; the fire\nconsumed them. And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and\nthirsty land. And fire is gone out of the rods of her branches, it\nhath {346} devoured her fruit, so that there is in her no strong rod\nto be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a\nlamentation.\"\n\n\nII\n\nTHE DOOM OF TYRE\n\n(The description of Tyre is particularly valuable, because it gives\nsuch a vivid picture of the commercial activity of a great city in\nancient times.)\n\n\nAnd it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the\nmonth, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, \"Son of man,\nbecause that Tyre hath said against Jerusalem, 'Aha, she is broken\nthat was the gate of the peoples; she is turned unto me: I shall be\nreplenished, now that she is laid waste:' therefore thus saith the\nLord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Tyre, and will cause many\nnations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come\nup. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre, and break down her\ntowers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her a bare\nrock. She shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of\nthe sea; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God: and she shall\nbecome a spoil to the nations. And her daughters which are in the\nfield shall be slain with the sword: and they shall know that I am the\nLord.\" For thus saith the Lord God: \"Behold, I will bring upon Tyre\nNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, from the north, with\nhorses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and a company, and much\npeople. He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the {347} field:\nand he shall make forts against thee, and cast up a mount against\nthee, and raise up the buckler against thee. And he shall set his\nbattering engines against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break\ndown thy towers. By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust\nshall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen,\nand of the wagons, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy\ngates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach. With the\nhoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay\nthy people with the sword, and the pillars of thy strength shall go\ndown to the ground. And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and\nmake a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls,\nand destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy\ntimber and thy dust in the midst of the waters. And I will cause the\nnoise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no\nmore heard. And I will make thee a bare rock: thou shalt be a place\nfor the spreading of nets; thou shalt be built no more: for I the Lord\nhave spoken it, saith the Lord God.\"\n\nThus saith the Lord God to Tyre: \"Shall not the isles shake at the\nsound of thy fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter is made\nin the midst of thee? Then all the princes of the sea shall come down\nfrom their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their\nbroidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they\nshall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble every moment, and be\nastonished at thee. And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and\nsay to thee, 'How art thou {348} destroyed, that wast inhabited of\nseafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she\nand her inhabitants, which caused their terror to be on all that haunt\nit!' Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the\nisles that are in the sea shall be dismayed at thy departure.\"\n\nFor thus saith the Lord God: \"When I shall make thee a desolate city,\nlike the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep\nupon thee, and the great waters shall cover thee; then will I bring\nthee down with them that descend into the pit, to the people of old\ntime, and will make thee to dwell in the nether parts of the earth, in\nthe places that are desolate of old, with them that go down to the\npit, that thou be not inhabited; and I will set glory in the land of\nthe living: I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more:\nthough thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again,\" saith\nthe Lord God.\n\n\n(The prophet here draws a striking picture of Eastern commerce. He\npictures Tyre as a ship, trading in the commodities of all the nations\nof the world, but wrecked at last and destroyed by the storm.)\n\n\nThe word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, And thou, son of man,\ntake up a lamentation for Tyre; and say unto Tyre, O thou that\ndwellest at the entry of the sea, which art the merchant of the\npeoples unto many isles, thus saith the Lord God: Thou, O Tyre, hast\nsaid, \"I am perfect in beauty.\"\n\nThy borders are in the heart of the seas, thy builders have perfected\nthy beauty. They have made all thy planks of fir trees from Senir:\nthey have taken cedars from Lebanon to make a mast for thee.\n\n{349}\n\nOf the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; they have made thy\nbenches of ivory inlaid in boxwood, from the isles of Kittim.\n\nOf fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was thy sail, that it\nmight be to thee for an ensign; blue and purple from the isles of\nElishah was thine awning.\n\nThe inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy rowers: thy wise men, O\nTyre, were in thee, they were thy pilots.\n\nThe ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy\ncalkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to\noccupy thy merchandise.\n\nPersia and Lud and Put were in thine army, thy men of war: they hung\nthe shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness.\n\nThe men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and\nthe Gammadim were in thy towers: they hung their shields upon thy\nwalls round about; they have perfected thy beauty.\n\nTarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of\nriches; with silver, iron, tin and lead, they traded for thy wares.\n\nJavan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy traffickers: they traded the\npersons of men and vessels of brass for thy merchandise.\n\nThey of the house of Togarmah traded for thy wares with horses and\nwar-horses and mules.\n\nThe men of Dedan were thy traffickers: many isles were the mart of\nthine hand: they brought thee in exchange horns of ivory and ebony.\n\n{350}\n\nSyria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of thy handiworks:\nthey traded for thy wares with emeralds, purple, and broidered work,\nand fine linen, and coral, and rubies.\n\nJudah, and the land of Israel, they were thy traffickers: they traded\nfor thy merchandise wheat of Minnith, and pannag, and honey, and oil,\nand balm.\n\n[Footnote: Pannag--Perhaps a kind of confection.]\n\nDamascus was thy merchant for the multitude of thy handiworks, by\nreason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with the wine of\nHelbon, and white wool.\n\nVedan and Javan traded with yarn for thy wares: bright iron, cassia,\nand calamus, were among thy merchandise.\n\nDedan was thy trafficker in precious cloths for riding. Arabia, and\nall the princes of Kedar, they were the merchants of thy hand; in\nlambs, and rams, and goats, in these were they thy merchants.\n\nThe traffickers of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy traffickers: they\ntraded for thy wares with chief of all spices, and with all precious\nstones, and gold.\n\nHaran and Canneh and Eden, the traffickers of Sheba, Asshur and\nChilmad, were thy traffickers. These were thy traffickers in choice\nwares, in wrappings of blue and broidered work, and in chests of rich\napparel, bound with cords and made of cedar, among thy merchandise.\n\nThe ships of Tarshish were thy caravans for thy merchandise: and thou\nwast replenished, and made very glorious in the heart of the seas.\n\n{351}\n\nThy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath\nbroken thee in the heart of the seas.\n\nThy riches, and thy wares, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy\npilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy\nmen of war, that are in thee, with all thy company which is in the\nmidst of thee, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy\nruin.\n\nAt the sound of the cry of thy pilots the suburbs shall shake. And all\nthat handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea,\nshall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land, and\nshall cause their voice to be heard over thee, and shall cry bitterly,\nand shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves\nin the ashes: and they shall make themselves bald for thee, and gird\nthem with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee in bitterness of\nsoul with bitter mourning.\n\nAnd in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and\nlament over thee, saying, \"Who is there like Tyre, like her that is\nbrought to silence in the midst of the sea?\" When thy wares went forth\nout of the seas, thou filledst many peoples; thou didst enrich the\nkings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy\nmerchandise.\n\nIn the time that thou wast broken by the seas in the depths of the\nwaters, thy merchandise and all thy company did fall in the midst of\nthee.\n\nAll the inhabitants of the isles are astonished at thee, and their\nkings are horribly afraid, they are troubled in their countenance.\n\n{352}\n\nThe merchants among the peoples hiss at thee; thou art become a\nterror, and thou shalt never be any more.\n\n\nIII\n\nTHE VALLEY OF DRY BONES\n\n(This is a strong picture of the reviving power of God's\nspirit in a repentant nation.)\n\n\nThe hand of the Lord was upon me, and he carried me out in the spirit\nof the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was\nfull of bones; and he caused me to pass by them round about: and\nbehold, there were very many in the open valley; and lo, they were\nvery dry.\n\nAnd he said unto me, \"Son of man, can these bones live?\" And I\nanswered, \"O Lord God, thou knowest.\"\n\nAgain he said unto me, \"Prophesy over these bones, and say unto them,\n'O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.'\"\n\nThus saith the Lord God unto these bones: \"Behold, I will cause breath\nto enter into you, and ye shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you,\nand will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put\nbreath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the\nLord.\"\n\nSo I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a\nnoise, and behold an earthquake, and the bones came together, bone to\nhis bone. And I beheld, and lo, there were sinews upon them, and flesh\ncame up, and skin covered them above: but there was no breath in {353}\nthem. Then said he unto me, \"Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of\nman, and say to the wind, 'Thus saith the Lord God: Come from the four\nwinds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.'\"\n\nSo I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and\nthey lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.\n\nThen he said unto me, \"Son of man, these bones are the whole house of\nIsrael: behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is\nlost; we are clean cut off.'\n\n\"Therefore prophesy, and say unto them, 'Thus saith the Lord God:\nBehold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your\ngraves, O my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. And\nye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, and\ncaused you to come up out of your graves, O my people. And I will put\nmy spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own\nland: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed\nit, saith the Lord.'\"\n\n\n{354}\n\nAMOS\n\n(Amos, one of the earliest of the prophets, was a poor herdsman of the\nvillage of Tekoa, which was about twelve miles southeast of Jerusalem,\non the edge of the great wilderness or pasture land, which stretches\nfrom the crest of the hills to the Dead Sea. The call of God came to\nhim to leave his herds and speak against the immorality, the\noppression of the poor, the injustice of the people in the northern\nkingdom of Israel. He appeared at one of the great feasts and spoke\nhis message boldly. The priest of Bethel, where the feast was held,\nwas very angry with him, and tried to frighten him by sending to the\nking the report that he was a traitor. This is)\n\n\nI\n\nTHE MESSAGE OF AMOS AT THE FEAST\n\nThis the Lord Jehovah caused me to see: behold, he formed locusts at\nthe beginning of the coming up of the spring crops, and behold, it was\nafter the king's mowings. It came to pass when they had made an end of\ndevouring the verdure of the earth, that I said,\n\n\"O Lord Jehovah, pardon, I pray Thee! How shall Jacob rise again? He\nis so small!\"\n\nJehovah repented for this. \"It shall not be,\" saith Jehovah.\n\nThis the Lord Jehovah caused me to see: and behold, the Lord Jehovah\nwas calling fire into the contest; and it devoured the Great Deep,\nyea, it was about to devour the land.\n\n{355}\n\n\"O Lord Jehovah, pardon, I pray thee! How shall Jacob rise again? He\nis so small!\"\n\nJehovah repented for this. \"It also shall not come to pass,\" saith the\nLord Jehovah.\n\nThis he showed me, and behold the Lord has taken his station upon a\ncity wall, a wall built with a plumbline.\n\nAnd Jehovah said to me, \"What art thou seeing?\" And I said, \"A\nplumbline.\" And the Lord said, \"Behold, I am setting a plumbline in\nthe midst of my people Israel. I will not again pass them over. The\nhigh places of Israel shall be desolate and the sanctuaries of Isaac\nlaid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the\nsword.\"\n\n\nII\n\nAMOS DEFIES THE PRIEST\n\n(\"As Savonarola at the Duomo in Florence, as Luther at the Diet of\nWorms, as our Lord Himself at the feast in Jerusalem, so was Amos at\nthe feast in Bethel.\"--_Smith_.)\n\n\nThen Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel,\nsaying, \"Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of\nIsrael. The land is not able to hold his words.\" For thus hath Amos\nsaid, \"By the sword shall Jeroboam die, and Israel going shall go into\ncaptivity from off his own land.\"\n\nAnd Amaziah Said unto Amos, \"Visionary, be gone! Get thee off to the\nland of Judah; and eat thy bread there, and there play the prophet.\nBut at Bethel thou shalt not {356} again prophesy. The king's\nsanctuary it is, and the house of the kingdom.\"\n\nBut Amos answered and said unto Amaziah, \"No prophet I, nor prophet's\nson. But a herdsman I, and a dresser of sycamores; and Jehovah took me\nfrom behind the flock and Jehovah said unto me, 'Go, prophesy unto my\npeople Israel.'\n\n\"Now therefore hearken to the word of Jehovah, thou that sayest,\nprophesy not against Israel, nor let drop thy words against the house\nof Israel; therefore thus saith Jehovah. Thy wife in the city shall\nbecome an outcast; and thy sons and thy daughters by the sword--shall\nfall; and thy land--by the measuring rope shall be divided; and thou\nin an unclean land shalt die. And Israel shall be driven from his land\ninto captivity.\"\n\n\nIII\n\nTHE DOOM OF A CORRUPT CIVILIZATION\n\nHear this word which Jehovah hath spoken against you, O children of\nIsrael, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of\nEgypt. \"You only have I known of all the families of the earth,\ntherefore will I visit upon you all your iniquities.\" Can two walk\ntogether except they have an appointment? Doth a lion roar in the\njungle and have no prey? Doth a young lion let forth his voice from\nhis den if he hath taken nothing?\n\nDoth a little bird fall on the snare earthwards and there be no noose\nabout her? Doth the snare itself rise up from the ground, except it be\ncapturing something?\n\n\n{357}{358}\n\n[Illustration]\n CONVENT OF MAR-SARBA IN THE HILL COUNTRY OF JUDEA.\n\n It is on the edge of this \"wilderness of Judea\" that the towns of\n Bethlehem, and Tekoa, the home of Amos, are situated, and in this\n region both David and Amos pastured their sheep.\n[End illustration]\n\n{359}\n\nIs the alarm trumpet blown in a city and do the people not tremble?\nShall calamity happen in a city and Jehovah not have done it? Yea, the\nLord Jehovah doeth nothing but he has revealed his purpose to his\nservants the prophets. The lion has roared, who shall not fear?\nJehovah hath spoken, who can but prophesy?\n\nMake proclamation over the palaces in Ashdod, and over the palaces in\nthe land of Egypt, and say, \"Gather upon the Mount of Samaria and see!\nConfusions manifold in the midst of her; violence to her very core!\"\nYea they know not how to do uprightness, saith Jehovah, who store up\nwrong and violence in their palaces. Therefore saith the Lord, \"Siege\nand investment of the land! And they shall bring down thy fortresses\nand plundered shall be thy palaces.\" Thus saith Jehovah: \"As the\nshepherd saveth from the mouth of the lion, a pair of shin bones or a\nbit of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be saved--they who sit\nin Samaria in the corner of the divan and on a Damascus couch.\"\n\n\"Hear ye, and testify against the house of Jacob\"--saith the Lord God\nof Hosts. \"For on the days when I visit the crimes of Israel upon him,\nI shall there make visitation upon the altars of Bethel, and the horns\nof the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. And I will smite\nthe winter house, and the summer house, and the ivory houses shall\nperish, yea, swept away shall be houses many\"-- oracle of Jehovah.\n\nHear this word, women of Israel, kine of Bashan that are in the mount\nof Samaria, that oppress the poor, that crush the needy, that say to\ntheir lords, \"Bring, and let us {360} drink.\" Sworn hath the Lord\nJehovah by his holiness, lo! days are coming when there shall be a\ntaking away of you with hooks, and of the last of you with fish-hooks.\nYea, by the breaches (in the wall of the stormed city) shall ye go\nout, everyone headlong, and ye shall fling yourselves out on the\nmountains as a refuge.\n\n\nIV\n\nFALSE WORSHIP. THE CHASTISEMENT OF THE LORD\n\nCome away to Bethel and transgress!\n\nAt Gilgal exaggerate your transgressions!\n\nAnd bring every morning your sacrifices.\n\nEvery three days your tithes!\n\nAnd send up the savour of leavened bread as a thank-offering.\n\nAnd call out your charities--make them to be heard!\n\nFor so ye loved to do, a children of Israel--saith the Lord.\n\nBut I on my side withheld from you the winter rain, while it was still\nthree months to the harvest, and I let it rain repeatedly on one city,\nand upon one city I did not let it rain: one piece was rained upon,\nand the piece that was not rained upon withered: and two or three\ncities kept struggling to one city for water, and were not\nsatisfied--yet ye did not return to me--saith the Lord.\n\nI smote you with blasting and with mildew: many of your gardens and\nyour vineyards and your figs and your olives the locust devoured--yet\nye did not return to me--saith the Lord.\n\n{361}\n\nI overturned among you, like God's own overturning of Sodom and\nGomorrah, till ye became as a brand plucked from the burning--yet ye\ndid not return to me--saith the Lord.\n\nTherefore, thus shall I do to thee, O Israel: because I am going to do\nthis to thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. For, lo, he that\nformeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth to man\nwhat his thought is, that maketh the morning, darkness, and marcheth\non the high places of the earth, the Lord God of Hosts his name.\n\n\nV\n\nTHE OPPRESSION OF THE POOR\n\nSeek ye Jehovah and live, lest he break forth like fire, O house of\nJoseph, and it consume and there be none to quench at Bethel. He that\nmade the Pleiades and Orion, that turneth the deep shadow into\nmorning, and day he darkeneth to night, that calleth for the waters of\nthe sea and poureth them out on the face of the earth--Jehovah, his\nname. He it is that flasheth out ruin on strength, and bringeth down\ndestruction on the fortified.\n\nThey that turn justice to wormwood, and abase righteousness to the\nearth! They hate him that reproveth in the gate and him that speaketh\nsincerely they abhor. Wherefore, because ye trample on the weak, and\ntake from him a present of corn, ye shall have houses built of hewn\nstone, but ye shall not dwell in them: vineyards for pleasure have ye\nplanted, but ye shall not drink of their wine. For I know how many are\nyour crimes and how forceful your sins--ye that browbeat the\nrighteous, take bribes and {362} turn aside the poor in the gate.\nTherefore the prudent in such a time is dumb, for an evil time it is.\n\nSeek good and not evil, that ye may live, and Jehovah God of Hosts be\nwith you as ye say he is. Hate evil and love good: and in the gate set\njustice on her feet again --it may be that Jehovah God of Hosts may\nhave pity on the remnant of Joseph.\n\nTherefore thus saith Jehovah, God of Hosts, Lord: On all the open\nways, lamentation, and in all streets they shall be saying, \"Ah woe!\nAh woe!\" And in all vineyards, lamentation, and they shall call the\nploughman to wailing, and to lamentation them that are skilful in\ndirges, for I shall pass through their midst, saith Jehovah.\n\nWoe unto you that long for the day of the Lord!\n\nWherefore would ye have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not\nlight. As when a man fleeth from the face of a lion and a bear falls\nupon him: and he comes unto the house and leans his hand upon the wall\nand a serpent bites him. Is it not darkness, the day of Jehovah, and\nnot light? storm-darkness, and not a ray of light upon it?\n\nI hate, I loathe your feasts, and I will not smell the savour of your\ngatherings to sacrifice. Though ye bring to me your burnt-offering,\nand your meal-offerings, I will not be pleased, or your\nthank-offerings of fatted calves, I will not look at them. Let cease\nfrom me the noise of thy songs: to the playing of thy viols I will not\nlisten. But let justice roll on like water, and righteousness like an\nunfailing stream.\n\n[Footnote: This translation is in the main that of George Adam Smith\nin the \"Expositor's Bible.\"]\n\n\n{363}\n\nHOSEA\n\n(Hosea belonged to the same generation as Amos, and meets the same\nsocial sins and oppressions of the poor by the rich. He emphasizes the\nreligious side of the difficulties. Sin is treachery against God, and\npeculiarly mean treachery; for God loves his people. Hosea's emphasis\non the love of God is almost the beginning of the greatest idea about\nGod that man ever conceived. It grew out of a very sad part of his own\nlife. His wife had left him, and yet he could not forget her. He still\nloved her, and could not cease loving her. This experience showed him\nwhat God must be like. God loved Israel. When Israel sinned, God was\nhurt and saddened. Could God cease to love Israel? Never! If he, a\nman, still loved his wife, could Jehovah, being God, love less? Must\nnot his love be greater than man's? So it comes about that Hosea gives\na very vivid and wonderful picture of the sad and terrible results of\nsin, and of the tender, compassionate love of God. The book is more\ndisconnected than many of the prophecies. It is a series of\nindependent sections, nearly all of which express, in different\nlanguage, much the same ideas of Israel's sin and God's love.)\n\n\nI\n\nSOWING THE WIND; REAPING THE WHIRLWIND\n\nWhen I would heal Israel, then is the iniquity of Ephraim discovered,\nand the wickedness of Samaria; for they commit falsehood: and the\nthief entereth in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without. And they\nconsider not {364} in their hearts that I remember all their\nwickedness: now have their own doings beset them about; they are\nbefore my face. They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the\nprinces with their lies. They are all hot as an oven, and devour their\njudges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that\ncalleth unto me. Ephraim, he mixeth himself among the peoples; Ephraim\nis a cake not turned. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he\nknoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, and he\nknoweth it not. And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: yet\nthey have not returned unto the Lord their God, nor sought him for all\nthis. And Ephraim is like a silly dove, without understanding: they\ncall unto Egypt, they go to Assyria. When they shall go, I will spread\nmy net upon them; I will bring them down as the birds of the heaven: I\nwill chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. Woe unto them!\nfor they have wandered from me; destruction unto them! for they have\ntrespassed against me: though I would redeem them, yet they have\nspoken lies against me. And they have not cried unto me with their\nheart, but they howl upon their beds: they assemble themselves for\ncorn and wine, they rebel against me. Though I have taught and\nstrengthened their arms, yet do they devise mischief against me. They\nreturn, but not to him that is on high; they are like a deceitful bow:\ntheir princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue:\nthis shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.\n\nSet the trumpet to thy mouth. As an eagle he cometh {365} against the\nhouse of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, and\ntrespassed against my law. They shall cry unto me, \"My God, we,\nIsrael, know thee.\" Israel hath cast off that which is good: the enemy\nshall pursue him. They have set up kings, but not by me; they have\nmade princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have\nthey made them idols, that they may be cut off. He hath cast off thy\ncalf, O Samaria; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it\nbe ere they attain to innocency? For from Israel is even this; the\nworkman made it, and it is no God: yea, the calf of Samaria shall be\nbroken in pieces. For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the\nwhirlwind.\n\n\nII\n\nTHE LONGING OF GOD FOR HIS CHILDREN\n\nCome, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will\nheal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will\nhe revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live\nbefore him. And let us follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is\nsure as the morning: and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the\nlatter rain that watereth the earth.\n\nWhen Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of\nEgypt. The more the prophet called them, the more they went from them:\nthey sacrificed unto the Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.\nYet I {366} taught Ephraim to walk; I took them on my arms; but they\nknew not that I healed them. I drew them with cords of a man, with\nbands of love. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver\nthee, Israel? mine heart is turned within me, my compassions are\nkindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I\nwill not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the\nHoly One in the midst of thee: and I will not come in wrath. They\nshall walk after the Lord, who shall roar like a lion: for he shall\nroar, and the children shall come trembling from the west. They shall\ncome trembling as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land\nof Assyria: and I will make them to dwell in their houses, saith the\nLord. I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem\nthem from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O grave, where is thy\ndestruction? I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely:\nfor mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto\nIsrael: he shall blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as\nLebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the\nolive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.\n\n\n{367}\n\nMICAH\n\n(It is supposed that Micah lived in the time of Isaiah, the prophet.\nHis message resembles that of Amos in its stern denunciation of the\nwrong-doing of the rich. He himself belonged to the poorer classes and\nspeaks from a full heart when he describes the misery of the poor and\nthe oppression of the rich. Like Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea, he is a\nsocial reformer.)\n\nWoe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! when\nthe morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of\ntheir hand. And they covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and\ntake them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and\nhis heritage. The voice of the Lord crieth unto the city, and the man\nof wisdom will see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed\nit. \"Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the\nwicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? Shall I be pure with\nwicked balances, and with deceitful weights? For the rich men thereof\nare full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies,\nand their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. Therefore I also have\nsmitten thee with a grievous wound; I have made thee desolate because\nof thy sins. Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy humiliation\nshall be in the midst of thee: and thou shalt store up, but shalt not\nkeep it; and that which thou carriest away will I give up to the\nsword. Thou shalt sow, but shalt not {368} reap: thou shalt tread the\nolives, but shalt not anoint thee with oil; and the vintage, but shalt\nnot drink the wine.\"\n\nWoe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as\nthe grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat; my\nsoul desireth the firstripe fig. The godly man is perished out of the\nearth, and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for\nblood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. Their hands are\nupon that which is evil to do it diligently; the prince asketh, and\nthe judge is ready for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth the\nmischief of his soul: thus they weave it together. The best of them is\nas a brier: the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge: the day of\nthy watchmen, even thy visitation, is come; now shall be their\nperplexity. Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a\nguide. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up\nagainst her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a\nman's enemies are the men of his own house. But as for me, I will look\nunto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will\nhear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall\narise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.\n\nWherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high\nGod? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a\nyear old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten\nthousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my\ntransgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?\n\n{369}\n\nHe hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord\nrequire of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk\nhumbly with thy God?\n\nBut in the latter days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the\nLord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it\nshall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow unto it. And\nmany nations shall go and say, \"Come ye, and let us go up to the\nmountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he\nwill teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of\nZion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.\"\nAnd he shall judge between many peoples, and shall reprove strong\nnations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,\nand their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword\nagainst nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall\nsit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall\nmake them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.\nFor all the peoples will walk everyone in the name of his god, and we\nwill walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.\n\nBut thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the\nthousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is\nto be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from\neverlasting.\n\n\n{370}\n\nOBADIAH\n\n(This is the shortest of the books of prophecy in the Old Testament.\nIt denounces the evil of the people of Edom, who, when Jerusalem was\ntaken by the Babylonians, took delight in its distresses and, pursuing\nthe fugitives in the mountains, captured them and returned them to the\nBabylonian army. Nothing definite is known of the prophet.)\n\n\nThe vision of Obadiah.\n\nThus saith the Lord God concerning Edom: \"We have heard tidings from\nthe Lord, and an ambassador is sent among the nations, saying, Arise\nye, and let us rise up against her in battle. Behold, I have made thee\nsmall among the nations: thou art greatly despised. The pride of thine\nheart hath deceived thee, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the\nrock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, 'Who shall\nbring me down to the ground?' Though thou mount on high as the eagle,\nand though thy nest be set among the stars, I will bring thee down\nfrom thence, saith the Lord. If thieves came to thee, if robbers by\nnight, would they not steal till they had enough? if grapegatherers\ncame to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes?\n\nHow are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden treasures\nsought up! All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee on thy\nway, even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have\ndeceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread lay\na snare under thee: there is none understanding in him.\n\n\n{371}{372}\n\n[Illustration]\n \"THE PROPHETS\"\n\n From the frieze of \"The Prophets,\" by Sargent, in the Boston Public\n Library.\n\n The prophets here represented are Micah, Haggai, Malachi, and\n Zechariah.\n[End illustration]\n\n{373}\n\nShall I not in that day, saith the Lord, destroy the wise men out of\nEdom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? And thy mighty men,\nO Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that everyone may be cut off\nfrom the mount of Esau by slaughter. For the violence done to thy\nbrother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for\never. In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that\nstrangers carried away his substance, and foreigners entered into his\ngates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.\nBut look not thou on the day of thy brother in the day of his\ndisaster, and rejoice not over the children of Judah in the day of\ntheir destruction; neither speak proudly in the day of distress. Enter\nnot into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, look\nnot thou on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither lay\nye hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. And stand\nthou not in the mountain passes, to cut off those of his that escape;\nand deliver not up those of his that remain in the day of distress.\nFor the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations: as thou hast\ndone, it shall be done unto thee; thy dealing shall return upon thine\nown head. But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it\nshall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.\nAnd the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a\nflame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among\nthem, and devour them, and there shall not be any remaining to the\nhouse of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.\n\n\n{374}\n\nJOEL\n\n(At some time, we are not told just when, a terrible plague of locusts\ncame upon the land. A prophet, whose name was Joel, took this occasion\nto tell the people of their sins, and of the judgments which God would\nbring upon them.)\n\nI\n\nTHE PROPHET LAMENTS FOR HIS LAND\n\n Hear this, ye old men,\n And give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.\n Hath this been in your days,\n Or in the days of your fathers?\n Tell ye your children of it,\n And let your children tell their children,\n And their children another generation.\n That which the palmerworm hath left\n Hath the cankerworm eaten;\n And that which the cankerworm hath left\n Hath the caterpillar eaten.\n\n Be ashamed, O ye husbandmen,\n Howl, O ye vinedressers,\n For the wheat, and for the barley;\n For the harvest of the field is perished.\n The vine is withered, {375}\n And the fig tree languisheth;\n The pomegranate tree,\n The palm tree also, and the apple tree,\n Even all the trees of the field are withered:\n For joy is withered away from the sons of men.\n\n Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly,\n Gather the old men\n And all the inhabitants of the land\n Unto the house of the Lord your God,\n And cry unto the Lord.\n\n Alas for the day!\n For the day of the Lord is at hand.\n And as the destruction from the Almighty shall it come.\n Is not the food cut off before our eyes,\n Yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?\n The seeds rot under their clods:\n The garners are laid desolate,\n The barns are broken down;\n For the corn is withered.\n How do the beasts groan.\n The herds of cattle are perplexed,\n Because they have no pasture;\n Yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.\n\n O Lord, to thee do I cry:\n For the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness\n And the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.\n Yea, the beasts of the field pant unto thee: {376}\n For the water brooks are dried up,\n And the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.\n\n\nII\n\nTHE WARNING TO THE PEOPLE\n\n Blow ye the trumpet in Zion,\n And sound an alarm in my holy mountain;\n Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble.\n For the Day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;\n A day of darkness and gloom,\n A day of clouds and thick darkness,\n As the dawn spread upon the mountains;\n A great people and a strong.\n There hath not ever been the like,\n Neither shall there be any more after them,\n Even to the years of many generations.\n A fire devoureth before them;\n And behind them a flame burneth:\n The land is as the garden of Eden before them,\n And behind them a desolate wilderness;\n Yea, and none hath escaped them.\n The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses;\n And as horsemen, so do they run.\n Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains do they leap,\n Like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble;\n As a strong people set in battle array.\n At their presence the peoples are in anguish;\n All faces are waxed pale; {377}\n They run like mighty men;\n They climb upon the wall like men of war;\n And they march everyone on his ways.\n And they break not their ranks;\n They march everyone in his path;\n They burst through the weapons of the enemy;\n And turn not from their course.\n They leap upon the city;\n They run upon the walls;\n They climb upon the houses;\n They enter in at the windows like a thief.\n The earth quaketh before them;\n The heavens tremble:\n The sun and the moon are darkened,\n And the stars withdraw their shining.\n And the Lord uttereth his voice before his army;\n For his camp is very great;\n For he is strong and executeth his word:\n For the Day of the Lord is great and very terrible;\n And who can abide it?\n\n\nIII\n\nTHE LORD WILL PARDON\n\n(If the people turn from evil and repent, and worship him in the true\nspirit, the Lord will not send this terrible army of vengeance upon\nthem.)\n\n\n Yet even now, saith the Lord,\n Turn ye unto me with all your heart,\n And with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: {378}\n Rend your heart and not your garments,\n And turn unto the Lord your God:\n For he is gracious and full of compassion,\n Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy,\n And repenteth him of the evil.\n\n\nIV\n\nA PROPHECY OF PLENTY\n\n(The plea of the prophet was effective. The people repented, and their\nprophet promised that the Lord would not only forgive his people, but\nwould bless them with abundance.)\n\n Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil,\n And ye shall be satisfied therewith:\n And I will no more make you a reproach among the nations:\n But I will remove far off from you the northern army,\n And will drive him into a land barren and desolate,\n His vanguard into the eastern sea,\n And his rearguard into the western sea.\n Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice.\n For the Lord hath done great things.\n Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field:\n For the pastures of the wilderness do spring,\n For the tree beareth her fruit,\n the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.\n Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God:\n For he giveth you the former rain in just measure, {379}\n And he causeth to come down for you the rain,\n The former rain and the latter rain, in the first month.\n And the floors shall be full of wheat,\n And the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.\n And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten,\n The cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm,\n My great army which I sent among you.\n And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,\n And ye shall praise the name of the Lord your God,\n That hath dealt wondrously with you:\n And my people shall never be ashamed.\n And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,\n And that I am the Lord your God, and there is none else:\n And my people shall never be ashamed.\n\n And it shall come to pass afterward,\n That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;\n And your sons and daughters shall prophesy,\n Your old men shall dream dreams,\n Your young men shall see visions:\n And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days\n Will I pour out my spirit.\n\n\n{380}\n\nZEPHANIAH\n\n(Zephaniah is another of the prophets who tell of the destruction\nwhich will come upon the people in the terrible \"day of the Lord.\"\nThen his prophecy, like the others, breaks into joyous strains at the\nclose, as he tells of the blessings which will be showered upon the\nnation when it repents.)\n\n\nI\n\nTHE DAY OF WRATH\n\n The Day of the Lord is near:\n It is near and hasteth greatly.\n Even the voice of the Day of the Lord;\n The mighty man crieth there bitterly.\n That Day is a day of wrath,\n A day of trouble and distress,\n A day of waste and desolation,\n A day of darkness and gloominess,\n A day of clouds and thick darkness,\n A day of trumpet and alarm\n Against the fortified cities,\n And against the high battlements.\n\n Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together,\n O nation that hath no shame;\n Before the decree bring forth,\n Before the day pass as the chaff,\n Before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you.\n Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth,\n\n\n{381}{382}\n\n[Illustration]\n \"THE PROPHETS\"\n\n From the frieze of \"The Prophets,\" by Sargent, in the Boston Public\n Library.\n\n The prophets here represented are Zephaniah, Joel, Obadiah, and\n Hosea.\n[End illustration]\n\n{383}\n\n Which have wrought his judgment;\n Seek righteousness,\n Seek meekness:\n It may be ye shall be hid\n In the Day of the Lord's anger.\n\n This is the joyous city,\n That dwelt carelessly,\n That said in her heart, \"I am,\n And there is none else beside me:\"\n How is she become a desolation,\n A place for beasts to lie down in!\n Everyone that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his head,\n Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted,\n To the oppressing city.\n She obeyed not the voice;\n She received not correction;\n She trusted not in the Lord;\n She drew not near to her God.\n Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions;\n Her judges are evening wolves;\n They leave nothing till the morrow.\n Her prophets are light and treacherous persons:\n Her priests have profaned the sanctuary,\n They have done violence to the law.\n\n The Lord in the midst of her is righteous;\n He will not do iniquity;\n Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light,\n He faileth not;\n But the unjust knoweth no shame.\n\n\n{384}\n\nIV\n\nSING, O DAUGHTER OF ZION\n\n Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel;\n Be glad and rejoice with the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.\n The Lord hath taken away thy judgments,\n He hath cast out thine enemy:\n The king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee:\n Thou shalt not fear evil any more.\n In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, \"Fear thou not:\n O Zion, let not thine hands be slack.\n The Lord thy God is in the midst of thee,\n A mighty one who will save:\n He will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love,\n He will joy over thee with singing.\"\n\n\n{385}\n\nNAHUM\n\n(Nineveh was the capital city of the great empire of Assyria. It was,\nto the Hebrews, the expression of all the power and cruelty and\nbloodthirstiness of that mighty and oppressive empire. The story of\nthe barbaric savagery of this empire almost passes belief. The\nmonuments of Assyria are its own strongest accusing witnesses. They\nshow pictures of captives of war whose eyes are being put out, who are\nbeing skinned alive, who are suffering all the tortures that a savage\nimagination can invent. Any such torture might come to any Hebrew\ntaken in war. Is it any wonder that the people not only dreaded, but\nbitterly hated this city? Is it strange that they thought Jehovah\nwould certainly overthrow it? Nahum, in a poetic prophecy of great\nvigor and vividness, pictures the overthrow, and exults in the fall of\nthe great, rich, cruel city. That fall came, at the hands of the Medes\nand Babylonians, in about 608 B. C. Since that time, Nineveh has\nremained in ruins, and is to-day buried under the sand hills of the\ndesert.)\n\n\nI\n\nTHE GOODNESS AND THE GREATNESS OF THE LORD\n\nThe Lord is a jealous God and avengeth; the Lord avengeth and is full\nof wrath; the Lord taketh vengeance on his adversaries, and he\nreserveth wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, and great\nin power, and will by no means clear the guilty: the Lord hath his way\nin the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of\n{386} his feet. He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up\nall the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of\nLebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt;\nand the earth is upheaved at his presence, yea, the world, and all\nthat dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can\nabide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like\nfire, and the rocks are broken asunder by him. The Lord is good, a\nstrong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that put their\ntrust in him. But with an overrunning flood he will make a full end of\nthe place thereof, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. What do\nye imagine against the Lord? he will make a full end: affliction shall\nnot rise up the second time. For though they be like tangled thorns,\nand be drenched as it were in their drink, they shall be devoured\nutterly as dry stubble. There is one gone forth out of thee, that\nimagineth evil against the Lord, that counselleth wickedness.\n\nThus saith the Lord: Though they be in full strength, and likewise\nmany, even so shall they be cut down, and he shall pass away.\n\nThough I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.\n\nAnd now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds\nin sunder.\n\nAnd the Lord hath given commandment concerning thee, that no more of\nthy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the\ngraven image and the molten image; I will make thy grave; for thou art\nvile.\n\n{387}\n\nBehold, upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,\n\nThat publisheth peace!\n\n\nII\n\nTHE DOOM OF NINEVEH\n\n(In describing the doom of Nineveh, the writer draws one of the most\nvivid pictures of war that was ever written.)\n\n The Hammer is come up to thy face!\n Hold the rampart! Keep watch on the way!\n Brace the loins! Pull thyself firmly together!\n The shields of the heroes are red,\n The warriors are in scarlet;\n Like fire is the shining of his chariots in the day of his muster,\n And the horsemen are prancing.\n Through the markets rage chariots,\n They tear across the squares;\n The look of them is like torches,\n Like lightnings they dart to and fro.\n And now they flee. \"Stand, stand!\" but there is none to rally.\n Plunder silver, plunder gold!\n Infinite treasures, mass of all precious things!\n Void and devoid and desolate is she.\n Melting hearts and shaking knees,\n And anguish in all loins,\n And nothing but faces full of black fear. {388}\n Where is the Lion's den,\n And the young lion's feeding ground?\n Whither has the Lion retreated,\n The whelps of the Lion with none to make afraid:\n The Lion who tore enough for his whelps,\n And strangled for his lionesses.\n And he filled his pits with prey,\n And his dens with rapine.\n Lo, I am at thee,\n I will put up thy lair in flames,\n The sword shall devour thy young lions;\n I will cut off the earth from thy rapine,\n And the noise of thine envoys shall no more be heard.\n\n Woe to the City of Blood,\n All of her guile, robbery full, ceaseless rapine!\n\n Hark the whip,\n And the rumbling of the wheel,\n And horses galloping,\n And the rattling dance of the chariot!\n Cavalry at the charge, and flash of sabres,\n And lightning of lances,\n Mass of slain and weight of corpses,\n They stumble on their dead!\n\n All thy fortresses are fig trees with figs early ripe:\n Be they shaken they fall on the mouth of the eater.\n Lo, thy folk are but women in thy midst:\n To thy foes the gates of thy land fly open;\n Fire has devoured thy bars.\n\n\n{389}{390}\n\n[Illustration]\n \"THE PROPHETS\"\n\n From the frieze of \"The Prophets,\" by Sargent, in the Boston Public\n Library.\n\n The prophets here represented are Amos, Nahum, Ezekiel, and Daniel.\n[End illustration]\n\n{391}\n\n Draw water for the siege, strengthen thy forts!\n Get thee down to the mud, and tramp in the clay!\n Grip fast the brick mould!\n There fire consumes thee, the sword cuts thee off!\n\n Asleep are thy shepherds, O king of Assyria,\n Thy nobles do slumber;\n Thy people are strewn on the mountains,\n Without any to gather.\n There is no healing of thy wreck,\n Fatal thy wound.\n All who hear of thy fall shall clap their hands at thee,\n For upon whom hath not thy cruelty passed without ceasing?\n\n[Footnote: This translation is, in part, that of George Adam Smith.]\n\n\n{392}\n\nHABAKKUK\n\n(The little book of Habakkuk was written just before the fall of\nJerusalem. This prophet is dealing with a problem new to Israel. It\nwas, Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper? It came from\nthe rapid rise of the great, cruel empire of Babylon. Assyria had\nfallen, but instead of Israel being free as the people had expected\nthey would be when Assyria was out of the way, it found itself under\nthe power of the New Babylonian government. Why did God allow this?\nthe people asked, in sad despair at the hopeless political situation.\nThe prophet Habakkuk attempted to answer the question. He called\nhimself a watchman, set to see if God would not answer this question.\nAnd the answer comes. It is in a sort of enigma: \"Behold, his soul is\npuffed up, it is not upright within him; but the just shall live by\nhis faith.\" Then the rest of the book is the expansion of the thought\nof this enigma. And what is its meaning? It could be expressed\nsomewhat in this way: \"Be patient; hold faith in God. In faith in him\nis the promise of life. Wickedness contains the germs of its own\ndestruction, and will inevitably fall, Wait and you will see that this\nis so.\")\n\n\nI\n\nWARNINGS OF THE WATCHMAN\n\n\nI will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will look\nforth to see what he will speak with me, and what I shall answer\nconcerning my complaint.\n\nAnd the Lord answered me, and said, \"Write the vision, and make it\nplain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is\nyet for the appointed time, and it hasteth toward the end, and shall\nnot lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it\nwill not {393} delay. Behold, his soul is puffed up, it is not upright\nin him: but the just shall live by his faith.\"\n\nWoe to him that getteth an evil gain for his house, that he may set\nhis nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil! Thou\nhast consulted shame to thy house, by cutting off many peoples, and\nhast sinned against thy soul. For the stone shall cry out of the wall,\nand the beam out of the timber shall answer it.\n\nWoe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by\niniquity! Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the peoples\nlabour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity? For\nthe earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,\nas the waters cover the sea.\n\nWoe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink.\n\nWhat profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof hath graven\nit; the molten image, and the teacher of lies, that the maker of his\nwork trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? Woe unto him that saith to\nthe wood, \"Awake;\" to the dumb stone, \"Arise!\" Shall this teach?\nBehold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath\nat all in the midst of it. But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all\nthe earth keep silence before him.\n\n\nII\n\nA PRAYER OF THE PROPHET\n\n O Lord, I have heard the report of thee, and am afraid:\n O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, {394}\n In the midst of the years make it known;\n In wrath remember mercy.\n\n God came from Teman,\n And the Holy One from mount Paran\n His glory covered the heavens,\n And the earth was full of his praise.\n And his brightness was as the light;\n He had rays coming forth from his hand:\n And there was the hiding of his power.\n Before him went the pestilence,\n And fiery bolts went forth at his feet.\n He stood, and measured the earth;\n He beheld, and drove asunder the nations:\n And the eternal mountains were scattered,\n The everlasting hills did bow;\n His goings were as of old.\n\n I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction:\n The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.\n Was the Lord displeased against the rivers?\n Was thine anger against the rivers,\n Or thy wrath against the sea,\n That thou didst ride upon thine horses,\n Upon thy chariots of salvation?\n Thy bow was made quite bare;\n The oaths to the tribes were a sure word.\n Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.\n\n The mountains saw thee, and were afraid;\n The tempest of waters passed by: {395}\n The deep uttered his voice,\n And lifted up his hands on high.\n The sun and moon stood still in their habitation;\n At the light of thine arrows as they went,\n At the shining of thy glittering spear.\n\n Thou didst march through the land in indignation,\n Thou didst thresh the nations in anger.\n Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people,\n For the salvation of thine anointed;\n Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked,\n Laying bare the foundation even unto the neck.\n Thou didst pierce with his own staves the head of his warriors:\n They came as a whirlwind to scatter me:\n Their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.\n Thou didst tread the sea with thine horses,\n The heap of mighty waters.\n\n I heard, and my belly trembled,\n My lips quivered at the voice;\n Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in my place:\n That I should rest in the day of trouble,\n When it cometh up against the people which invadeth him in troops.\n For though the fig tree shall not blossom,\n Neither shall fruit be in the vines;\n The labour of the olive shall fail,\n And the fields shall yield no meat; {396}\n The flock shall be cut off from the fold,\n And there shall be no herd in the stalls:\n Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,\n I will joy in the God of my salvation.\n Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength,\n And he maketh my feet like hinds' feet,\n And will make me to walk upon mine high places.\n\n\n{397}\n\nHAGGAI\n\n(In 538 B.C., while Israel was still captive in Babylon, the mighty\nBabylonian empire was overthrown by Cyrus the Great. What a\nrejoicing there was among the Israelites and all the other enforced\ncolonists of Babylonia! Cyrus was a statesman. He saw how Babylon\nwas made weak by the large number of discontented inhabitants who\nhad been imported as captives of war. He wisely decided to allow all\nwho wished, to go home again. Many Israelites, who now were often\ncalled Jews, accepted his offer and returned to Palestine, with high\nhopes of a brilliant future for the nation. But they found Jerusalem\nin ruins and their brother Jews discouraged. Then followed a long\nseries of famine years. Most of the people who came back had been\nreared on the rich plains of Babylonia, and were not able easily to\nmake a living on the barren, rocky ridges of Judea. They became poor\nand discouraged. Their plan had been to build the temple, and they had\nset up an altar soon after they came, but fifteen years had passed,\nand the temple was not yet built. Part of the time the government\nhad interfered with the building. The enemies of the Jews had\npersuaded the imperial officers that a temple would be only a\nfortress in disguise, and that the record of the Jews for\ninsurrection and revolt was such that fortresses were not safe in\ntheir hands. But now a new king had come to the throne, and Haggai,\nwho seems to have been a priest, came forward on a feast day with a\nproposal to build the temple. His little book has no grace of style,\nno great prophetic thought, no poetry or oratory, but is a plain\nproposition to get the temple built, with a promise that if they do,\nGod will give them his blessing. It is good to know that the people\nresponded to his appeal and the temple was built. This prophet with\nhis plain style was more successful than almost any other prophet.)\n\n\n{398}\n\nI\n\nTHE PROPHET URGES THE PEOPLE TO BUILD THE TEMPLE\n\nIn the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the\nfirst day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the\nprophet unto Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the high\npriest, saying, \"Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, 'This people\nsay, It is not the time for us to come, the time for the Lord's house\nto be built.'\" Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai, the prophet,\nsaying, \"Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your ceiled\nhouses, while this house lieth waste? Now therefore thus saith the\nLord of hosts: 'Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in\nlittle; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not\nfilled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that\nearneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.'\"\n\nThus saith the Lord of hosts: \"Consider your ways. Go up to the\nmountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take\npleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord. Ye looked for\nmuch, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did\nblow upon it. 'Why?' saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house\nthat lieth waste, while ye run every man to his own house. Therefore\nfor your sake the heaven withholdeth the dew, and the earth\nwithholdeth her fruit. And I called for a {399} drought upon the land,\nand upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the wine, and upon\nthe oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men,\nand upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.\"\n\nThen Zerubbabel and Joshua, the high priest, with all the remnant of\nthe people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of\nHaggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him; and the people\ndid fear before the Lord. Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger in\nthe Lord's message unto the people, saying, \"'I am with you,' saith\nthe Lord.\"\n\nAnd the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, governor of Judah,\nand the spirit of Joshua, the high priest, and the spirit of all the\nremnant of the people; and they came and worked in the house of the\nLord of hosts, their God.\n\nA month later came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,\n\"Speak now to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the high\npriest, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 'Who is left among\nyou that saw this house in its former glory? and how do ye see it now?\nis it not in your eyes as nothing?' 'Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel,'\nsaith the Lord; 'and be strong, O Joshua, the high priest; and be\nstrong, all ye people of the land,' saith the Lord, 'and work: for I\nam with you, saith the Lord of hosts, according to the word that I\ncovenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, and my spirit abode\namong you: fear ye not.' For thus saith the Lord of hosts: 'Yet once,\nit is a little while, and I will shake the {400} heavens, and the\nearth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations,\nand the treasures of all nations shall come, and I will fill this\nhouse with glory,' saith the Lord of hosts. 'The silver is mine, and\nthe gold is mine,' saith the Lord of hosts. 'The latter glory of this\nhouse shall be greater than the former,' saith the Lord of hosts; and\nin this place will I give peace,' saith the Lord of hosts.\"\n\n\n{401}\n\nZECHARIAH\n\n(Zechariah aided Haggai in his attempt to get the temple built.\nNothing is known of his personality or history. Most of his prophecy\nis in the form of a series of visions, whose meaning as a whole is\nthat God is guiding in the history of the world, and will make Israel\nglorious by and by, in spite of its present low estate.)\n\n\nIn the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of\nthe Lord unto Zechariah the prophet, saying, \"The Lord hath been sore\ndispleased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, 'Thus\nsaith the Lord of hosts: Return unto me saith the Lord of hosts, and I\nwill return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Be ye not as your\nfathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith the\nLord of hosts, Return ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil\ndoings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord.\nYour fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?\nBut my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the\nprophets, did they not overtake your fathers? and they turned and\nsaid, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to\nour ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.'\"\n\n\n{402}\n\nI\n\nTHE VISION OF THE HORSEMEN IN THE GLEN\n\n\nI saw in the night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he\nstood among the myrtle trees that were in the glen; and behind him\nthere were horses, red, sorrel, and white. Then said I, \"O my lord,\nwhat are these?\" And the angel that talked with me said unto me, \"I\nwill shew thee what these are.\" And the man that stood among the\nmyrtle trees answered and said, \"These are they whom the Lord hath\nsent to walk to and fro through the earth.\" And they answered the\nangel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, \"We\nhave walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth\nsitteth still, and is at rest.\" Then the angel of the Lord answered\nand said, \"O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on\nJerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had\nindignation these threescore and ten years?\" And the Lord answered the\nangel that talked with me kind words and comforting. So the angel that\ntalked with me said unto me, \"Cry thou, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord\nof hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great\njealousy. And I am very sore displeased with the nations that are at\nease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the\naffliction. Therefore thus saith the Lord: I am returned to Jerusalem\nwith mercies; my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts,\n{403} and a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem. Cry yet\nagain, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord of hosts: My cities shall yet\noverflow with prosperity and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and\nshall yet choose Jerusalem.'\"\n\n\nII\n\nTHE VISION OF THE CITY OF PEACE\n\nAnd I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and behold a man with a measuring\nline in his hand. Then said I, \"Whither goest thou?\" And he said unto\nme, \"To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and\nwhat is the length thereof.\" And, behold, the angel that talked with\nme went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and said unto\nhim, \"Run, speak to this young man, saying, 'Jerusalem shall be\ninhabited as villages without walls, by reason of the multitude of men\nand cattle therein. For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of\nfire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.'\n\n\"'Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will\ndwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall\njoin themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I\nwill dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of\nhosts hath sent me unto thee. And the Lord shall inherit Judah as his\nportion in the holy land, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. Be silent,\nall flesh, before the Lord: for he is waked up out of his holy\nhabitation.'\"\n\n\n{404}\n\nIII\n\nTHE VISION OF THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK\n\n\nAnd the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man\nthat is wakened out of his sleep. And he said unto me, \"What seest\nthou?\" And I said, \"I have seen, and behold, a candlestick all of\ngold, with its bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon;\nthere are seven pipes to each of the lamps, which are upon the top\nthereof: and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the\nbowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.\"\n\nAnd I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying,\n\"What are these, my lord?\" Then the angel that talked with me answered\nand said unto me, \"Knowest thou not what these are?\" And I said, \"No,\nmy Lord.\" Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, \"This is the\nword of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, 'Not by might, nor by power,\nbut by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, O great\nmountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall\nbring forth the top stone with shoutings of Grace, grace, unto it.'\"\nMoreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, \"The hands of\nZerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall\nalso finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent\nme unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they\nshall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel.\"\n\n\n{405}\n\nIV\n\nTHE VISION OF THE FLYING BOOK\n\n(The flying book or roll is the vengeance of God, which flies into the\nhouse of the evil-doer like a great bird, and roosts there and\ndestroys it.)\n\nThen again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold, a book flying.\nAnd he said unto me, \"What seest thou?\" And I answered, \"I see a book\nflying; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof\nten cubits.\"\n\nThen said he unto me, \"This is the curse that goeth forth over the\nface of the whole land: for every thief shall be purged away from\nhence; and every perjurer is hereby purged from hence. I will cause it\nto go forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the\nhouse of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by\nmy name: and it shall roost in the midst of his house, and shall\nconsume it with its beams and its stones.\"\n\n\nV\n\nTHE VISION OF THE WOMAN IN THE BARREL\n\n(The prophet sees Wickedness as a woman who is in a barrel measure.\nShe is pushed down into it, the leaden cover is put on, and she is\ncarried away out of the land.)\n\n\nAnd the angel of Jehovah who spake with me came forward and spake to\nme and said to me, \"Lift now thine eyes and see what this is that\ncomes forth.\" {406}\n\nAnd I said, \"What is it?\"\n\nAnd he said, \"This is a barrel coming forth.\"\n\nAnd he said, \"This is their transgression in all the land.\"\n\nAnd behold, the round leaden top was lifted off, and lo, a woman\nsitting inside the barrel.\n\nAnd he said, \"This is Wickedness,\" and he thrust her back into the\nbarrel, and thrust the leaden cover upon the mouth of it. And I lifted\nup mine eyes and looked, and lo, two women came forth with the wind in\ntheir wings, and they bore the barrel betwixt earth and heaven.\n\nAnd I said to the angel that talked with me, \"Whither do they carry\nthe barrel?\"\n\nAnd he said to me, \"To build it a house in the land of Shinar, that it\nmay be fixed and brought to rest there in a place of its own.\"\n\n\nVI\n\nTHE VISION OF THE CHARIOTS OF THE FOUR WINDS\n\n(The four chariots of the four winds go forth to guard the boundaries\nof the land from all threatening foes.)\n\n\nAnd again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold, there came four\nchariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were\nmountains of brass. In the first chariot were red horses; and in the\nsecond chariot black horses; and in the third chariot white horses;\nand in the fourth chariot dappled bay horses. {407}\n\nThen I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, \"What are\nthese, my lord?\"\n\nAnd the angel answered and said unto me, \"These are the four winds of\nheaven, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the\nearth.\" The chariot wherein are the black horses goeth forth toward\nthe north country; and the white went forth after them; and the\ndappled went forth toward the south country. And the bay went forth,\nand sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth:\nand he said, \"Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth.\" So\nthey walked to and fro through the earth.\n\n\n{408}\n\nMALACHI\n\n(Malachi wrote after the Exile. The temple, whose building Haggai had\nurged, was erected; but the people were already tired of its service.\n\"What a weariness it is!\" they said. They brought worthless animals\nfor sacrifice, and would do nothing in the temple except for pay.\nMalachi denounced their selfishness, but said that if they would turn\nto God, he would still be ready to bless them. Malachi's writing is\nless poetical in its style than most of the prophets, but he speaks in\na very plain, straightforward fashion.)\n\n\"Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me:\nand the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple; and the\nmessenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in, behold, he cometh,\"\nsaith the Lord of hosts. \"But who may abide the day of his coming? and\nwho shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire,\nand like fullers' soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of\nsilver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold\nand silver; and they shall offer unto the Lord offerings in\nrighteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be\npleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in ancient\nyears. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift\nwitness against the sorcerers, and against perjurers, and against\nthose that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the\nfatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear\nnot me,\" saith the Lord of hosts. \"For I the Lord change not;\ntherefore ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.\n\n\"From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside {409} from mine\nordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return\nunto you,\" saith the Lord of hosts. \"But ye say 'How then shall we\nreturn?' Will a man rob God? yet ye rob me. But ye say, 'Wherein have\nwe robbed thee?' In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with the\ncurse; for ye rob me, even this whole nation. Bring ye the whole tithe\ninto the storehouse, that there may be food in mine house, and prove\nme now herewith,\" saith the Lord of hosts, \"if I will not open you the\nwindows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not\nbe room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your\nsakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither\nshall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field,\" saith\nthe Lord of hosts.\n\n\"And all nations shall call you happy: for ye shall be a delightsome\nland,\" saith the Lord of hosts.\n\n\"Your words have been stout against me,\" saith the Lord. \"Yet ye say,\n'Wherein have we spoken against thee?' Ye have said, 'It is vain to\nserve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his charge, and\nthat we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts? And now we\ncall the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are built up;\nyea, they tempt God, and are delivered.'\"\n\nThen they that feared the Lord spake one with another: and the Lord\nhearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before\nhim, for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.\nAnd they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day that I\nmake up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son\nthat serveth him.\n\n{410}\n\n{411}\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT\n\n{412}\n\nThese selections from the Epistles are not in poetic form, but they\nare given here because they are, in a way, the culmination of the\nlofty and inspiring thought of the Bible. Not only do they treat of\nthe great themes of life and death, but they treat of them in the most\nsolemn and impressive manner. They are like organ music, not pleasing\nthe ear by the delicacy of rhythm, not having the rhyme and melody of\nlyric verse, but moving with grandeur and sublimity of thought in the\nhigher ranges of being. Thus they form the fitting climax for all the\nwealth of song and story which precedes them.\n\n\n{413}\n\nTHE CHRISTIAN LIFE AND SERVICE\n\nPAUL'S EPISTLES\n\n\nThe letters of a man tell us more about him than any books he could\nwrite. Now Paul never wrote any books; but he wrote many letters. Some\nwere to the churches he had founded; some to his fellow workers. Some\nof these letters were preserved and are in the Bible under the name of\nEpistles. Even in these letters others are mentioned which are not\npreserved. We have two letters to the Corinthian Church, but in them\nPaul mentions other letters which he wrote to that church. In the\nletter to the Colossian Church, he mentions a letter to the church at\nLaodicea, a city near to Colosse. It is fair to suppose that many\nother letters have also been lost. Probably the best and most\nimportant of his letters were preserved. These letters are the outcome\nof long thought. They were on subjects that Paul had considered for\nmany years. The writing of the letters, however, was often the work of\na short time, and their expression is not smooth and polished and\ncarefully wrought. Sometimes, as in the case of Galatians, the letter\nwas written because of a situation which he felt demanded immediate\nattention. Sometimes, as in the case of I Corinthians, he replied to\nletters of questions that had been sent to him from the churches.\nSometimes, as in the case of Philippians, the letter was called out in\nthanks for the kindness of the church. The most important letter,\nRomans, was written to prepare the church, which he had never visited,\nfor his expected coming to them. In every case--it is always true of\nletters--the occasion of the letter largely determines its style and\ntone, but in all cases the spontaneity of the letter-writer is seen.\nPaul dictated or wrote his letters hurriedly. He cared less for style\nthan for thought. Vigor and force mark his writing. He did not try to\nimitate the graces of the rhetorician. He did not {414} always follow\nout a topic to the end. He sometimes began a sentence in one way and\nfinished it in another. He sometimes began a sentence, and, going off\nto another topic, never finished it at all. He is not always easy\nreading. But these evidences of a free, spontaneous writing are only\noccasional. The greater part of the letters of Paul are very clear,\nsimple, forceful statements of what he wishes to say.\n\nPaul was not merely a Jew. He was a citizen of the great world of the\nRoman empire. He had been brought up in a city where Greek culture and\ncivilization were very flourishing. His travels brought him into\ncontact with all the varying forms of Greek life. He visited Athens.\nHe made long stays in Corinth, where the commerce of the world crowded\nthe docks, and sailors and merchants from all parts of the great\nempire were to be met in the streets. He lived for nearly three years\nin the great city of Ephesus, where the courtiers of the governor of\nthe province, fresh from all the latest fashions of Rome, jostled the\npriests of the great temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the\nancient world. Before the end of his life he was a prisoner in Rome\nitself, the one city into which all the world poured its\nrepresentatives, where the fair-haired men from distant Britain in the\nNorth met the dusky Ethiopian from Africa, and the Spaniard from the\nAtlantic coast walked the street with the Scythian from the distant\nEast. Paul the prisoner lived for two whole years in his own hired\nhouse, and had permission to receive all who came to him. During this\ntime, and for two years of previous imprisonment, he was in daily\ncontact with the Roman soldiery. This cosmopolitan man, with his wide\nexperience of many phases of Roman and Greek life, has dropped here\nand there in his writings many pictures from the civilization with\nwhich he was in touch. He used it to illustrate the Christian life.\nThe athlete in the theater gave him a picture of the earnest, eager\nstrife of the Christian. The soldier with his clanging armor suggested\nto him the armor by which a Christian might meet his foes. The temples\nthat studded every great town taught him how the Christian was himself\nthe temple of the living God. Thus it happens that the most lasting\nmemorial, the most widely read allusions, to the great civilization of\nGreece and Rome come from this wandering preacher of an obscure faith\nwho at last {415} was a despised prisoner at Rome. How it would have\nastonished the crowds at Ephesus who shouted, \"Great is Diana of the\nEphesians!\" to be told that their great temple and their goddess\nherself would be known to most people in the world only because of\ntheir connection with the life of this man Paul whom they wanted to\nput out of the way! It was a wonderful civilization in the midst of\nwhich Paul lived, and a very bustling, active, self-important world\nthrough which he moved, but the most permanent things in it were by no\nmeans the things that seemed to most people of the time to be the\ngreatest.\n\n- - -\n\nI beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present\nyour bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your\nreasonable service. And be not fashioned according to this world: but\nbe ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what\nis the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.\n\nFor I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man that is\namong you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think;\nbut so to think as to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to\neach man a measure of faith. For even as we have many members in one\nbody, and all the members have not the same office: so we, who are\nmany, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another.\nAnd having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to\nus, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of\nour faith; or ministry, let us give ourselves to our ministry; or he\nthat teacheth, to his teaching; or he that exhorteth, to his\nexhorting: he that giveth, let him do it with liberality; he that\nruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let\nlove be without hypocrisy. Abhor that {416} which is evil; cleave to\nthat which is good. In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned\none to another; in honour preferring one another; in diligence not\nslothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope;\npatient in tribulation; continuing steadfastly in prayer; communicating\nto the necessities of the saints; given to hospitality. Bless them\nthat persecute you; bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that\nrejoice; weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward\nanother. Set not your mind on high things, but condescend to things\nthat are lowly. Be not wise in your own conceits. Render to no man\nevil for evil. Take thought for things honourable in the sight of all\nmen. If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all\nmen. Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto wrath: for it\nis written, \"Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense,\" saith\nthe Lord. But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him\nto drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.\nBe not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.\n\n --_Romans 12_.\n\n\nOwe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his\nneighbour hath fulfilled the law. For this, \"Thou shalt not commit\nadultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not\ncovet,\" and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this\nword, namely, \"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.\" Love worketh\nno ill to his neighbour: love therefore is the fulfilment of the law.\n\n{417}{418}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER AT CORINTH.\n\n From a photograph taken by Mrs. Fontaine Meriwether,\n and used by her kind permission\n[End illustration]\n\n{419}\n\nAnd this, knowing the season, that now it is high time for you to\nawake out of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we\nfirst believed. The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us\ntherefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour\nof light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in revelling and\ndrunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and\njealousy. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision\nfor the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.\n --_Romans 13:8-14_.\n\n\nChildren, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy\nfather and mother (which is the first commandment with promise), that\nit may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.\n\n --_Ephesians 6:1-3_.\n\n\nFor none of us liveth to himself, and none dieth to himself. For\nwhether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto\nthe Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to\nthis end Christ died, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both\nthe dead and the living. But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? or\nthou again, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all\nstand before the judgment-seat of God. For it is written,\n\n As I live, saith the Lord, to me every knee shall bow,\n And every tongue shall confess to God.\n\nSo then each one of us shall give account of himself to God. {420}\n\nLet us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge ye this\nrather, that no man put a stumblingblock in his brother's way, or an\noccasion of falling. I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that\nnothing is unclean of itself: save that to him who accounteth anything\nto be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of meat thy\nbrother is grieved, thou walkest no longer in love. Destroy not with\nthy meat him for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil\nspoken of: for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but\nrighteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.\n\n --_Romans 14:7-.17_.\n\n\nI have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. I\nknow how to be abased, and I know also how to abound: in everything\nand in all things have I learned the secret both to be filled and to\nbe hungry, both to abound and to be in want. I can do all things in\nhim that strengtheneth me.\n --_Philippians 4:11,12_.\n\n\nI therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of\nthe calling wherewith ye were called, with all lowliness and meekness,\nwith longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; giving diligence\nto keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one\nbody, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your\ncalling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all,\nwho is over all, and through all, and in all. But unto each one of us\nwas the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.\nWherefore he saith, {421}\n\n When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive,\n And gave gifts unto men.\n\nAnd he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some,\nevangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the\nsaints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body\nof Christ: till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the\nknowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of\nthe stature of the fulness of Christ: that we may be no longer\nchildren, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of\ndoctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of\nerror; but speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things into him,\nwhich is the head, even Christ; from whom all the body fitly framed\nand knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according\nto the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the\nincrease of the body unto the building up of itself in love.\n\n --_Ephesians 4:1-16_.\n\n\nWherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his\nneighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin\nnot: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to\nthe devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him\nlabour, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may\nhave whereof to give to him that hath need. Let no corrupt speech\nproceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the\nneed may be, that it may give grace to them that hear. And grieve not\nthe Holy Spirit of God, {422} in whom ye were sealed unto the day of\nredemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and\nrailing, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to\nanother, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in\nChrist forgave you.\n --_Ephesians 4:25-32_.\n\n\nNow we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and\nnot to please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbour for\nthat which is good, unto edifying. For Christ also pleased not\nhimself; but, as it is written, \"The reproaches of them that\nreproached thee fell upon me.\"\n --_Romans 15:1-3_.\n\n\nBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,\nkindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance: against such\nthere is no law. And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the\nflesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.\n\nIf we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk. Let us not\nbe vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another.\n\nBrethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye which are\nspiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of meekness; looking to\nthyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and\nso fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man thinketh himself to be\nsomething, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let each man\nprove his own work, and then shall he have his {423} glorying in\nregard of himself alone, and not of his neighbour. For each man shall\nbear his own burden.\n\nBut let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that\nteacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for\nwhatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth\nunto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that\nsoweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life. And let\nus not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we\nfaint not. So then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which is\ngood toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the\nhousehold of the faith.\n --_Galatians 5:22-6:10_.\n\n\nBut we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labour among you, and\nare over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them\nexceeding highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among\nyourselves. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly,\nencourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward\nall. See that none render unto anyone evil for evil; but alway follow\nafter that which is good, one toward another, and toward all. Rejoice\nalway; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks: for this is\nthe will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward. Quench not the Spirit;\ndespise not prophesyings; prove all things; hold fast that which is\ngood; abstain from every form of evil.\n\n --_I Thessalonians 5:12-22_.\n\n{424}\n\nFinally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are\nhonourable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,\nwhatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if\nthere be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these\nthings.\n\n --_Philippians 4:8_.\n\n{425}\n\nTHE GREATEST THING IN THE WORLD\n\nIf I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I\nam become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift\nof prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have\nall faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.\nAnd if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor; and if I give my body\nto be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love\nsuffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not\nitself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not\nits own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in\nunrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things,\nbelieveth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love\nnever faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done\naway; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be\nknowledge, it shall be done away. For we know in part, and we prophesy\nin part: but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part\nshall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as\na child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put\naway childish things. For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then\nface to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I\nhave been known. But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and\nthe greatest of these is love.\n --_I Corinthians 13_.\n\n{426}\n\nFOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS.\n\n[From the Epistle of James.]\n\n\nTEMPTATION.\n\nCount it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations;\nknowing that the proof of your faith worketh patience. And let\npatience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire,\nlacking in nothing.\n\nBut if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to\nall liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let\nhim ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the\nsurge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. For let not that man\nthink that he shall receive anything of the Lord; a doubleminded man,\nunstable in all his ways.\n\nBut let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate: and the\nrich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he\nshall pass away. For the sun ariseth with the scorching wind, and\nwithereth the grass; and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of\nthe fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in\nhis goings.\n\nBlessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he hath been\napproved, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord promised\nto them that love him. Let no {427} man say when he is tempted, \"I am\ntempted of God\": for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself\ntempteth no man: but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his\nown lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth\nsin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death. Be not\ndeceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect boon\nis from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be\nno variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning. Of his own will\nhe brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of\nfirstfruits of his creatures.\n\n\nPURE RELIGION\n\nLet every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the\nwrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore putting\naway all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with\nmeekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be\nye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves.\nFor if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto\na man beholding his natural face in a mirror: for he beholdeth\nhimself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man\nhe was. But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty,\nand so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth, but a doer that\nworketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing. If any man thinketh\nhimself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but\ndeceiveth his heart, this man's religion {428} is vain. Pure religion\nand undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the\nfatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself\nunspotted from the world.\n\n\nFAITH AND WORKS\n\nWhat doth it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but have\nnot works? can that faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked,\nand in lack of daily food, and one of you say unto them, \"Go in peace,\nbe ye warmed and filled\"; and yet ye give them not the things needful\nto the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it have not works,\nis dead in itself. Yea, a man will say, \"Thou hast faith, and I have\nworks: shew me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will\nshew thee my faith.\"\n\n\nAN UNRULY TONGUE\n\nBe not many teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive\nheavier judgment. For in many things we all stumble. If any stumbleth\nnot in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body\nalso. Now if we put the horses' bridles into their mouths, that they\nmay obey us, we turn about their whole body also. Behold, the ships\nalso, though they are so great, and are driven by rough winds, are yet\nturned about by a very small rudder, whither the steersman willeth. So\nthe tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold,\nhow great a forest is kindled by how small a fire! And the {429}\ntongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the\ntongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course\nof nature, and is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beasts and\nbirds, of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath\nbeen tamed by mankind: but the tongue can no man tame; it is a\nrestless evil, it is full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we the\nLord and Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the\nlikeness of God: out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and\ncursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth the\nfountain send forth from the same opening sweet water and bitter? can\na fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither can\nsalt water yield sweet.\n\n\nTHE PEACEABLE SPIRIT\n\nWho is wise and understanding among you? let him shew by his good life\nhis works in meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter jealousy and\nfaction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. This\nwisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly,\nsensual, devilish. For where jealousy and faction are, there is\nconfusion and every vile deed. But the wisdom that is from above is\nfirst pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of\nmercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy. And the\nfruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace.\n\nWhence come wars and whence come fightings among you? come they not\nhence, even of your pleasures that war {430} in your members? Ye lust,\nand have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war;\nye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye\nask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures. Whosoever therefore\nwould be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. Or\nthink ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he\nmade to dwell in us long unto envying? But he giveth more grace.\nWherefore the scripture saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth\ngrace to the humble. Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the\ndevil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw\nnigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts,\nye doubleminded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter\nbe turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in\nthe sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.\n\nSpeak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a\nbrother or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth\nthe law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law,\nbut a judge. One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able\nto save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbour?\n\n\nRICH AND POOR\n\nMy brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of\nglory, with respect of persons.\n\n{431}{432}\n\n[Illustration]\n RUINS OF THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER AT CORINTH.\n\n Corinth was one of the richest cities of the Mediterranean in the\n time of Paul. It was called by the poets \"the city of the two seas.\"\n The \"Acrocorinthus,\" or Citadel of Corinth, crowned with\n fortifications and temples rose abruptly two thousand feet above the\n level of the sea.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{433}\n\nFor if there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring, in fine\nclothing, and there come in also a poor man in vile clothing; and ye\nhave regard to him that weareth the fine clothing, and say, \"Sit thou\nhere in a good place\"; and ye say to the poor man, \"Stand thou there,\nor sit under my footstool\"; are ye not divided in your own mind, and\nbecome judges with evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren; did\nnot God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith,\nand heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? But\nye have dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and\nthemselves 'drag you before the judgment-seats? Do not they blaspheme\nthe honourable name by the which ye are called? Howbeit if ye fulfil\nthe royal law, according to the scripture, \"Thou shalt love thy\nneighbour as thyself,\" ye do well: but if ye have respect of persons,\nye commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. For\nwhosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he\nis become guilty of all. For he that said, \"Do not commit adultery,\"\nsaid also, \"Do not kill.\" Now if thou dost not commit adultery, but\nkillest, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and\nso do, as men that are to be judged by a law of liberty. For judgment\nis without mercy to him that hath shewed no mercy; mercy glorieth\nagainst judgment.\n\nGo to now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming\nupon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.\nYour gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be for a\ntestimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have laid\nup your treasure in the last days. Behold, the hire of the {434}\nlabourers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud,\ncrieth out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the\nears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived delicately on the earth,\nand taken your pleasure; ye have nourished your hearts in a day of\nslaughter. Ye have condemned, ye have killed the righteous one; he\ndoth not resist you.\n\nGo to now, ye that say, \"To-day or to-morrow we will go into this\ncity, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain:\" whereas ye\nknow not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a\nvapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For\nye ought to say, \"If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or\nthat.\" But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.\nTo him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it\nis sin.\n\nBe patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold,\nthe husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being\npatient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain. Be ye\nalso patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at\nhand.\n\nIs any among you suffering? let him pray. Is any cheerful? let him\nsing praise.\n\nThe supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.\n\nMy brethren, if any among you do err from the truth, and one convert\nhim; let him know, that he which converteth a sinner from the error of\nhis way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of\nsins.\n\n\n{435}\n\nTHE GOSPEL OF LOVE AND OF SONSHIP\n\nBehold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we\nshould be called children of God: and such we are. For this cause the\nworld knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we\nchildren of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We\nknow that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we\nshall see him even as he is. And everyone that hath this hope set on\nhim purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Everyone that doeth sin\ndoeth also lawlessness: and sin is lawlessness. And ye know that he\nwas manifested to take away sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever\nabideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him,\nneither knoweth him.\n\nAnd this is the message which we have heard from him, and announce\nunto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we\nsay that we have fellowship with him, and walk in the darkness, we\nlie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light; as he is in\nthe light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus\nhis Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we\ndeceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins,\nhe is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us\nfrom all unrighteousness. {436} If we say that we have not sinned, we\nmake him a liar, and his word is not in us.\n\nBeloved, no new commandment write I unto you, but an old commandment\nwhich ye had from the beginning: the old commandment is the word which\nye heard. Again, a new commandment write I unto you, which thing is\ntrue in him and in you; because the darkness is passing away, and the\ntrue light already shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and\nhateth his brother, is in the darkness even until now. He that loveth\nhis brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of\nstumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in the darkness,\nand walketh in the darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because\nthe darkness hath blinded his eyes.\n\nBeloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one\nthat loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not\nknoweth not God; for God is love. Herein was the love of God\nmanifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the\nworld, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we\nloved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the\npropitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought\nto love one another. No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love\none another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us:\nhereby know we that we abide in him, and he in us, because he hath\ngiven us of his Spirit. And we have beheld and bear witness that the\nFather hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever\nshall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in {437} him,\nand he in God. And we know and have believed the love which God hath\nin us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and\nGod abideth in him. Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may\nhave boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we\nin this world. There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out\nfear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made\nperfect in love. We love, because he first loved us. If a man say, I\nlove God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not\nhis brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen.\nAnd this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his\nbrother also.\n\nMarvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you. We know that we have\npassed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that\nloveth not abideth in death.\n\nHereby we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and\ndo his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his\ncommandments: and his commandments are not grievous.\n\n --_From the Epistles of John_.\n\n\n{438}\n\nTHE CHRISTIAN ATHLETE\n\nWhat then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may make the\ngospel without charge, so as not to use to the full my right in the\ngospel. For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under\nbondage to all, that I might gain the more. And to the Jews I became\nas a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to them that are under the law, as\nunder the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain them\nthat are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law,\nnot being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might\ngain them that are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I\nmight gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by\nall means save some. And I do all things for the gospel's sake, that I\nmay be a joint partaker thereof. Know ye not that they which run in a\nrace run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run, that ye may\nattain. And every man that striveth in the games is temperate in all\nthings. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an\nincorruptible. I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as\nnot beating the air: but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage:\nlest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself\nshould be a castaway.\n\n --_I Corinthians 9:24-27_.\n\n\n{439}\n\nTherefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a\ncloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so\neasily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set\nbefore us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith,\nwho for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising\nshame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.\n\n --_Hebrews 12:1, 2_.\n\n\nWith freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not\nentangled again in a yoke of bondage. Ye were running well; who did\nhinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion came not\nof him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.\n\n --_Galatians 5:1, 7-9_.\n\n\n{440}\n\nTHE CHRISTIAN TEMPLE\n\nAccording to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise\nmasterbuilder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. But\nlet each man take heed how he buildeth thereon. For other foundation\ncan no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if\nany man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood,\nhay, stubble; each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day\nshall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself\nshall prove each man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work\nshall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. If any\nman's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall\nbe saved; yet so as through fire.\n --_I Corinthians 3:10-15_.\n\n\nSo then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are\nfellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being\nbuilt upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus\nhimself being the chief corner stone; in whom each several building,\nfitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom\nye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.\n\n --_Ephesians 2:19-22_.\n\n{441}{442}\n\n[Illustration]\n A GENERAL VIEW OF THE ACROPOLIS, ATHENS.\n\n From a picture belonging to Smith College and used by the kind\n permission of the Department of Greek Literature.\n\n This hill, covered with a fortress and temple, was the most\n pronounced object in ancient as in modern Athens. This is one of the\n beautiful temples which Paul saw, from which he drew many\n illustrations.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{443}\n\nFor we are God's fellow-workers: ye are God's husbandry, God's building.\n --_I Corinthians 3:9_.\n\n\nKnow ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God\ndwelleth in you? If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall\nGod destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.\n\n --_I Corinthians 3:16, 17_.\n\n\nFor this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family\nin heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to\nthe riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power\nthrough his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your\nhearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in\nlove, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the\nbreadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of\nChrist which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the\nfulness of God.\n --_Ephesians 3:14-19_.\n\n\nNow to him that is able to stablish you according to my gospel and the\npreaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery\nwhich hath been kept in silence through times eternal, but now is\nmanifested, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the\ncommandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations\nunto obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ,\nto whom be the glory for ever. Amen.\n\n --_Romans 16:25-27_.\n\n{444}\n\nO the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!\nhow unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! For\nwho hath known the mind of the Lord or who hath been his counsellor?\nor who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him\nagain? For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To\nhim be the glory for ever. Amen.\n --_Romans 11:33-36_.\n\n\nNow unto the King eternal, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, be\nhonour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.\n --_I Timothy 1:17_.\n\n\n{445}{446}\n\n[Illustration]\n VIEW OF ANTIOCH, WHERE THE DISCIPLES WERE FIRST CALLED CHRISTIANS.\n\n Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.\n\n There was everything in the situation and circumstances of this city\n to make it a place of concourse for all classes and kinds of people.\n By its harbor of Seleucia it was in communication with all the trade\n of the Mediterranean; and, through the open country behind the\n Lebanon, it was conveniently approached by the caravans from\n Mesopotamia and Arabia. It united the inland advantages of Aleppo\n with the maritime opportunities of Smyrna. It was almost an Oriental\n Rome, in which all the forms of the civilized life of the Empire\n found some representative.\n\n At the rugged bases of the mountain, the ground was leveled for a\n glorious street, which extended for four miles across the length of\n the city, and where sheltered crowds could walk through continuous\n colonnades from the eastern to the western suburb. The whole was\n surrounded by a wall, which, ascending to the heights and returning\n to the river, does not deviate very widely in its course from the\n wall of the Middle Ages, which can still be traced by the fragments\n of ruined towers. This wall is assigned by a Byzantine writer to\n Tiberius, but it seems more probable that the Emperor only repaired\n what Antiochus Epiphanes had built.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{447}\n\nTHE CHRISTIAN WARRIOR\n\nBut ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake\nyou as a thief: for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we\nare not of the night, nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep, as do\nthe rest, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in\nthe night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let\nus, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of\nfaith and love: and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God\nappointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation\nthrough our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake\nor sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore exhort one\nanother, and build each other up, even as also ye do.\n\n --_I Thessalonians 5:4-11_.\n\n\nFinally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put\non the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the\nwiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood,\nbut against the principalities, against the powers, against the\nworld-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of\nwickedness in the heavenly places. Wherefore take up the whole armour\nof God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having\ndone all, to stand. Stand therefore, {448} having girded your loins\nwith truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and\nhaving shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;\nalso taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to\nquench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of\nsalvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.\n\n --_Ephesians 6:10-17_.\n\n\nWatch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let\nall that ye do be done in love.\n --_I Corinthians 16:13_.\n\n\nSuffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier\non service entangleth himself in the affairs of this life; that he may\nplease him who enrolled him as a soldier.\n --_II Timothy 2:3, 4_.\n\n\nBut thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after\nrighteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the\ngood fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou\nwast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of\nmany witnesses.\n --_Timothy 6:11,12_.\n\n{449}\n\nTHE HOPE OF IMMORTALITY\n\nNow if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from the dead, how\nsay some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if\nthere is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised:\nand if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching vain, your\nfaith also is vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God;\nbecause we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised\nnot up, if so be that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not\nraised, neither hath Christ been raised: and if Christ hath not been\nraised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also\nwhich are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only\nwe have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable.\n\nBut now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them\nthat are asleep. For since by man came death, by man came also the\nresurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ\nshall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the\nfirstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. Then cometh\nthe end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father;\nwhen he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. For\nhe must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. The\nlast enemy that shall be abolished is death. For, \"He put all things\nin {450} subjection under his feet.\" But when he saith, \"All things\nare put in subjection,\" it is evident that he is excepted who did\nsubject all things unto him. And when all things have been subjected\nunto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did\nsubject all things unto him, that God may be all in all.\n\nBut some one will say, \"How are the dead raised? and with what manner\nof body do they come?\" Thou foolish one, that which thou thyself\nsowest is not quickened, except it die: and that which thou sowest,\nthou sowest not the body that shall be, but a bare grain, it may\nchance of wheat, or of some other kind; but God giveth it a body even\nas it pleased him, and to each seed a body of its own. All flesh is\nnot the same flesh: but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh\nof beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fishes. There\nare also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of\nthe celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.\nThere is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and\nanother glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star\nin glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in\ncorruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonour; it\nis raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it\nis sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a\nnatural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written,\n\"The first man Adam became a living soul.\" The last Adam became a\nlife-giving spirit. Howbeit that is not first which is spiritual, but\nthat which is natural; then {451} that which is spiritual. The first\nman is of the earth, earthy: the second man is of heaven. As is the\nearthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly,\nsuch are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image\nof the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.\n\nNow this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the\nkingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold,\nI tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be\nchanged, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:\nfor the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised\nincorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put\non incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when\nthis corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall\nhave put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is\nwritten, \"Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy\nvictory? O death, where is thy sting?\" The sting of death is sin; and\nthe power of sin is the law: but thanks be to God, which giveth us the\nvictory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, my beloved brethren,\nbe ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,\nforasmuch as ye know that your labour is not vain in the Lord.\n\n --_I Corinthians 15:12-58_.\n\n\nBut we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding\ngreatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves; we are\npressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto\ndespair; pursued, yet {452} not forsaken; smitten down, yet not\ndestroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that\nthe life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. For we which\nlive are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life\nalso of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death\nworketh in us, but life in you. But having the same spirit of faith,\naccording to that which is written, \"I believed, and therefore did I\nspeak\"; we also believe, and therefore also we speak; knowing that he\nwhich raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also with Jesus, and\nshall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the\ngrace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving\nto abound unto the glory of God.\n\nWherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet\nour inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which\nis for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal\nweight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but\nat the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are\ntemporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.\n\nFor we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved,\nwe have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in\nthe heavens.\n --_II Corinthians 4:7-5:1_.\n\n\nIf then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are\nabove, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. Set your mind\non the things that are above, {453} not on the things that are upon\nthe earth. For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When\nChrist, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with\nhim be manifested in glory.\n --_Colossians 3:1-4_.\n\n\nFor our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we wait for a\nSaviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall fashion anew the body of our\nhumiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory,\naccording to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things\nunto himself.\n\n --_Philippians 3:20, 21_.\n\n\nHowbeit what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for\nChrist. Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the\nexcellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I\nsuffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I\nmay gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of\nmine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through\nfaith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I\nmay know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of\nhis sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; if by any means I\nmay attain unto the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have\nalready obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be\nthat I may apprehend that for which also I was apprehended by Christ\nJesus. Brethren, I count not myself yet to have apprehended: but one\nthing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching\nforward to the {454} things which are before, I press on toward the\ngoal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us\ntherefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything\nye are otherwise minded, even this shall God reveal unto you: only,\nwhereunto we have already attained, by that same rule let us walk.\n\n --_Philippians 3:7-16_.\n\n\nFor I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy\nto be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. For\nthe earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of\nthe sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its\nown will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope that the\ncreation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption\ninto the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that\nthe whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.\nAnd not only so, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the\nSpirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our\nadoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For by hope were we\nsaved: but hope that is seen is not hope: for who hopeth for that\nwhich he seeth? But if we hope for that which we see not, then do we\nwith patience wait for it.\n --_Romans 8:18-25_.\n\n\nWhat then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is\nagainst us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for\nus all, how shall he not also with {455} him freely give us all\nthings? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God\nthat justifieth; who is he that shall condemn? It is Christ Jesus that\ndied, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right\nhand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate\nus from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or anguish, or\npersecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it\nis written,\n\n \"For thy sake we are killed all the day long;\n We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.\"\n\nNay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that\nloved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor\nangels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,\nnor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be\nable to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our\nLord.\n --_Romans 8:31-39_.\n\n{456}\n\nSELECTIONS FROM THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN\n\n(This book is also called the Revelation.)\n\n\nThe Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to shew unto his\nservants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent\nand signified it by his angel unto his servant John; who bare witness\nof the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all\nthings that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the\nwords of the prophecy, and keep the things which are written therein:\nfor the time is at hand.\n\nJohn to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace,\nfrom him which is and which was and which is to come; and from the\nseven Spirits which are before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, who\nis the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of\nthe kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from\nour sins by his blood; and he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests\nunto his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion for ever\nand ever. Amen.\n\nBehold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and\nthey which pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn\nover him. Even so, Amen.\n\n{457}{458}\n\n[Illustration]\n EPHESUS. VIEW OP THE RUINS OF THE AQUEDUCT.\n CASTLE IN THE BACKGROUND.\n\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Julia W. Snow and used by her\n kind permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{459}\n\n\"I am the Alpha and the Omega,\" saith the Lord God, \"which is and\nwhich was and which is to come, the Almighty.\"\n\nI John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and\nkingdom and patience which are in Jesus, was in the isle that is\ncalled Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was\nin the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great voice,\nas of a trumpet saying, \"What thou seest, write in a book, and send it\nto the seven churches; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto\nPergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia,\nand unto Laodicea.\"\n\nAnd I turned to see the voice which spake with me. And having turned I\nsaw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the candlesticks\none like unto a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot,\nand girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle. And his head and\nhis hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as\na flame of fire; and his feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had\nbeen refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters.\nAnd he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth\nproceeded a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun\nshineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one\ndead.\n\nAnd he laid his right hand upon me, saying, \"Fear not; I am the first\nand the last, and the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am\nalive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Write\n{460} therefore the things which thou sawest, and the things which\nare, and the things which shall come to pass hereafter; the mystery of\nthe seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven\ngolden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven\nchurches: and the seven candlesticks are seven churches.\n\n\"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write;\n\nTHE MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS\n\n\"These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars\nin his right hand, he that walketh in the midst of the\nseven golden candlesticks:\n\n\"I know thy works, and thy toil and patience, and that thou canst not\nbear evil men, and didst try them which call themselves apostles, and\nthey are not, and didst find them false; and thou hast patience and\ndidst bear for my name's sake, and hast not grown weary. But I have\nthis against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. Remember\ntherefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first\nworks; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of\nits place, except thou repent. He that hath an ear, let him hear what\nthe Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will\nI give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.\n\n\"And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write;\n\nTHE MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH IN SMYRNA\n\n\"These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and lived\nagain: I know thy tribulation, and thy {461} poverty (but thou art\nrich), and the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and they are\nnot, but are a synagogue of Satan. Fear not the things which thou art\nabout to suffer: behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into\nprison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days.\nBe thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.\nHe that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the\nchurches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.\n\n\"And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write;\n\nTHE MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH IN PERGAMUM\n\n\"These things saith he that hath the sharp two-edged sword: I know\nwhere thou dwellest, even where Satan's throne is: and thou holdest\nfast my name, and didst not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas\nmy witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan\ndwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast\nthere some that hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast\na stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things\nsacrificed to idols. Repent therefore; or else I come to thee quickly,\nand I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth. He that\nhath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To\nhim that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I\nwill give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written,\nwhich no one knoweth but he that receiveth it.\n\n{462}\n\n\"And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write;\n\nTHE MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH IN THYATIRA\n\n\"These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like a flame of\nfire, and his feet are like unto burnished brass: I know thy works,\nand thy love and faith and ministry and patience, and that thy last\nworks are more than the first. But I have this against thee, that thou\nsufferest the woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess; and\nshe teacheth and seduceth my servants.\n\n\"But to you I say, to the rest that are in Thyatira, as many as have\nnot this teaching, which know not the deep things of Satan, as they\nsay; I cast upon you none other burden. Howbeit that which ye have,\nhold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my\nworks unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations: and\nhe shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter\nare broken to shivers; as I also have received of my Father: and I\nwill give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what\nthe Spirit saith to the churches.\n\n\"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write;\n\nTHE MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH IN SARDIS\n\n\"These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the\nseven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest,\nand thou art dead. Be thou watchful, and stablish the things that\nremain, which were ready to die: for I have found no works of thine\n{463} fulfilled before my God. Remember therefore how thou hast\nreceived and didst hear; and keep it, and repent. If therefore thou\nshalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what\nhour I will come upon thee. But thou hast a few names in Sardis which\ndid not defile their garments: and they shall walk with me in white;\nfor they are worthy. He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white\ngarments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life,\nand I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.\nHe that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the\nchurches.\n\n\"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write;\n\nTHE MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA\n\n\"These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the\nkey of David, he that openeth, and none shall shut, and that shutteth,\nand none openeth: I know thy works (behold, I have set before thee a\ndoor opened, which none can shut), that thou hast a little power, and\ndidst keep my word, and didst not deny my name. Behold, I give of the\nsynagogue of Satan, of them which say they are Jews, and they are not,\nbut do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy\nfeet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou didst keep the\nword of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial,\nthat hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that\ndwell upon the earth. I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast,\nthat no one take thy crown. He that overcometh, I will {464} make him\na pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more:\nand I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city\nof my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my\nGod, and mine own new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the\nSpirit saith to the churches.\n\n\"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write;\n\nTHE MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH IN LAODICEA\n\n\"These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the\nbeginning of the creation of God: I know thy works, that thou art\nneither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So because thou\nart lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my\nmouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and\nhave need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one\nand miserable and poor and blind and naked: I counsel thee to buy of\nme gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white\ngarments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy\nnakedness be not made manifest; and eye-salve to anoint thine eyes,\nthat thou mayest see. As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be\nzealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock:\nif any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and\nwill sup with him, and he with me. He that overcometh, I will give to\nhim to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down\nwith my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what\nthe Spirit saith to the churches.\"\n\n{465}{466}\n\n[Illustration]\n EPHESUS. THE TRADITIONAL TOMB OF ST. LUKE.\n\n From a photograph belonging to Miss Julia W. Snow and used by her\n kind permission.\n[End illustration]\n\n{467}\n\nAfter these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the\nfirst voice which I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me,\none saying, \"Come up hither, and I will shew thee the things which\nmust come to pass hereafter.\"\n\nStraightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in\nheaven, and one sitting upon the throne; and he that sat was to look\nupon like a jasper stone and a sardius: and there was a rainbow round\nabout the throne, like an emerald to look upon. And round about the\nthrone were four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones I saw four\nand twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their\nheads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceed lightnings and\nvoices and thunders. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before\nthe throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne,\nas it were a glassy sea like unto crystal; and in the midst of the\nthrone, and round about the throne, four living creatures full of eyes\nbefore and behind. And the first creature was like a lion, and the\nsecond creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a\nman, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.\n\nAnd the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are\nfull of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and\nnight, saying, \"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, which\nwas and which is and which is to come.\"\n\nAnd when the living creatures shall give glory and {468} honour and\nthanks to him that sitteth on the throne, to him that liveth for ever\nand ever, the four and twenty elders shall fall down before him that\nsitteth on the throne, and shall worship him that liveth for ever and\never, and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying, \"Worthy\nart thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honour\nand the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy\nwill they were, and were created.\"\n\nAnd I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book\nwritten within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals. And I\nsaw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, \"Who is worthy to\nopen the book, and to loose the seals thereof?\"\n\nAnd no one in the heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was\nable to open the book, or to look thereon.\n\nAnd I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or\nto look thereon: and one of the elders saith unto me, \"Weep not:\nbehold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David,\nhath overcome, to open the book and the seven seals thereof.\"\n\nAnd I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures,\nand in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been\nslain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits\nof God, sent forth into all the earth. And he came, and he taketh it\nout of the right hand of him that sat on the throne. And when he had\ntaken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty\nelders fell down {469} before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and\ngolden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.\n\nAnd they sing a new song, saying, \"Worthy art thou to take the book,\nand to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and didst purchase\nunto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people,\nand nation, and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests;\nand they reign upon the earth.\"\n\nAnd I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne\nand the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was\nten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying\nwith a great voice, \"Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to\nreceive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honour, and\nglory, and blessing.\" And every created thing which is in the heaven,\nand on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things\nthat are in them, heard I saying, \"Unto him that sitteth on the\nthrone, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honour, and the\nglory, and the dominion, for ever and ever.\"\n\nAnd the four living creatures said, \"Amen.\" And the elders fell down\nand worshipped.\n\nAnd I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one\nof the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder,\n\"Come.\"\n\nAnd I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a\nbow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth\nconquering, and to conquer.\n\n{470}\n\nAnd when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature\nsaying, \"Come.\"\n\nAnd another horse came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon\nit was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay\none another: and there was given unto him a great sword.\n\nAnd when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature\nsaying, \"Come.\"\n\nAnd I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat thereon had a\nbalance in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of\nthe four living creatures saying, \"A measure of wheat for a penny, and\nthree measures of barley for a penny; and the oil and the wine hurt\nthou not.\"\n\nAnd when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth\nliving creature saying, \"Come.\"\n\nAnd I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his\nname was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto\nthem authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,\nand with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.\n\nAnd when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the\nsouls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and for the\ntestimony which they held: and they cried with a great voice, saying,\n\"How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge\nour blood on them that dwell on the earth?\"\n\n\n{471}{472}\n\n[Illustration]\n SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST\n By Dolci\n[End illustration]\n\n\n{473}\n\nAnd there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said\nunto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their\nfellow-servants also and their brethren, which should be killed even\nas they were, should be fulfilled.\n\nAnd I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great\nearthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the\nwhole moon became as blood; and the stars of the heaven fell unto the\nearth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs, when she is shaken of a\ngreat wind. And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled\nup; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.\n\nAnd the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains,\nand the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid\nthemselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they\nsay to the mountains and to the rocks, \"Fall on us, and hide us from\nthe face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the\nLamb: for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to\nstand?\"\n\nAfter this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the\nearth, holding the four winds of the earth, that no wind should blow\non the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree. And I saw another angel\nascend from the sun rising, having the seal of the living God: and he\ncried with a great voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to\nhurt the earth and the sea, saying, \"Hurt not the earth, neither the\nsea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God\non their foreheads.\"\n\n{474}\n\nAnd I heard the number of them which were sealed, a hundred and forty\nand four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of\nIsrael.\n\nAfter these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man\ncould number, out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and\ntongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in\nwhite robes, and palms in their hands; and they cry with a great\nvoice, saying, \"Salvation unto our God which sitteth on the throne,\nand unto the Lamb.\"\n\nAnd all the angels were standing round about the throne, and about the\nelders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne\non their faces, and worshipped God, saying, \"Amen: Blessing, and\nglory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might,\nbe unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.\"\n\nAnd one of the elders answered, saying unto me, \"These which are\narrayed in the white robes, who are they, and whence come they?\"\n\nAnd I say unto him, \"My lord, thou knowest.\"\n\nAnd he said to me, \"These are they which come out of the great\ntribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the\nblood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God; and\nthey serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the\nthrone shall spread his tabernacle over them. They shall hunger no\nmore, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun strike upon them,\nnor any heat: for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall\nbe their {475} shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters\nof life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.\"\n\nAnd I saw as it were a glassy sea mingled with fire; and them that\ncome victorious from the beast, and from his image, and from the\nnumber of his name, standing by the glassy sea, having harps of God.\nAnd they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of\nthe Lamb, saying, \"Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God, the\nAlmighty; righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of the ages. Who\nshall not fear, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy;\nfor all the nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy\nrighteous acts have been made manifest.\"\n\nAnd after these things I saw, and the temple of the tabernacle of the\ntestimony in heaven was opened: and there came out from the temple the\nseven angels that had the seven plagues, arrayed with precious stone,\npure and bright, and girt about their breasts with golden girdles. And\none of the four living creatures gave unto the seven angels seven\ngolden bowls full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.\nAnd the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from\nhis power; and none was able to enter into the temple, till the seven\nplagues of the seven angels should be finished.\n\nAnd I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that\nsat thereon, called \"Faithful and True\"; and in righteousness he doth\njudge and make war.\n\n{476}\n\nAnd his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems;\nand he hath a name written, which no one knoweth but he himself. And\nhe is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is\ncalled \"The Word of God.\"\n\nAnd the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses,\nclothed in fine linen, white and pure. And out of his mouth proceedeth\na sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall\nrule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the\nfierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his garment\nand on his thigh a name written,\n\n King of Kings and Lord of Lords.\n\n\nVISIONS OF THE HEAVENLY CITY\n\nAnd I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the\nfirst earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. And I saw the\nholy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made\nready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice\nout of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,\nand he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God\nhimself shall be with them, and be their God: and he shall wipe away\nevery tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall\nthere be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things\nare passed away.\n\nAnd he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain {477} great and\nhigh, and shewed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven\nfrom God, having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone\nmost precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal: having a\nwall great and high; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve\nangels; and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve\ntribes of the children of Israel: on the east were three gates; and on\nthe north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west\nthree gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on\nthem twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that\nspake with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and\nthe gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth\nfoursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he\nmeasured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length\nand the breadth and the height thereof are equal. And he measured the\nwall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the\nmeasure of a man, that is, of an angel. And the building of the wall\nthereof was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass.\nThe foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner\nof precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second,\nsapphire; the third chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth,\nsardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth,\nberyl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh,\njacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve\npearls; each one of the several gates was of one pearl: and the street\nof {478} the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I\nsaw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb are\nthe temple thereof. And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of\nthe moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and\nthe lamp thereof is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk amidst the\nlight thereof: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory into\nit. And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there\nshall be no night there): and they shall bring the glory and the\nhonour of the nations into it: and there shall in no wise enter into\nit anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but\nonly they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And he shewed\nme a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the\nthrone of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the street thereof. And\non this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing\ntwelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the\nleaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there\nshall be no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb\nshall be therein: and his servants shall do him service; and they\nshall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads. And\nthere shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither\nlight of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall\nreign for ever and ever.\n\n --_Revelations 21:1-4, 10-27; 22:1-5_.\n\n{479}\n\nHYMNS OF THE AGES\n\n{480}\n\nMany of the great hymns are given elsewhere in the series.\nA few of the choicest of the centuries are given here.\n\n\n{481}\n\nNEARER, MY GOD, TO THEE\n\n Nearer, my God, to Thee,\n Nearer to Thee!\n E'en though it be a cross\n That raiseth me!\n Still all my song shall be,\n Nearer, my God, to Thee,\n Nearer to Thee!\n\n Though, like a wanderer,\n The sun gone down,\n Darkness be over me,\n My rest a stone,\n Yet in my dreams I'd be\n Nearer, my God, to Thee,\n Nearer to Thee!\n\n There let the way appear,\n Steps unto heaven;\n All that Thou sendest me,\n In mercy given;\n Angels to beckon me\n Nearer, my God, to Thee,\n Nearer to Thee!\n {482}\n Then, with my waking thoughts\n Bright with Thy praise,\n Out of my stony griefs\n Bethel I'll raise;\n So by my woes to be\n Nearer, my God, to Thee,\n Nearer to Thee!\n --_Sarah Flower Adams_.\n\n{483}\n\nJESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL\n\n Jesus, lover of my soul,\n Let me to Thy bosom fly\n While the billows near me roll,\n While the tempest still is high!\n Hide me, O my Saviour! hide,\n Till the storm of life is past;\n Safe into the haven guide;\n Oh, receive my soul at last!\n\n Other refuge have I none;\n Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;\n Leave, ah! leave me not alone,\n Still support and comfort me.\n All my trust on Thee is stayed;\n All my help from Thee I bring;\n Cover my defenseless head\n With the shadow of Thy wing.\n\n Thou, O Christ! art all I want;\n More than all in Thee I find:\n Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,\n Heal the sick, and lead the blind.\n Just and holy is Thy name,\n I am all unrighteousness;\n Vile and full of sin I am,\n Thou art full of truth and grace.\n {484}\n Plenteous grace with Thee is found,\n Grace to pardon all my sin;\n Let the healing streams abound,\n Make and keep me pure within.\n Thou of life the fountain art,\n Freely let me take of Thee;\n Spring Thou up within my heart,\n Rise to all eternity.\n --_Charles Wesley_.\n\n{485}\n\nMY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE\n\n My faith looks up to Thee,\n Thou Lamb of Calvary,\n Saviour divine!\n Now hear me while I pray,\n Take all my guilt away,\n Oh, let me from this day\n Be wholly Thine!\n\n May Thy rich grace impart\n Strength to my fainting heart,\n My zeal inspire;\n As Thou hast died for me,\n Oh, may my love to Thee\n Pure, warm, and changeless be,\n A living fire!\n\n While life's dark maze I tread,\n And griefs around me spread,\n Be Thou my guide;\n Bid darkness turn to day,\n Wipe sorrow's tears away,\n Nor let me ever stray\n From Thee aside.\n {486}\n When ends life's transient dream,\n When death's cold, sullen stream\n Shall o'er me roll,\n Blest Saviour! then, in love,\n Fear and distrust remove;\n Oh, bear me safe above.\n A ransomed soul!\n --_Ray Palmer_\n\n{487}\n\nFOLLOWING THE MASTER\n\n Art thou weary, art thou languid,\n Art thou sore distressed?\n \"Come to Me,\" saith One, \"and coming,\n Be at rest.\"\n\n Hath He marks to lead me to Him,\n If He be my Guide?--\n \"In His feet and hands are wound-prints,\n And His side.\"\n\n Is there diadem, as Monarch,\n That His brow adorns?--\n \"Yea, a crown, in very surety;\n But of thorns.\"\n\n If I find Him, if I follow,\n What His guerdon here?--\n \"Many a sorrow, many a labor,\n Many a tear.\"\n\n If I still hold closely to Him,\n What hath He at last?--\n \"Sorrow vanquished, labor ended,\n Jordan passed.\"\n {488}\n If I ask Him to receive me,\n Will He say me nay?--\n \"Not till earth, and not till heaven\n Pass away.\"\n\n Finding, following, keeping, struggling,\n Is He sure to bless?--\n \"Saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs,\n Answer, Yes.\"\n\n --_Translated by John Mason Neale from the Greek_.\n\n\n{489}\n\nROCK OF AGES\n\n Rock of Ages, cleft for me,\n Let me hide myself in Thee;\n Let the water and the blood,\n From Thy riven side which flowed,\n Be of sin the double cure,\n Cleanse me from its guilt and power.\n\n Not the labors of my hands\n Can fulfill the law's demands;\n Could my zeal no respite know,\n Could my tears forever flow,\n All for sin could not atone;\n Thou must save, and Thou alone.\n\n Nothing in my hand I bring,\n Simply to Thy cross I cling;\n Naked, come to Thee for dress;\n Helpless, look to Thee for grace;\n Foul, I to the fountain fly;\n Wash me, Saviour, or I die.\n\n While I draw this fleeting breath,\n When my eyelids close in death,\n When I soar to worlds unknown,\n See Thee on Thy judgment throne,\n Rock of Ages, cleft for me,\n Let me hide myself in Thee.\n\n --_Augustus Montague Toplady_.\n\n{490}\n\nCROSSING THE BAR\n\n Sunset and evening star,\n And one clear call for me!\n And may there be no moaning of the bar,\n When I put out to sea,\n\n But such a tide as moving seems asleep,\n Too full for sound and foam,\n When that which drew from out the boundless deep\n Turns again home.\n\n Twilight and evening bell,\n And after that the dark!\n And may there be no sadness of farewell,\n When I embark;\n\n For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place\n The flood may bear me far,\n I hope to see my Pilot face to face\n When I have crost the bar.\n\n --_Alfred, Lord Tennyson_.\n\n{491}\n\nLEAD, KINDLY LIGHT\n\n Lead, kindly Light! amid the encircling gloom,\n Lead Thou me on;\n The night is dark and I am far from home,\n Lead Thou me on;\n Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see\n The distant scene; one step enough for me.\n\n I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou\n Shouldst lead me on;\n I loved to choose and see my path; but now\n Lead Thou me on:\n I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,\n Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.\n\n So long Thy power has blessed me, sure it still\n Will lead me on\n O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till\n The night is gone;\n And with the morn those angel faces smile\n Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!\n\n --_John H. Newman_.\n\n\n{492}\n\nMY COUNTRY! 'T IS OF THEE\n\n My country! 't is of thee,\n Sweet land of liberty,\n Of thee I sing;\n Land where my fathers died!\n Land of the Pilgrims' pride!\n From every mountain side\n Let freedom ring!\n\n My native country, thee--\n Land of the noble, free--\n Thy name I love;\n I love thy rocks and rills,\n Thy woods and templed hills;\n My heart with rapture thrills\n Like that above.\n\n Let music swell the breeze,\n And ring from all the trees\n Sweet freedom's song:\n Let mortal tongues awake;\n Let all that breathe partake;\n Let rocks their silence break,--\n The sound prolong.\n {493}\n Our fathers' God! to Thee,\n Author of liberty,\n To Thee we sing:\n Long may our land be bright\n With freedom's holy light;\n Protect us by Thy might,\n Great God, our King!\n --_Samuel F. Smith_.\n\n{494}\n\nFROM ALL THAT DWELL BELOW THE SKIES\n\n From all that dwell below the skies\n Let the Creator's praise arise;\n Let the Redeemer's name be sung\n Through every land, by every tongue.\n\n Eternal are Thy mercies, Lord;\n Eternal truth attends Thy word;\n Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore,\n Till suns shall rise and set no more.\n\n --_Isaac Watts_.\n\n{495}\n\nNOTES\n\n{496}\n\n{497}\n\nNOTES\n\nTHE PSALMS.\n\n_Psalm 1_. Ruskin, in \"Our Fathers Have Told Us,\" declares that among\nothers Psalms 1, 8, 15, 19, 23, 24, well studied and believed, are\nsufficient for all personal guidance; that Psalm 72 contains many of\nthe principles of just government; and that Psalm 104 anticipates the\ntriumphs of natural sciences.\n\nJerome, a great scholar in the early church, was drawn to study while\nstill young. One of his favorite texts was from Psalm 1: \"But his\ndelight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day\nand night.\"\n\n\n_Psalm 3_ was used as a prayer by the English when they learned that\nthe great Spanish Armada had sailed against England in 1588. A still\nmore romantic use was by the Huguenots of France, in whose armies it\nis said sentries were posted and relieved to the chant of Psalms, and\nPsalm 3 was used as the signal of danger.\n\n\n_Psalm 4_ was an evening prayer, in the early church as well as in the\nJewish nation. Many have turned to it in the evening of life. Luther\nsaid that he wished to hear it sung in his last moments; and the\nmartyr Ridley, who died in England for conscience's sake in 1555,\nspent the last night of his life in quiet sleep, having repeated the\nlast verse of this Psalm.\n\n\n_Psalm 8_. Not only Protestants, but, at other times, Catholics\nsuffered in England for conscience's sake. One of these, the Earl of\nArundel, imprisoned in the tower of London, carved the words of Psalm\n8, lines 11, 12, on the wall, where they still remain. This is one of\nthe nature Psalms, and men who loved nature have often had it on their\nlips, as did frequently Palissy, the Huguenot inventor of porcelain\nware. The guild of butchers in Mediaeval England took their motto from\nPsalm 8, lines 13-16.\n\n{498}\n\n_Psalm 16_. One of the last days of Henry Martyn's life was spent in\n\"writing notes on Psalms 15 and 16.\" Hugh M'Kail, a young Scottish\ninsurgent, repeated the first line of Psalm 16 on the evening before\nhis execution.\n\n\n_Psalm 17_. The funeral text of John Howard, the great prison\nreformer, was taken from Psalm 17, lines 18, 19.\n\n\n_Psalm 19_. Another great nature Psalm. Joseph Addison (1672-1719)\nparaphrased it in the hymn--\n\n \"The spacious firmament on high.\"\n\n\n_Psalm 23_. No Psalm has been translated in verse so often. George\nHerbert, an English poet (1593-1632), is the author of one version--\n \"The God of love my Shepherd is.\"\nJoseph Addison, of another--\n \"The Lord my pasture shall prepare.\"\n\n\n_Psalm 25_. In the Indian Mutiny an English collector, Mr. Edwards,\nwas for weeks among natives of doubtful loyalty, hidden with a few\nother English in a cowhouse, almost stifled with the heat. He derived,\naccording to his letters, unspeakable comfort from the 25th Psalm,\nespecially lines 28-34.\n\n\n_Psalm 27_. The motto of the University of Oxford, \"Dominus\nilluminatio mea,\" is taken from the first two lines of Psalm 27.\n\n\n_Psalm 29_. Another nature Psalm. From lines 15 and 16 is taken the\nmotto of George Herbert's \"Sacred Poems.\"\n\n\n_Psalm 31_. Few Psalms have been more widely used in Christian history\nthan this. The last work which Savonarola did was to write a\ncommentary on it, which was left unfinished by his death. So highly\ndid Luther consider this commentary that he had it published. The\nwords, \"Into thy hand I commend my spirit,\" were consecrated by the\nuse of Christ on the cross, and have been the words with which many of\nhis followers have met death. The list of those who thus used them\nbegins with the first martyr Stephen, and includes kings, like\nCharlemagne and Charles V.; martyrs, like Huss, Bishop Ridley and Lady\nJane Grey; reformers, like Luther, Melancthon, and {499} John Knox;\npoets, like Tasso and George Herbert; missionaries, like Henry Martyn.\nMary Queen of Scots on the scaffold and Columbus in a wretched lodging\nat Valladolid, both passed out of life with these words on their lips.\n\n\n_Psalm 34_. Columba, the great missionary to North Britain in the\nsixth century, sat on the last day of his life transcribing the 34th\nPsalm. He had written lines 19 and 20 when he laid down his pen,\nsaying, \"Here I make an end\"; and he never took up his pen more.\n\n\n_Psalm 37_. Livingstone says of lines 9 and 10 that they sustained him\nat every turn of his course in Africa, and even in England.\n\n\n_Psalm 42_. The hart was the symbol in the early church for those\nsouls who thirsted for the love of God. Cardinal Manning, one of the\nablest of Catholic statesmen of the last century, wrote, \"'Why art\nthou cast down, O my soul,' always seemed a voice to me.\" Scott was\ntrue to the love of the Scottish people for the Psalms when he makes\nJeanie Deans repeat the above words in an hour of peril during her\njourney to save her sister's life.\n\n\n_Psalm 45_. It is said that the coronation ceremonies of English\nmonarchs are founded on this Psalm--the oil of gladness, the sword,\nthe crown, the sceptre, the throne.\n\n\n_Psalm 46_. The best known paraphrase is Luther's vigorous version--\n\n \"A mighty fortress is our God.\"\n\nIn times of discouragement he would often say to his friend\nMelancthon, \"Come, let us sing the 46th Psalm.\" Cromwell also often\nturned to it, and his speech at the opening of his second Parliament\nwas in part an exposition of this Psalm. At the beginning of the\nIndian Mutiny, on the Sunday after the troops of Havelock first\nlearned of their danger, he chose, instead of the Psalm of the day,\nthis Psalm for their encouragement. \"On the foundation of sure\nconfidence, gained from a reading of many Psalms, John Wesley built\nup, by means of his intense energy, his organizing genius, and his\n{500} administrative capacity, the mighty movement that still bears\nhis name. It was with the words of the Psalms that he met the approach\nof death. Gathering his remaining strength into the cry, 'The best of\nall, God is with us,' he lay for some time exhausted. One of the\nbystanders wetted his parched lips. 'It will not do,' he said, 'we\nmust take the consequence, never mind the poor carcase.' Pausing a\nlittle, he cried, 'Thy clouds drop fatness,' and soon after, 'The Lord\nof hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.' Throughout the\nnight he was heard attempting to repeat these beautiful words from\nPsalm 46. The next morning he was dead.\"\n\n\n_Psalm 51_ was the favorite prayer of Sir Thomas More, the English\nCatholic, who was as much a martyr for religion and liberty as ever\nany man of English blood. It was his last prayer, repeated kneeling on\nthe scaffold where he was beheaded. Lady Jane Grey also repeated it on\nthe scaffold, as soon after did her father, the Duke of Suffolk, who\nalso suffered death for his Protestant faith. So did Egmont, executed\nin Brussels at the command of the infamous Duke of Alva. Carey, the\nfirst English missionary to India, desired the first four lines to be\nthe text of his funeral sermon. Shakespeare uses lines 11 and 12 in\nthe King's speech in Hamlet--\n\n \"Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens\n To wash it white as snow?\"\n\nLines 19 and 20 were repeated by the great English teacher, Thomas\nArnold, on his deathbed, while Teresa, the Spanish Catholic saint,\ndied repeating lines 15 and 16. Lines 21 and 22 serve as the motto of\nMichael Angelo's picture of Savonarola. Few Psalms have been more on\nthe lips of holy men of all ages than the 51st.\n\n\n_Psalm 68_ was the favorite Psalm of the Emperor Charlemagne. It was\nused by the friends of Savonarola at the crisis of his career. A\nFranciscan friar, whom he had angered by his preaching, challenged\nhim, after the custom of the Middle Ages, to prove his preaching by\nthe test of fire. One of his friends accepted the challenge for him,\nand on the appointed day headed a procession which marched through the\nstreets of Florence, singing Psalm 68. The challenger did not appear;\nand the crowd, with the usual bad logic of crowds, {501} turned\nagainst Savonarola. Two days later he was thrown into prison, and\ntorture and death ended the scene. This Psalm was the battle hymn of\nthe Huguenots, in the form of a verse translation into French by Beza,\na great scholar of the Reformation. Battle after battle was entered to\nthe sound of this splendid song. At one battle, that of Courtras, a\nyoung courtier in the opposing army saw the Huguenots kneel as they\nsang. \"See,\" he said, \"the cowards are afraid. They are confessing.\"\n\"When the Huguenots behave thus, they are ready to fight to the\ndeath,\" replied a veteran from the ranks. Cromwell opened his\nParliament with a speech expounding this Psalm. Lines 1 and 2 were the\ntext of the sermon at the service held by the Russians of Moscow in\n1812 to give thanks for the retreat of the French from Moscow.\nCromwell's \"Ironsides\" sang this Psalm at the decisive battle at\nDunbar, when, the mists arising from the valley, they charged and\nbroke the enemy's ranks.\n\n\n_Psalm 72_ was the favorite Psalm of Athanasius, the greatest figure\nat the Nicene Council in 325 A. D. \"Against all assaults upon thy\nbody,\" he says, \"thine estate, thy soul, thy reputation, against all\ntemptations, tribulations, plots and slanderous reports, say this\nPsalm.\" The familiar representation, in picture, song and story, of\nthe three Wise Men from the East at the Cradle of Christ as three\nkings, is based on the kings mentioned in lines 18 and 19.\n\n\n_Psalm 77_. Bishop Hooper, a prisoner for conscience's sake in England\nin 1553, wrote to his wife to read Psalm 77, because of the great\nconsolation which it contained for those who are in anguish of mind.\nCatholics as well as Protestants found comfort in it.\n\n\n_Psalm 80_ was the first of nine Psalms, translated by Milton into\nEnglish verse in 1648. Lines 10 and 11 underlie Elizabeth Barrett\nBrowning's \"The Measure,\" stanza 2.\n\n\n_Psalm 84_. Lines 21 and 22 were the words that called Thomas Aquinas\nfrom his life in the world to a monastic career. They came to him as\nthe voice of God. Paula, a holy woman of the early church, died with\nthe words of this Psalm on her lips. Carlyle, in one of his writings,\nstrikes a note of courage and demand for work, with the joyful\nconfidence of the last two lines.\n\n{502}\n\n_Psalm 85_ Lines 15-17 are the keynote of Book III. of the Imitation\nof Christ. Langland's _Vision of Piers Ploughman_ is full of allusions\nto the Psalms, as when Righteousness kisses Peace (Psalm 85, line 21).\n\n\n_Psalm 86_. In \"Rizpah,\" Tennyson has a beautiful use of lines 30 and 31.\n\n \"And read me a Bible verse of the Lord's goodwill toward men--\n 'Full of compassion and mercy, the Lord,' --let me hear it again;\n 'Full of compassion and mercy--long suffering.'\"\n\n\n_Psalm 87_. The motto of the University of Durham in England is taken\nfrom line 1. Lines 2 and 3 are the motto of Augustine's great work,\n\"The City of God.\"\n\n\n_Psalm 90_ was the favorite Psalm of the Emperor Charles V., of the\nReformation period. It has had its place in the burial service of the\nChurch of England since 1662. Newman's _Dream of Gerontius_ uses a\npart of this Psalm as a chant of the souls in purgatory. Its solemn\nstrains have very often been used in the church to recall men to the\nthought of the permanence of God and the fleeting life of man.\n\n\n_Psalm 91_ is said to be the Psalm that was sung at the first\nattendance of Beza upon a Protestant service, and to have made a great\nimpression upon him. In 1177, as a long and bitter conflict between\nthe Emperor and the Pope ended in the triumphs of the latter, and\nBarbarossa bowed before the Pope Alexander, legend says that the Pope\nset his foot on the neck of the kneeling Emperor, repeating lines 27\nand 28.\n\n\n_Psalm 93_. In the days of the Scottish Covenanters it was believed\nthat Psalm 93 was heard sweetly chanted by spiritual visitants. In the\nbelief of such visions the Covenanters became strong to suffer and\nendure. Quite another use of the Psalm was as a proof of the fixity of\nthe earth, as against the Copernican theory that the earth, not the\nsun, moved.\n\n\n_Psalm 95_ was the battle cry of the Templars during the Crusades,\nsung as they marched to fight the Saracens. It was used in the more\n{503} peaceful campaign of missions. Schwartz, the greatest Danish\nmissionary to India, inscribed lines 11 and 12 on the front of a\nchurch which he built in South India before the end of the eighteenth\ncentury.\n\n\n_Psalms 96, 103, 146, 147_, are recommended by William Law as setting\nforth wonderfully \"the glory of God,\" so that they may always be\nprofitably used for devotion.\n\n\n_Psalm 100_ gives the name to the familiar tune of \"Old Hundred,\"\nwhich was the tune to which the Scottish version of Psalm 100 was\nsung. Edward Fitzgerald chose lines 2 and 3 to be put on his tomb.\n\n\n_Psalm 103_ was chanted by the Protestants of Scotland at the\ncommunion. It is one of the most beautiful of Psalms.\n\n\n_Psalm 104_ is one of the fine nature Psalms, the most elaborate of\nthe group, which includes Psalms 8,19,29. It has had some curious\nuses, as when, in the Middle Ages, men opposed the theory of the\nmotion of the sun with lines 11 and 12 and explained earthquakes from\nlines 57 and 58; when the tail of Leviathan is scorched by the sun, he\nseeks to seize it, and his movements shake the earth. But a great\nscientist, Humboldt, wrote, \"The 104th Psalm may be said to present a\npicture of the entire cosmos . . . We are astonished to see, within\nthe compass of a poem of such small dimension, the universe, the\nheavens and the earth, thus drawn with a few grand strokes.\"\n\n\n_Psalm 105_. Lines 1 and 2 of this Psalm are inscribed on the pulpit\nin which Baxter, the great Puritan divine, preached. \"He was one of\nthe greatest of preachers, patient alike under the lifelong pains of\ndisease and thirty years of almost incessant persecution. He so\ntransformed his parish of Kidderminster that on the Lord's day there\nwas no disorder to be seen in the streets; but you might hear a\nhundred families singing psalms, and repeating sermons as you passed\nthrough them.\"\n\n_Psalm 107_. One of the earliest Scottish reformers, Wishart, was a\npreacher of remarkable power. At one time, hearing that {504} the\nplague had appeared in Dundee, he hastened there, and preached his\nfirst sermon in one of the gates of the city. Its text was from Psalm\n107: \"He sent his word, and healed them.\" Alexander Duff was the first\nScotch missionary to India. On his way out, in 1830, the ship in which\nhe sailed was wrecked at the Cape of Good Hope. The passengers and\ncrew escaped to a small island, but all their possessions were lost.\nDuff's Bible and Book of Psalms were among the few things that drifted\nashore; and, while passengers and crew kneeled on the sand, Duff read\nPsalm 107. It is said that the loss of all things except the Word of\nGod made a profound impression on Duff, who was for many years a most\ndevoted and valuable worker in India.\n\n\n_Psalm 114_ is used in Dante's Divine Comedy, where he gives a picture\nof a boat, on which are seen a hundred spirits, singing together Psalm\n114. (_Purgatorio_, Canto II. 11 40ff.) Milton translated this Psalm\ninto verse when a student at Cambridge, at the age of 15.\n\n\n_Psalm 116_. At the famous relief of Lucknow in the Indian Mutiny, a\nsoldier known as \"Quaker Wallace\" went into the fight quoting the\nScotch version of this Psalm. Lines 27 and 28 were chosen as one of\nthe texts from which Bernard preached the Crusade.\n\n\n_Psalm 117_. The shortest Psalm. This is the Psalm which Cromwell sung\non the battlefield after his victory at the battle of Worcester.\n\n\n_Psalm 118_. Luther said of it, \"This is my Psalm, my chosen Psalm. I\nlove them all; I love all Scripture; . . . But this Psalm is nearest\nmy heart, and I have a familiar right to call it mine. It has saved me\nfrom many a passing danger, from which not emperor nor kings nor sages\nnor saints could have saved me. It is my friend; dearer to me than all\nthe honors and power of the earth.\" Curiously enough, it was also the\nfavorite Psalm of the emperor of the time, Charles V. This Psalm was\nsung by the soldiers of the Prince of Orange, King William, when he\nlanded in England. It was sung as they stood upon the beach, and thus\nthe landing was made a religious service. In the words of lines 45 and\n46 Queen Elizabeth expressed her relief from the feeling of danger, at\nthe news of the death of Queen {505} Mary, her bitter enemy. When\nCharlemagne entered Rome he was hailed by the people with lines 51 and\n52. So all through Christian history the Psalm has lent itself to use\nas celebrating triumph and success.\n\n\n_Psalm 119_ is an alphabetic Psalm, in sections consisting of eight\ncouplets, and each couplet of the same section beginning with the same\nletter. The sections follow in the order of the Hebrew alphabet. It is\nthe most elaborate alphabetic Psalm, there being several others where\neach verse begins with a successive letter. It is also the longest\nPsalm in the book. Still another peculiarity is that every verse\ncontains a reference to the law of God. It is a Psalm greatly loved by\nmany people. William Wilberforce, the great opponent of slavery, said\nat one specially busy time that he found great comfort in repeating\nthe 119th Psalm. Ruskin, who learned it in his boyhood, later writing\nof it, notes how the sense of delight in the law of God runs through\nit all. Henry Martyn committed it to memory. David Livingstone learned\nit in Sunday school at the age of nine. The names of those who have\nfound delight in this Psalm would make a very long list and be\nrepresentative of many different vocations.\n\n\n_Psalm 121_. This Psalm was read by David Livingstone with his family\non the morning when he started for his first mission tour to Africa. A\nlater missionary, James Harrington, on his journey into Africa,\nrepeated this, which he called his \"Traveling\" Psalm, every morning.\n\n\n_Psalm 122_. James Hogg, the Scottish poet, is said to have learned\nthis Psalm before he knew his letters. The Bible was his only book in\nboyhood. This Psalm was used in the Huguenot wars as the Huguenot's\nchant of victory after battle.\n\n\n_Psalm 126_. Robert Estienne, a French printer of the Reformation\ntime, who was very influential in giving the Bible to the people, says\nthat often in his controversies he found strength in this Psalm.\n\n\n_Psalm 130_. One of Luther's best known German hymns is founded on\nthis Psalm--\n \"Aus tiefer Noth schrel Ich zu dir.\"\n\n{506}\n\nBeza died repeating lines 5 and 6, and it was one of the sustaining\ninfluences of Bunyan in his spiritual struggles with himself.\n\n\n_Psalm 136_. Milton's hymn, written when a student at Cambridge, at\nthe age of 15, is founded on Psalm 136--\n\n \"Let us with a gladsome mind\n Praise the Lord for he is kind,\n For his mercies aye endure,\n Ever faithful, ever sure.\"\n\n\n_Psalm 144_ was used by Bernard as a text from which to preach a\ncrusade to win Jerusalem from the Saracens. Lines 10 and 11 have been\nused, both in England and in France, as a motto on the face of\nsundials. \"Man is like to vanity. His days are as a shadow that\npasseth away.\"\n\n\n_Psalm 145_ is the base of Gerhardt's hymn--\n\n \"I who so oft in deep distress.\"\n\nMilton has paraphrased it in _Paradise Lost_, Book XII, 11, 561-6,\nbeginning--\n\n \"Henceforth I learn, that to obey is best.\"\n\nAugustine's _Confessions_ begins with lines 5 and 6 of Psalm 145. Carey,\nwho was not only a great missionary, but a great linguist and a great\nbotanist, prefixed Psalm 145, lines 19 and 20, to his edition of\nRoxburgh's _Flora Indica_. Lines 25 and 26 are inscribed in Greek over\nthe portal of the Mohammedan mosque at Damascus; a relic of the time,\nthirteen hundred years ago, when it was a Christian church. William\nLaw chose this Psalm for a morning hymn.\n\n\n_Psalm 147_. \"Afflavit Deus,\" the motto on the coins struck in England\nto commemorate the victory over the Spanish Armada was taken from the\nlines: \"He sendeth out his word and melteth them: He causeth his wind\nto blow, and the waters flow.\"\n\n{507}\n\n_Psalm 148_. St. Francis' famous Canticle of the Sun is founded on\nthis Psalm.\n\n\n_Psalm 150_. This final Psalm was a sort of doxology, written to close\nthe book of Psalms. It expresses what is the central thought of the\nbook--praise to God. The Benedictine Monks in the Middle Ages were\naccustomed to sing this Psalm during the casting of their bells, while\nthe metal was cooling. Two missionaries to the Slavs in Eastern Europe\nwished to construct an alphabet and translate the Bible into the\nSlavic language. It was referred to Pope John in 879 A.D. He\nsanctioned it on the basis of the last two lines of the Psalms. The\nalphabet was made, and is the basis of that used by the Russian,\nBulgarian, Roumanian and other Slavonic languages to this day; while\nthe translation is the basis of that used by the Russian church.\n\n{508}\n\n{509}\n\nGENERAL INDEX\n\nThe letter \"f\" annexed to page number signifies and _following page_:\n\"ff,\" and _following pages_.\n\n Aaron, II.146ff\n Abanah, III.144, 493\n Abed-nego, III.184f, 190ff\n Abel, III.22f\n Abel-beth-maacah, III.408\n Abel-main, III.253\n Abel-meholah, III.124\n Abigail, I.418ff\n Abihail, III.64\n Abijah, daughter of Zechariah, III.299\n Abijah, king of Judah, III.242ff\n Abijah, son of Jeroboam, III.362ff\n Abijah, son of Samuel, II.350\n Abimelech, II.39f\n Abimelech, son of Gideon, II.332ff\n Abinadab, II.385, 389\n Abinoam, III.52, 54\n Abishai, II.407, 443\n Abner, II.393, 402, 407\n Abraham, story of, I.211ff; II.21-49\n -- sends for a wife for Isaac, I.211; II.49f\n -- at Haran, II.21\n -- the migration, II.21f\n -- and Lot, II.21, 22f\n -- and Sarai, II.21\n -- at Shechem, II.22\n -- the capture of Lot and rescue by, II.25ff\n -- God's covenant with, II.27f\n -- receives a new name, II.28f\n -- birth of Isaac, II.36\n -- the testing of, II.41ff\n -- death of Sarah, his wife, II.45f\n -- death of, II.59\n Absalom, I.167ff; II.443ff\n Achaia, IV.411, 418\n Achan, II.294, 296f\n Achor, valley of, II.297\n Acts, IV.482\n Adam, III.19ff, 22\n -- and Eve, story of, 19ff\n Adida, III.464\n Adoniram, II.458\n Adoni-zedek, II.305\n Adora, III.467\n Adoram, III.239\n Adramyttium, IV.469\n Adriatic Sea, IV.466, 473\n Adullam, cave of, II.437f\n Aegean Sea, IV.496\n Aenon, IV.149\n Agabus, IV.430\n Agag, II.370, 375\n Agrippa, IV.455ff, 497\n Ahab, III.111, 113, 116ff, 123, 127ff, 157, 377ff, 395ff\n Ahasuerus, king of Persia, III.60ff, 487\n Ahaz, III.292, 293ff; V.266\n Ahaziah, king of Israel, III.265, 382ff\n Ahaziah, king of Judah, III.159ff, 269ff, 272, 396\n Ahijah, father of Baasha, III.130, 367\n Ahijah, the prophet, III.362ff, 368\n Ahimaaz, II.447f\n Ai, attack upon, II.294ff, 487\n Aijalon, III.295\n Alcimus, III.448\n Alexander, IV.421\n Alexander the Great, III.418f, 452\n Alexandria, IV.469\n Almug, II.482, 498\n Alphabet, a Bible, I.25\n Amalek, II.197ff, 315, 370ff\n Amalekites, II.324, 370f, 425f\n Amariah, the chief priest, III.257\n Amasa, III.294\n Amaziah, king of Judah, III.281ff, 401\n Amaziah, priest of Bethel, V.355f\n Amittai, III.165\n Ammon, II.254,315; III.84, 258f, 292\n Ammonites, III.219 {510}\n Amon, king of Judah, III.319, 322\n Amon, governor of the city, III.380\n Amorites, II.254, 295, 301, 306, 319\n Amos, prophecies of, V.354ff\n Amoz, III.313\n Amphipolis, IV.403\n Anak, children of, II.243f\n Ananias, the high priest, IV.448\n Ananias and Sapphira, IV.335f\n Ananias of Damascus, IV.371f\n Ancient Mariner, I.299\n Andrew, IV.74f, 94ff, 125, 147, 243\n Angel of the Lord, II.319ff, 494\n Animals, Bible sayings about, I.303f\n Annas, IV.268, 332, 492\n Antioch, III.437,452; IV.375f, 391, 412\n Antioch of Pisidia, IV.380, 387\n Antiochus IV, III.418ff, 460\n Antiochus V, III.468, 476\n Antipatris, IV.447\n Aphek, III.162\n Apocalypse, V.456ff\n Apocrypha, III.80, 320, 329, 418, 489\n Apollonia, IV.403\n Apollonius, III.431, 452ff\n Apollos, IV.418\n Aquila, IV,408ff\n Arabah, sea of, III.401\n Arabia, V.350\n Arabians, III.256, 267\n Araunah, the Jebusite, II.441f, 461\n Arbela, III.448\n Archelaus, IV.46\n Areopagus, IV.407\n Argob, III.407\n Arieh, III.407\n Arioch, III.186ff\n Aristarchus, IV.421,469\n Ark, building of, III.24f\n Ark of bulrushes, Moses in, II.138\n Ark of covenant, II.285ff, 288f, 455\n Armor, II.497\n Arphaxad, III.80\n Artaxerxes, the king, III.214, 222, 494\n Arvad, V.349\n Arza, III.370\n Asa, III.247ff, 367; V.321\n Asaph, the seer, III.302\n Ascension of Jesus, IV.310f\n Asenath, II.107f\n Ashdod, III.288; V.359\n Ashdodites, III.219\n Asherah, II.494; III.119, 250, 399, 490\n Asherim, III.247, 279, 307,364, 495\n Asheroth, III.257, 317, 495\n Ashkelon, III.174, 496\n Ashpenaz, III.183\n Ass, Baalam and the, II.259ff\n Asshur, III.81, 84f, 103; V.350\n Assos, IV.425\n Assyria, III.293, 495; V.273,364ff\n Assyrians, III.84, 90, 92, 404, 408\n Atad, II.131\n Athaliah, III.255, 266, 269, 271ff, 278\n Athenobius, III.476\n Athens, IV.404\n Attalia, IV.387\n Augustus, Roman emperor, IV.37\n Autumn, I.55\n Azaliah, III.324\n Azariah, priest of the house of Zadok, III.311\n Azariah, priest in the reign of Uzziah, III.291\n Azariah, son of Hoshaiah, V.325\n Azariah, son of Johanan, III.294\n Azariah, son of Oded, III.248\n Azariah (Abed-nego), III.184f,427\n Azotus, III.450, 455f, 480, 496\n Azrikan, III.294\n Azubah, III.265\n\n Baal, II.323, 494;\n III.276, 293, 326, 382, 387, 397f, 490; V.304\n -- prophets of, III.111, 116ff\n Baalim, V.365\n Baalis, V.319\n Baal-zebub, god of Ekron, III.382ff\n Baasha, III.130, 158, 247, 250f, 368f, 373; V.321\n Babel, tower of, III.32\n Baby hid in a basket, I.117\n Babylon, III.63, 186ff, 210, 319\n Bacchides, III.448ff\n Balaam, II.255ff\n\n{511}\n\n Balak, son of Zippor, II.255ff\n Band of Mercy, I.292\n Baptism of Jesus, IV.65ff\n Barabbas, IV.276\n Barak, III.51ff\n Bar-Jesus, IV.379\n Barnabas, IV.375f, 384f, 395ff\n Bartholomew, IV.95\n Bartimaeus, the blind, IV.221\n Baruch, V.305ff, 326, 331\n Bascama, III.467\n Bashan, II.255; V.349, 359, 386\n Basket, baby hid in, I.117\n Battle with the Five Kings, II.305ff\n Bear, V.191\n Beating out wheat in the wine press, II.493\n Beatitudes, I.130; IV.105f\n Bectileth, III.81\n Bedtime Stories, I.245-304\n Beelzebub, IV.l71\n Beer-sheba, II.40, 42, 123, 456, 488;\n III.123, 257, 305, 326\n Belshazzar, III.201ff, 211\n Belteshazzar, III.184, 188, 197f\n Ben-hadad, king of Syria, III.111, 152, 250f, 399, 400\n Ben-hail, III.256\n Benjamin, I.185; II.91, 111, 114\n Beracah, III.262\n Berea, III.449\n Berechiah, III.294\n Bernice, IV.455ff\n Beroea, IV.403f\n Bethany, I.218; IV.215, 229, 233, 237, 313\n Beth-aven, II.361, 367\n Beth-dagon, III.456\n Bethel, II.22, 67f, 87f, 298f, 349, 487;\n III.52, 130, 246, 326f, 354, 495; V.355, 360f\n Bethesda, pool of, IV.167,489\n Beth-horon, II.306; III.285, 431f, 444, 496\n Bethlehem, I.139, 151, 163, 229, 245;\n II.382, 400, 402, 438; III.35; IV.37f, 41, 45\n Bethlehem-judah, III.35\n Beth-peor, II.273f\n Bethphage, IV.233\n Bethsaida, IV.77\n Beth-shan, II.381; III.460\n Beth-shemesh, III.286, 295\n Bethsura, III.437, 439, 459, 475, 496\n Bethuel, II.50ff\n Bethulia, III.80ff, 489\n Bethzacharias, III.439f\n Betrayal of Jesus, IV.267\n Bible Primer, I.25\n Bidkar, III.160\n Bigthan, III.64, 70\n Bildad, the Shuhite, V.184, 189, 196, 199, 204; 207, 213, 232\n Bilhah, II.91\n Birth of Ishmael, II.28\n Birthright, II.60ff, 491\n Bithynia, IV.395\n Boaz, II.462; III.35ff\n Boy who came when he was called, I.132\n Boy who was raised from the dead, I.193\n Brave Women, Tales of, III.33ff\n Brazen serpent, II.250f; III.299\n Brothers of the air and fields, I.292ff\n Browning, I.151\n Burning bush, II.142\n\n Caesar, IV.455, 462\n Caesarea, IV.430, 447,452, 455\n Caesarea Philippi, IV.178, 489\n Caiaphas, IV.269, 332, 492\n Cain, III.22f\n Caleb, II.244, 247, 418; III.427\n Calf, golden, II.204ff\n Cana of Galilee, IV.78,92\n Canaan, land of, II.25, 243, 277, 487\n Candace, queen, IV.345,348\n Canneh, V.350\n Capernaum, IV.92, 121, 125ff\n Caravan, II.492\n Carmel, III.111, 119, 122, 141, 490; V.386\n Carmel in Judah, II.418f\n Cenchreae, IV.412\n Cendebaeus, III.479f\n Cephas, IV.77\n Chaldeans, III.183ff, 351, 494; V.309ff, 322, 331f\n Cherith, brook, III.111, 114, 490\n\n {512}\n\n Cherubim, III.21\n Children in the lands of the Bible, I.217\n Chilion, III.35f\n Chilmad, V.350\n Chios, IV.425\n Christians, first called so at Antioch, IV.375\n Christmas, story of the first, I.245\n Cilicia, II1.81; IV.390, 395\n Clauda, IV.470\n Claudius, IV.408\n Cleopas, IV.301\n Cnidus, IV.469\n Coelesyria, III.452\n Coleridge, I.299\n Colossians, epistle to, V.452f\n Commandments, the ten, II.202f\n - the greatest, IV.240f\n Coniah, son of Jehoiakim, V.309\n Corinth, IV.408, 418\n Corinthians, first epistle to, V.425, 438, 440, 443, 448, 449ff\n -- second epistle to, V.451f\n Cornelius, IV.353ff\n Cos, IV.429\n Council at Jerusalem, IV.388ff\n Covenant, making of, II.27\n Cowper, I.296f\n Creation, story of the, III.15ff\n Crete, III.452; IV.462, 470, 498\n Crispus, IV.411\n Crucifixion of Jesus, IV.281ff, 493\n Cubit, II.499\n Cushite, II.447ff\n Cydnus, river, IV.367\n Cyprus, IV.379, 395, 429f, 495\n Cyrus, the Persian, III.209\n\n Dagon, III.181, 494\n Dalmanutha, IV.176\n Damaris, IV.408\n Damascus, II.26, 488; III.l11, 124, 144, 250, 293, 295; IV.371f; V.350\n Dan, place, II.26, 488; III.253, 305, 495\n Dan, tribe of, III.172\n Daniel, III.427\n Daniel, story of:\n -- early life, III.183f\n -- interprets king's dreams, III.185ff, 196ff\n Daniel and his three friends in the fiery furnace, II1.190ff\n -- reads the handwriting on the wall, III.20lff\n -- in lions' den, III.206ff\n Darius, the Mede, III.206ff, 419\n David, I.225, 229; III.48, 427\n David, city of, III.421\n David, story of:\n -- secretly anointed by Samuel, II.382ff\n -- and Goliath, II.386ff\n -- and Jonathan, II.399ff\n -- an outlaw, II.406ff\n -- pursued by Saul, II.411ff\n -- adventure in the wilderness, II.417ff\n -- becomes king, II.424ff\n -- rebuked by Nathan, II.430ff\n -- and his three brave soldiers, II.438\n -- buys threshing floor, II.438ff\n -- and his son Absalom, II.443ff\n -- death of, II.451\n David, stories of:\n -- the shepherd boy who killed a giant, I.139ff\n -- and King Saul, I.151\n -- an outlaw, I.155\n -- and Jonathan, I.156\n -- and his three brave soldiers, I.163ff\n -- and his son Absalom, I.167\n Dead Sea, I.226\n Death of firstborn in Egypt, II.177f\n Deborah, II.87\n Deborah and Jael, II1.51ff\n Decapolis, IV.140, 487\n Dedan, V.349f\n Dedication, feast of, IV.197ff\n Delaiah, III.226; V.308\n Delilah, III.176ff\n Demetrius, king, II1.448, 452, 468f\n Demetrius, silversmith, IV.418f\n Derbe, IV.386, 395\n Destruction of the cities of the plain, II.32\n Diana, IV.418ff\n Dionysius, IV.408\n Disciples, choosing of, IV.94f\n -- first, IV.74f\n -- list of, IV.96f\n\n{513}\n\n Disobedience and consequences, story of, III.19ff\n Divining cups, II.117ff, 492\n Dok, III.481\n Dor, III.476\n Dorcas, IV.350\n Dotaea, III.82\n Dothan, II.95, 492; III.151\n Dove and the olive leaf, III.29ff\n Drusilla, IV.452\n Dura, III.190\n\n Easter day, the story of the first, I.265ff\n Eating with blood, II.368, 497\n Ebed-melech, Ethiopian, V.312, 317\n Eben-ezer, II.349\n Ecclesiastes, selections from, V.241-246\n Eden, II.19ff; V.350\n Edom, II.249, 482; III.255, 265, 267; V.370f\n Eglon, II.307, 315f, 493\n Egypt, II.96ff, 492; IV.45f; V.303, 322ff, 349, 359, 364ff\n Ehud, II.315ff\n Ekron, III.382, 456\n Elah, king, III.370\n Elah, vale of, II.389\n Elasa, III.449\n Elath, II.482; III.287\n Eleazer, son of Aaron, II.250\n Eleazer, who was called Avaran, III.423\n Elephants, fighting, III.439ff\n Eli, I.132ff; II.338ff\n Eliab, II.389f\n Eliakim, III.332, V.271ff\n Eliezer, II.27, 49f\n Elihu, V.213ff\n Elijah, III.1ll, 382ff, 396ff, 427; IV.180\n Elijah, stories of:\n -- lodges with the widow at Zarephath, III.114\n -- restores the widow's son to life, I.193ff; III.115\n -- and the prophets of Baal, III.ll9ff\n -- flees from Jezebel, III.123ff\n -- rebukes king and queen for evil deed, III.127ff\n -- translated in chariot of fire, III.130ff\n Elim, II.191\n Elimelech, III.35f\n Eliphaz, the Temanite, V.184f, 195f, 204f, 213, 232\n Elisha, III.111, 124f, 388f\n Elisha, stories of:\n -- takes up work of Elijah, III.130ff\n -- heals the waters, III.137\n -- helps a poor woman to pay a debt, III.137f\n -- restores Shunammite's son, III.138ff\n -- heals Naaman, the Syrian, I.206ff; III.143ff\n -- returns good for evil, III.148f\n -- at siege of Samaria, III.152ff\n -- anoints Jehu as king, III.157ff\n -- death of, III.162\n Elishama, the scribe, V.307\n Elkanah, III.294\n Elnathan, V.308\n Elymas, the sorcerer, IV.379\n Embalming, II.493\n Emmaus, III.432f; IV.301, 305, 493\n En-dor, witch of, II.376ff\n En-gedi, wilderness of, II.413\n Ephesians, epistle to, V.419ff, 443, 447f\n Ephesus, IV.412, 418ff, 425f\n Ephesus, church in, message to, V.460\n Ephraim, II.444; III.302; V.369ff\n -- hill country of, II.316, 493; III.52, 148, 245, 249, 257\n Ephrath, II.88\n Ephrathah, III.47\n Ephron, II.45f; III.246\n Epistles of Paul, introduction, V.413ff\n Erastus, IV.418\n Esarhaddon, V.276\n Esau, II.60ff, 76ff, V.370f\n Esdraelon, III.82\n Eshcol, II.243\n Esther, story of, III.60ff\n Etam, rock of, III.175\n Etham, II.179\n Ethiopia, III.60, 74\n Ethiopians, III.247ff, 267\n Euphrates, II.28, 455f, 488; III.328, 330\n Eupolemus, son of John, III.447\n\n{514}\n\n Euraquilo, IV.470\n Eutychus, IV.425\n Eve, III.19ff, 22\n Evil-Merodach, III.346\n Ezekiel, prophecies of, V.344ff\n Ezion-geber, II.482, 498; III.265\n Ezra, the scribe, III.227ff\n\n Fair Havens, IV.462, 469\n Familiar spirit, II.376ff, 497\n Father, God is our, I.105\n Father, talking with our, I.101\n Felix, IV.445, 447ff, 497\n Festus, IV.452f, 455ff, 497\n Fight of the Five Kings against the Four, II.25\n Fish, IV.487\n Flood, story of the, III.24ff\n Forgiveness, stories of divine, IV.202ff\n Four thousand, feeding of the, IV.175f\n\n Gad, II.441f\n Gaius, IV.421\n Galatia, IV.395, 418, 495\n Galatians, epistle to, V.422f, 439\n Galeed, II.75, 492\n Galilee, III.408, 459, 460; IV.17f, 37, 46, 66, 78, 82, 190, 310\n -- sea of, I.94; IV.94, 307\n Gallio, IV.411\n Gamaliel, IV.437\n Gashmu, III.226\n Gath, II.386, 497; III.288\n Gauls, III.445\n Gaza (or Gazara), II.456; III.176, 181, 471f, 475f, 481f\n Geba, II.360, 365; III.82, 253, 489\n Gedaliah, V.318ff\n Gederoth, III.295\n Gehazi, III.111, 138ff\n Gemariah, V.308\n Gennesaret, water of, III.459\n Gentiles, III.419f, 431, 438, 464\n Gerar, III.248\n Gerasenes, country of, IV.136\n Gershom, II.142\n Geruth Chimham, V.322\n Geshem, III.218, 225\n Gethsemane, I.258; IV.264\n Gibbethon, III.367, 373\n Gibeah, II.359, 362, 375, 406, 412; III.242\n Gibeon, II.300, 305, 452; V.321f\n Gideon, II.319ff\n Gihon, III.319\n Gilboa, II.376, 425\n -- battle of, II.380f\n Glead, III.408\n -- land of, II.71, 272; III.467\n Gilgal, II.305f, 349, 361, 375; III.130, 448, 490; V.360\n Gimzo, III.295\n God is our Father, I.105\n God sees me, I.81\n God, what he gives, I.85\n God, what he wants me to do, I.82\n God's promises, II.27\n Golden calf, II.204ff\n Golden rule, IV.115\n Golgotha, IV.281\n Goliath, I.143ff, 151; II.386ff\n Gomorrah, the fate of Sodom and, II.32ff\n Gorgias, III.433\n Goshen, land of, II.123ff, 158, 493\n Gourd, Jonah and the, III.l71\n Growing grain, story of the, IV.134\n Gur-baal, III.288\n\n Habakkuk, prophecies of, V.392ff\n Hachilah, II.406, 412\n Hadassah, III.63\n Hagar, II.28, 36ff\n Haggai, prophecies of, V.398ff\n Ham, III.24, 26\n Haman, III.65ff\n Hamath, III.401\n Hanani, the seer, III.253, 256\n Hananiah, III.184f, 288, 427\n Handwriting on the wall, III.201ff\n Hannah, mother of Samuel, I.132\n Haran, II.21, 68, 487; V.350\n Harod, II.325\n Hathach, III.67f\n Hazael, III.124, 127, 159, 269, 398, 399f\n Hazor, III.51, 408, 459\n Heaven, the Kingdom of, I.201\n Heber, the Kenite, III.51ff\n\n{515}\n\n Hebrews, epistle to, V.439\n Hebron, II, 25, 45f, 92, 243, 429f, 488, 493; III.176\n Hegai, III.63f\n Herod, IV.275f, 485f\n Herod Antipas, IV.150\n Herod the Great, IV.41f, 45f\n Herodias, IV.150f\n -- daughter of, IV.154\n Heshbon, II.254f\n Heth, II.45, 491\n Hezekiah, III.299ff; V.268rf\n Hilkiah, the high priest, III.323ff\n Hinnom, III.293, 317, 327\n Hiram, I.173; II.457ff,482f\n Hittites, II.45, 430\n Hobah, II.26, 488\n Holofernes, III.80ff, 92ff, 489\n Hophni, II.345f\n Hor, mount, II.250\n Horeb, II.470; III.111, 123\n Hosea, prophecies of, V.363ff\n Hoshea, son of Elah, III.408, 411ff\n Houses in the lands of the Bible, I.214\n Huldah, prophetess, III.325\n Hur, II.197\n\n Iconium, IV.385, 387, 395\n Idumaea, III.437, 439\n Ijon, III.253, 408\n Immortality, Paul on, V.449\n India, III.60, 74\n Isaac, III.88\n Isaac, story of:\n -- birth of, II.36\n -- attempted sacrifice by Abraham, II.4lf\n -- and Rebekah, II.49ff\n Isaiah, the prophet, III.313; IV.65,481\n -- call of, V.264ff\n -- prophecies of, V.266ff\n Ishmael, birth of, II.28, 36ff\n Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, V.319ff\n Ishmaelites, II.95f\n Israel, Jacob's name changed to, II.80\n Israel, kingdom of, III.353ff\n Issachar, III.57\n Ittai, the Gittite, II.443f\n\n Jabbok, II.80, 492\n Jabesh, II.381, 494\n Jabesh-gilead, II.359f, 381, 429\n Jabin, king of Canaanites, III. 51ff\n Jabneh, III.288\n Jachin, II.462\n Jacob, III.88; V.370f\n Jacob, story of:\n -- and Esau, II.60ff\n -- goes from home, II.67ff\n -- and Rachel, II.69ff\n -- sets out for his native land, II.7Iff\n -- wrestles with angel, II.76ff\n -- reconciled with Esau, II.83ff\n -- erects an altar at Bethel, II.87ff\n -- sends his sons to Egypt to buy corn, II.111ff\n -- in Egypt, I.190; II.123ff\n -- death and burial, I.190; II.129f\n Jacob and Joseph, I.177ff\n Jacob's well, Jesus at, IV.82ff\n Jael, III.51 ff\n Jahaziel, III.261\n Jairus, I.110; IV.141\n James, epistle of, V.426ff\n James, son of Alphaeus, IV.95ff\n James, son of Zebedee, IV.94ff, 125, 141, 185, 264, 307, 330ff, 359\n Jamnia, III.455, 479\n Janoah, III.408\n Japheth, III.24, 26\n Jarmuth, II.307, 493\n Jason, III.447; IV.403\n Javan, V.349f\n Jechiliah, III.287\n Jeconiah, king of Judah, III.63\n Jehiel, III.266\n Jehizkiah, III.294\n Jehoaddan, III.281\n Jehoahaz, king of Israel, III.285, 399\n Jehoahaz, king of Judah, III.332\n Jehoiachin, king of Judah, III.346f\n Jehoiada, III.271ff, 277ff\n Jehoiakim, king of Judah, III.183, 332, 335ff, 348; V.305, 309\n Jehonadab, III.397\n Jehoram, king of Judah, III.255, 266ff\n Jehoshaphat, III.158, 255ff, 266, 377ff, 388\n\n{516}\n\n Jehosheba, III.27lf\n Jehovah-jireh, II.42\n Jehozabad, III.280\n Jehu, III.111, 124f, 157ff, 256, 270, 285, 395ff\n Jehu, the prophet, III.368f, 370\n Jehudi, V.306f\n Jeiel, the scribe, III.288\n Jemimah, V.232\n Jeremiah, III.329f, 335ff; IV.45\n Jeremiah, call of, V.298ff\n -- imprisonment, V.309ff\n -- prophecies of, V.30lff\n Jericho, II.287ff, 300, 305, 315; III.133, 134; IV.88, 221\n Jeroboam, king, III.130, 153, 237ff, 242ff, 327, 353ff,\n 368, 374, 413; V.355\n Jeroboam II, king, III.401\n Jerubbaal, II.324f, 332\n Jerusalem, I.218, 251;\n II.455, 461, 470, 478, 483, 493;\n III.161, 183, 201, 212, 217f, 231, 237, 240, 249, 257,\n 262f, 269f, 277, 281, 286f, 311, 33lf, 348ff, 418ff, 443,\n 449,459, 463, 472, 481;\n IV.17, 20, 41, 49, 65, 70, 79, 88, 179, 190, 233f, 310,\n 326, 344, 388;\n V.344\n Jerusalem, New, I.223\n Jerushah, daughter of Zadok, III.292\n Jeshanah, III.246\n Jesse, II.385, 389; III.48\n Jesus and his friends, I.86\n -- had no home, I.89\n -- the people loved, I.93\n -- boyhood of, I.97\n -- and sick people, I.98\n -- what he said about birds and flowers, I.106\n -- what he said about trees, I.109\n -- and the little girl, I.110\n -- some things which he taught, I.130\n -- boyhood of, I.217\n -- infancy, I.245ff\n -- triumphant entry into Jerusalem, I.25lff\n -- how he gave his life for the world, I.257\n -- crucifixion of, I.258\n -- resurrection of, I.266ff\n Jesus, life of the Lord:\n -- nativity, IV.37f\n Jesus, wise man's visit, IV.41f\n -- in Egypt, IV.45f\n -- boyhood of, IV.49ff\n -- baptism of, IV.65ff\n -- temptation of, IV.70f\n -- first disciples of, IV.74f\n -- first miracle of, IV.78\n -- at the passover, IV.79ff\n -- at Jacob's well, IV.82ff\n -- choosing of twelve disciples, IV.94f\n -- sermon on the mount, IV.105ff\n -- heals Roman captain's servant, IV.12lf\n -- at Capernaum, IV.125ff\n -- raises widow's son from the dead, IV.130\n -- stills the storm, IV.136ff\n -- Jairus' daughter brought to life, IV.14lff\n -- feeding of the multitude, IV.144ff\n -- John the Baptist and, IV, 149ff\n -- Sunday controversy, IV.167ff\n -- woman anoints his feet, IV.169f\n -- traveled in the north, IV,172ff\n -- feeds the four thousand, IV.175f\n -- transfiguration, IV.180\n -- and little children, IV.188f\n -- teaches truth and freedom, IV.190ff\n -- feast of dedication, IV.197ff\n -- and the rich young man, IV.21lf\n -- raises Lazarus from the dead, IV.215ff\n -- Zacchaeus the publican, IV.22lf\n -- Bethany, supper at, IV.229f\n -- Jerusalem, triumphant entry into, IV.233f\n -- drives the money changers from the temple, IV.237\n -- the last supper, IV.248ff\n -- Gethsemane, agony in, IV.264\n -- the betrayal, IV.267\n -- trial before Annas, IV.268\n -- before Caiaphas, IV, 269f\n -- before Jewish court, IV.270f\n -- before Pilate, IV.272f\n -- before Herod, IV.275f\n -- Pilate and, IV.276ff\n -- the crucifixion of, IV.28lff\n -- burial of, IV.286f\n -- resurrection of, IV.297f\n - on the way to Emmaus, IV.30lf\n\n{517}\n\n Jesus, ascension of, IV.310f\n Jethro, II.142\n Jezaniah, son of Hoshaiah, V.322\n Jezebel, III.111, 113, 119, 123ff, 128ff, l58, 161f, 373\n Jezreel, II.324, 494; III.122, 127, 158f, 396, 490\n Joah, V.271ff\n Joakim, III.104\n Joash, king of Israel, III.162, 281, 285, 400\n Joash, king of Judah, III.271, 277ff, 380\n Joash, the Abiezrite, II.320, 329, 331\n Job, selections from, V.177-232\n Joel, II.350\n Joel, prophecies of, V.374ff\n Johanan, son of Kareah, V.319ff\n John, the Baptist, IV.65ff, 74, 149ff, 485\n John, the disciple, IV.74f, 95ff, 123, 141, 185, 259, 264\n -- epistles of, V.435ff\n John, son of Simon, III.472, 480\n John Gaddis, III.422f\n Jonah, story of, III.165ff, 401\n Jonathan, II.360, 362f, 380, 393, 399ff, 412, 426\n Jonathan, Apphus, III.423, 450ff\n Jonathan, son of Absalom, III.464ff\n Jonathan, son of Kareah, V.319\n Jonathan and David, I.156ff; II.393f, 399ff\n Joppa, III.165, 455, 464, 475ff; IV.350, 353\n Joram, king of Israel, III.111, 157f, 387ff\n Jordan, I.224f; II.285ff, III.133 , 134, 144, 154, 452; IV.66\n -- plain of, II.22, 466, 487\n Joseph, III.427\n Joseph, story of:\n -- favorite of his father, I.177; II.91\n -- dreams of supremacy in family; is hated\n by brethren and sold into slavery, I.181; II.95f\n -- in Egypt, II.96f\n -- interprets dreams of Pharaoh's officers, II.99ff\n -- interprets the dream of Pharaoh, I.18If; II.104ff\n -- made prime minister, I.185; II.107\n -- and his brethren, I.185; II.ll1ff\n -- death and burial, II.132\n Joseph, father of Jesus, I.217; IV.37f, 45f, 50\n Joseph of Arimathaea, IV.286\n Josephus, III.234\n Joshua, II.208, 247, 268; III.231, 427\n Joshua, story of:\n -- spies are sent to Jericho, II.277ff\n -- crosses the Jordan, II.285ff\n -- capture of Jericho, II.287ff\n -- attack upon Ai, II.294ff\n -- submission of Gibeon, II.300ff\n -- battle with the five kings, II.305ff\n -- last addresses, II.308ff\n -- death, II.312\n Joshua, high priest, V.398f\n Josiah, king of Judah, III.322, 323ff\n Jotham, II.333; III.292\n Judah, II.115; III.237ff, 421f; V.350\n Judas, called Barsabbas, IV.390\n Judas, son of Simon, III.480\n Judas Isacariot, IV.95ff, 229, 248ff, 267\n Judas Maccabaeus, III.423, 427, 428ff\n Judges, the, II.315-337\n Judith, story of, III.80ff\n Julius, IV.469\n Juniper tree, Elijah and, III.123\n Jupiter, IV.386\n\n Kadesh, II.248f\n Kedar, V.350\n Kedesh, III.52, 408, 459\n Kedesh-naphtali, III.52\n Kenites, III.52\n Keren-happuch, V.232\n Keziah, V.232\n Kidron, brook, III.250, 300, 306, 326f\n -- city, III.479, 480\n \"King of the Jews,\" IV.276f, 282\n Kingdom of God, IV.23, 79f, 134, 489\n Kingdom of the North, III.353ff\n Kingdom of the South, III.237ff\n Kings, the five, II.488\n Kings, table of, III.236\n Kinsman, III.487\n Kir-hareseth, III.392\n Kiriath-huzoth, II.261\n Kish, II.352\n\n{518}\n\n Kishon, brook, III.122\n Kishon, the river, III.51f\n\n Laban, II.51ff, 68, 70ff; III.88\n Lachish, II.307, 493; III.286, 312; V.274\n Lands of the Bible, how people travel in, I.208ff\n Laodicea, church in, message to, V.464ff\n Lappidoth, III.52\n Lasea, IV.469\n Lazarus, IV.215ff, 229\n Leah, II.71; III.47\n Lebanon, II.458, 482\n -- cedars of, II.334, 456; III.281\n Legion, IV.139\n Lehi, III.175\n Leprosy, I.206; III.153, 287, 291; IV.126, 489\n -- Naaman's, III.143f\n Levi, II.138\n Levi, son of Alphaeus, IV.94\n Levites, II.285; III.228f, 231f, 256f, 277f, 299f, 307, 329\n Libnah, III.267; V.274\n Little brothers of the air and field, I.292ff\n Lord and Job, V.181ff, 222ff\n Lot, II.21, 26, 32f\n Lot's wife, II.36\n Lud, V.349\n Luz, II.87\n Lycaonia, IV.386\n Lydda, IV.350\n Lydia, IV.396\n Lysias, III.437\n Lystra, IV.386f, 392, 395\n\n Maacah, III.242, 250\n Maaseiah, III.288\n Maaseiah, son of Ahaz, III.294\n Maccabaeus, III.418, 423, 427ff\n Maccabees, tales of, III.417ff\n Macedonia, IV.396, 422f, 495\n \"Macedonian cry,\" IV.396\n Machpelah, cave of, II.45f, 59, 129f, 491\n Mahanaim, II.76\n Mahlon, III.35f\n Maid, little captive, I.205ff\n Makkedah, II.306f\n Malachi, prophecies of, V.408f\n Malchus, IV.267\n Malta, IV.474f\n Mamre, oak of, II.25, 29, 487\n Manasseh, III.249, 302, 306, 308\n Manasseh, king of Judah, III.314, 317ff, 322, 327\n Manasseh, son of Joseph, II.108\n Manasses, husband of Judith, III.86, 91\n Manna and quails, II.192ff\n Maon, wilderness of, II.413, 418\n Mara, III.39\n Marah, II.l91\n Mareshah, III.248\n Mark, John, IV.360, 380, 395\n Market of Appius, IV.477\n Martha, IV.215ff, 229\n Martyr, the first, IV.339ff\n Mary, mother of Jesus, IV.37f, 42\n Mary, mother of Joses, IV.286\n Mary, sister of Martha, IV.215ff, 229\n Mary, wife of Cleopas, IV.285\n Mary Magdalene, I.267; IV.285, 286, 297f\n Mattan, priest of Baal, III.276.\n Mattaniah, III.347\n Mattathias, son of Absalom, III.459\n Mattathias, son of John, III.418, 422ff\n Mattathias, son of Simon, III.481\n Matthew, IV.95\n Matthias, IV.325\n Medes, III.80, 494\n Medes and Persians, laws of, III.62, 207f\n Media, III.60, 62\n Mediterranean Sea, IV.17\n Megiddo, III.161, 323, 328, 331f\n Mehetabel, III.226\n Melchizedek, king of Salem, II.26, 488\n Memory verses, I.491ff; II.503ff; III.501ff; IV.50lff\n Menahem, son of Jabesh, III.403f\n Mercury, IV.386\n Meribah, II.249\n Merodach-baladan, V.268\n Mesaloth, III.448\n Mesha, king of Moab, III.387f\n Meshach, III.184, 190ff\n Meshech, V.349\n Meshullam, III.324\n Mesopotamia, II.50, 491\n\n{519}\n\n Messenger, visit of, II.29ff\n Messiah, IV.20, 86\n Meunim, III.288\n Micah, prophecies of, V.367ff\n Micaiah, V.306\n Micaiah, son of Imlah, III.256, 378f\n Michael, III.266\n Michmash, II.361, 365, 497\n Midian, II.255ff, 319, 330\n Midianites, II.319f, 324\n Migdol, V.327\n Migration, II.21\n Milcah, II.50f, 55\n Miletus, IV.425f\n Millo, III.311\n Miracles, New Testament:\n -- water changed to wine, IV.78\n -- king's officer's son healed, IV.92f\n -- Roman captain's servant healed, IV.121f\n -- Simon's wife's mother healed, IV.126\n -- leper at Capernaum healed, IV.126f\n -- man sick of palsy healed, IV.127f\n -- two blind men healed, IV.128\n -- widow's son raised from dead, IV.130\n -- storm stilled, IV.136\n -- man of Gadara with unclean spirit healed, IV. 139f\n -- woman long time invalid healed, IV.140\n -- daughter of Jairus raised from dead, IV.141f\n -- multitude, feeding of, IV.144ff\n -- man at pool of Bethesda healed, IV.167f\n -- man with withered hand healed, IV.169\n -- the demoniac blind and dumb healed, IV.170f\n -- daughter of Syrophoenician woman healed, IV.172\n -- deaf man healed, IV.175\n -- four thousand fed, IV.175f\n -- blind man at Bethsaida, IV.177\n -- boy with dumb spirit healed, IV.181f\n -- blind man at pool of Siloam, IV.197f\n -- raising of Lazarus, IV.215ff\n -- blind Bartimaeus given sight, IV.221\n -- lame and blind in the temple healed, VI.237\n -- Malchus healed, IV.267\n -- draught of fishes, IV.307f\n -- lame man healed, IV.330\n -- raising of Dorcas, IV.350\n Miracles, Old Testament:\n -- water from the rock, II.247ff\n -- the cruse of oil, III.114f\n -- widow's son restored to life, III.115\n -- waters healed by Elisha, III.137\n -- increase of oil for widow, III.137f\n -- the Shunammite boy brought to life, III.l38ff\n -- Naaman healed of leprosy, III.143ff\n -- Jonah saved from drowning, III.169\n -- children of Israel in the fiery furnace, III.190ff\n -- deliverance of Daniel, III.206ff\n Miriam, II.187, 248\n Mishael, III.185f, 427\n Mitylene, IV.425\n Mizpah, II.75, 349, 357, 494; III.253; V.319ff\n Mnason, IV.430\n Moab, II.255ff; III.35ff, 83, 258f, 487\n Moabites, II.316\n Modin, III.418, 422, 428, 450, 467f, 480, 496\n Molech, or Moloch, III.293, 327\n Money changers driven from the temple, IV.237\n Mordecai, III.60ff\n Moreh, II.325\n Moriah, mount, II.461\n Moses, IV.180\n Moses, story of:\n -- birth, I.117; II.137f\n -- in Midian, II.141f\n -- the call of God, II.142ff\n -- conflict with Pharaoh, II.149ff\n -- leads Israelites out of bondage, II.178f\n -- pursued by Egyptians, II.180ff\n -- wanderings in the wilderness, II.191ff\n -- at Sinai, II.201f\n -- in the wilderness, II.214ff\n -- march to the Promised Land, II.241ff\n -- death of, II.268ff\n Mount of Olives, I.218; IV.233, 264\n Multitude, feeding of, IV.144ff, 175f\n\n{520}\n\n Murder, story of first, III.22f\n Mustard seed, story of, I.201f; IV.134f\n Myra, IV.462, 469\n Mysia, IV.395\n\n Naaman, I.205f; III.111, 143ff\n Nabal, II.418ff\n Naboth, III.111, 160f\n -- his vineyard, III.127ff\n Nadab, king, III.364, 367\n Nahash, II.359\n Nahor, II.50f\n Nahum, prophecies of, V.385ff\n Nain, IV.130\n Naomi, III.35ff\n Naphtali, III.52, 253\n Nathan, II.431ff; III.301\n Nathanael, IV.77\n Nativity of Jesus, IV.37f\n Nazareth, I.217; IV.18, 37, 45f, 49f\n Nazirite, III.178\n Neapolis, IV.392, 396\n Nebo, mount, II.268, 272\n Nebuchadnezzar, III.63, 80f, 93f, 183ff, 344, 346ff;\n V.309, 314f, 330, 333, 346\n Nebuzaradan, III.351; V.317f, 321, 326\n Neco, king of Egypt, III.328, 332\n Nehemiah, royal cupbearer:\n -- asks to return to Jerusalem, III.212ff\n -- arrives at Jerusalem, III.217\n -- builds walls, III.217ff\n -- dedication of walls, III.231f\n Neighbor, who was the, I.279\n Nethanel, III.256\n New Testament, selections from, V.411ff\n Nicanor, III.443ff\n Nicodemus, IV.79\n Nimshi, III.124, 158, 159\n Nineveh, III.81, 165f, 493; V.385, 387f\n Noadiah, prophetess, III.227\n Noah, III.24ff\n Noph, V.327\n\n Obadiah, prince, III.111, 116ff, 256\n Obadiah, prophecies of, V.370f\n Obed, III.48\n Obed-edom, III.286\n Oded, III.249, 294\n Og, II.255, 268, 281, 301\n Oholiab, II.216, 219ff\n Olive leaf, the dove and, III.29ff\n Olives, mount of, I.218; IV.233, 264\n Omri, III.373f\n Ono, plain of, III.225\n Ophel, III.292, 319\n Ophir, II.482, 498; III.255, 265, 495\n Ophrah, II.323, 331f, 494\n Oreb, II.330\n Orion, V.191, 361\n Orpah, III.35ff\n Orthosia, III.479\n Ozias, III.80, 85ff\n\n Paddan-aram, II.67f, 84, 87, 492\n Palestine, III.418, 452\n -- in the days of Jesus, IV.17\n Palm Sunday, story of, I.251ff\n \"Palm Tree of Deborah,\" III.51f\n Pamphylia, IV.380, 387, 395\n Paphos, IV.379f\n Parables:\n -- the good Samaritan, I.279ff; IV.88\n -- story of the sower, I.126; IV.133f\n -- growing grain, IV.134\n -- mustard seed, I.201f; IV.134f\n -- ungrateful servant, IV.186f\n -- good shepherd and the sheep, IV.200\n -- lost sheep, IV.202\n -- lost money, IV.202f\n -- prodigal son, IV.203f\n -- dishonest steward, IV.204f\n -- Dives and Lazarus, IV.206f\n -- poor man and the rich man, IV.206f\n -- man who made excuses, IV.207f\n -- foolish rich man, IV.212\n -- wicked husbandmen, IV.238f\n -- faithful servant, IV.244ff\n -- judgment of the King, IV.246ff\n Paran, wilderness of, II.242, 491\n Passover, feast of, I.251; III.302f, 329f;\n IV.49f, 79ff, 229, 248f, 491\n -- institution of, II.173ff\n Patara, IV.429\n Pathros, V.327f\n\n{521}\n\n Patriarchs, the, II.19-132\n Paul, the Apostle:\n -- summary of life, IV.367ff\n -- conversion, IV.37lff\n -- first missionary journey, IV.376ff\n -- second missionary journey, IV.392ff\n -- third missionary journey, IV.417ff\n -- at Jerusalem, IV.433ff\n -- examination before King Agrippa and Queen Bernice, IV.455ff\n -- voyage to Rome, IV.462ff\n -- shipwreck, IV.469ff\n -- at Malta, IV.474f\n -- at Rome, IV.478f\n -- appeals to Caesar, IV.452f\n -- riot at Ephesus, IV.418ff\n -- at Corinth, IV.408ff\n -- at Athens, IV.404ff\n -- in Macedonia, IV.403f\n -- in Galatia, IV.385\n -- in Cyprus, IV.376f\n -- at Antioch, IV.380ff\n Pekah, III.293, 407, 408; V.266\n Pekahiah, III.407\n Pentecost, day of, IV.325, 493\n Penuel, II.80, 492; III.353\n Perga, IV.380, 387\n Pergamum, church in, message to, V.461\n Persia, V.349\n Persians and Medes, laws of, III.62, 207f\n Peter, I.267; IV.74, 94, 95ff, 125, 141, 166, 178, 186, 250ff,\n 264f, 270, 297f, 307f, 326ff, 336, 347f, 350, 353ff, 359f\n -- denies Christ, IV.270\n Pharaoh, I.181\n -- and Joseph, II.99ff, 104ff, 123ff\n -- and Moses, II.149ff\n Pharaoh Hophra, V.330\n Pharisees, IV.19, 65, 94, 176, 192f, 198ff, 234, 287, 442, 488\n Pharpar, III.144, 493\n Phicol, II.39f\n Philadelphia, church in, message to, V.463f\n Philip, III.419\n Philip, the disciple, IV.77, 95ff, 243, 254, 345f,348f\n Philip, the evangelist, IV.430\n Philippi, IV.396, 425\n Philistia, III.404, 408\n Philistines, I.140, 143; II.342ff, 36Of, 376, 380, 386ff, 399, 413,\n 438, 455, 493; III.172, 175ff, 256, 267, 288, 295,\n 299, 432f, 493\n Philippians, epistle to, V.420, 424, 453f\n Phinehas, II.345f; III.427\n Phoenicia, IV.388\n Phoenix, IV.462, 470\n Phrygia, IV.395, 418\n Pilate, IV.272ff, 491\n Pilgrims, I.270\n Pillar of fire, II.179\n Pillars of stone, II.69, 75, 492\n Pisgah, II.253, 263, 272\n Pitchers, II.329f, 494\n Plagues of Egypt:\n -- blood, II.155f\n -- frogs, II.156ff\n -- lice, 11.158\n -- flies, II.158f\n -- cattle disease, II.160\n -- boils, II.160f\n -- hail, II.166ff\n -- locusts, II.168f\n -- blackness, II.17lff\n -- death of firstborn, II.177f\n Pleiades, V.191, 361\n Poetry of the Bible, V.11ff\n Potiphar, II.96f\n Poti-phera, II.107f\n Pottage, II.60, 491\n \"Potter and his clay,\" V.30lff\n Prayer, Lord's, IV.112\n Prayers for little children, I.319\n Priests, garments of, II.227ff\n Priscilla, IV.408ff\n Prophets, roll of, V.260\n -- selections from, V.263-409\n Proverbs, selections from, V.248-257\n Psalms, introduction to, V.17\n -- selections from, I.12lff; V.19-174\n -- Shepherd, I.289\n Ptolemais, III.460, 464; IV.430\n Ptolemy, king of Egypt, III.420\n Ptolemy, son of Abulus, III.481\n\n{522}\n\n Publius, IV.477\n Purah, II.326f\n Purim, III.78f, 488\n Put, V.349\n Puteoli, IV.477\n\n Quails and manna, II.192ff\n\n Raamah, V.350\n Rabshakeh, V.271ff\n Rachel, II.69ff, 88; III.47\n Rahab, II.278ff, 292\n Rainbow in the sky, III.31\n Ramah, II.386, 494; III.52, 247, 250\n Rameses, II.137,493\n Ramoth-gilead, III.158f, 269, 377ff, 387\n Rebekah, II.50ff\n Red Sea, II.178f, 482, 498\n Rehoboam, III.237ff\n Remaliah, III.293, 407, 408; V.266f\n Rephaim, II.438\n Rephidim, II.197, 201\n Resurrection of Jesus, IV.297f\n Reuben, I.178; II.95, 112f\n Reuel, II.141\n Rezin, V.266\n Rhegium, IV.477\n Rhoda, IV.360\n Rhodes, IV.429\n Riblah, III.351; V.314\n Rich young man, story of, IV.211f\n Riddle, III.173f\n Rimmon, Il1.147, 493\n Rock, water from, II.247ff\n Romans, III.445\n Romans, epistle to, V.415ff, 419f, 422, 443, 444, 454f\n Rome, I.201; III.420, 447; IV.19, 462, 477f\n Ruskin, John, I.299f\n Ruth, I.229; III.35ff\n\n Sacrifices, II.491\n Sadducees, IV.65, 488\n Saint Francis of Assisi, I.292\n Salamis, IV.376, 379\n Salmone, IV.469\n Salt, valley of, III.282, 495\n Samaria, III.111, 116, 127, 152, 285, 293, 374, 380f, 382, 388f,\n 395, 399, 402, 411, 431, 490; IV.82, 346f, 388, 488;\n V.320, 359\n Samaritan, good, I.279ff; IV.88\n -- woman, IV.82ff\n Samos, IV.425\n Samothrace, IV.396\n Samson, story of:\n -- slays a lion and makes a riddle, III.172ff\n -- burns a cornfield and slays his enemies, III.175f\n -- carries off gates of Gaza, III.176\n -- betrayed by Delilah, III.176ff\n -- his revenge and death, III.181ff\n Samuel, story of:\n -- and Eli, I.132ff; II.338ff\n -- the call of God, I.132ff; II.341f\n -- anoints Saul king, II.352ff\n -- and Saul, II.373ff, 379\n -- and David, II.382ff\n -- death of, II.376\n Sanballat, III.217f, 225\n Sapphira, IV.335f\n Sarai or Sarah, II.29, 36f, 45f\n Sardis, church in, message to, V.462f\n Satan, IV.72f\n -- and Job, V.181ff\n Saul, story of:\n -- anointed by Samuel, II.352ff\n -- proclaimed king, II.357f\n -- first battle, II.359f\n -- and Jonathan, II.362ff\n -- disobedience, II.370ff\n -- with witch of En-dor, II.376ff\n -- death at Gilboa, I.160; II.380f, 424\n -- and David, I.147ff; II.386ff\n -- jealous of David, II.396ff\n -- pursues David, II.411ff\n Scythopolis, III.82, 489\n Sea-shore, I.63\n Seir, children of, III.282\n -- mount, II.84, 492; III.258f\n Seleucia, IV.376, 379\n Sennacherib, III.299, 311ff, 315; V.271\n Sergius Paulus, IV.379\n Sermon on the mount, IV.105ff\n Seron, III.431f\n\n{523}\n\n Serpent, brazen, II.25Of; III.299\n -- in the garden of Eden, III.19f\n Shadrach, III.184, 190ff\n Shallum, III.402f\n Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, III.411\n Shamgar, III.54, 488\n Shammah, II.385, 389\n Shaphan, the scribe, III.323f\n Shaphat, III.124, 125\n Sheba, II.498; V.350\n -- queen of, I.173; II.478f\n Shebna, V.27lff\n Shechem, II.22, 84, 92f, 332f, 487; III.238, 353; V.320\n Shekel, II.46, 491\n Shem, III.24, 26\n Shemaiah, III.226, 240\n Shemer, III.374\n Shephatiah, III.266\n Shepherd, the good, I.282; IV.200\n -- psalm, I.289\n Shilhi, III.265\n Shiloh, II.345f; III.362; V.320\n Shimeath, the Ammonitess, III.280\n Shimrith, the Moabitess, III.280\n Shinar, land of, III.32, 487\n Shishak, III.240\n Shittim, II.278, 285, 493\n Shunammite, III.138, 141, 143\n Shunem, III.111, 138, 490\n Shur, wilderness of, II.191\n Shushan, III.60ff, 212, 488, 494\n Sidon, IV.172, 462, 469\n Sihon, 11.253f, 268, 281, 301\n Silas, IV.390, 395, 399, 403f\n Siloam, pool of, IV.197f\n Simeon, I.186; II.113\n Simon, the sorcerer, IV.346f\n Simon, a tanner, IV.350\n Simon, Thassi, III.423, 427, 450, 455, 463ff\n Simon, the Zealot, IV.95ff\n Simon of Cyrene, IV.281\n Simon Peter, see Peter.\n Sin, wilderness of, II.192\n Sinai, wilderness of, II.201ff, 212, 242\n Sion, mount, III.438, 444\n Sisera, III.51ff\n Slime pits, II.25, 488\n Smyrna, church in, message to, V.46Of\n So, king of Egypt, III.411\n Soco, III.295\n Sodom, II.22, 23; 32ff\n Solomon, III.237f, 255\n Solomon, story of:\n -- dream of, I.170f; II.452f\n -- prosperity of, II.455ff\n -- treaty with Hiram, I.173f, II.457ff\n -- his temple, I.173; II.461ff\n -- his palace, II.469f\n -- dedication of the temple, II.470ff\n -- and queen of Sheba, I.173; II.478f\n -- greatness of his empire, II.48lff\n Solomon's temple, I.174\n Song of the Bow, II.426f\n Song of songs, selections from, V.235-239\n Song of the Well, II.253\n Songs, an old book of, I.121\n Sorek, III.176\n Sosthenes, IV.411\n South, the, II.22, 487\n Sower, story of, I.126; IV.133f\n Spain, III.445\n Spies, sending out of, by Moses, II.243ff\n Spring, I.51\n Stephen, IV.339ff\n Story of a good king, I.170\n Story of Palm Sunday, I.251ff\n Succoth, II.84, 466, 492\n Summer, I.52\n Summer room, II.315, 493\n Supper, the last, IV.248ff\n Sur, III.272\n Sycamore tree, IV.222\n Sychar, IV.82\n Symeon, called Niger, IV.379\n Syracuse, IV.477\n Syria, I.205; III.124, 143, 148f, 493; IV.390, 395, 425, 429; V.350\n Syrophoenician woman, IV.172, 489\n Syrtis, IV.465\n\n Tabernacle in the wilderness, II.217ff\n -- and furnishings, II.217ff\n -- tent, II.217ff\n\n{524}\n\n Tabernacle, ark, II.220\n -- table, II.221\n -- candlestick, II.221\n -- altar of incense, II.222\n -- -- burnt offering, II.222\n -- court, II.225\n Tabernacles, feast of, IV.190\n Tabitha, IV.350\n Tabor, mount, III.52f\n Tahpanhes, V.326f\n Talking with our Father, I.101\n Tarshish, II.483; III.165, 171, 265, 493, 495; V.349f\n Tarsus, IV.367, 375\n Tebeth, III.64, 488\n Tekoa, III.261; V.354\n Temple, Solomon's, I.174\n Temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, IV.70f\n Teresh, III.64, 70\n Tertullus, IV.448\n Thaddaeus, IV.95ff\n Thanksgiving, the first, I.270\n Thebez, II.337\n Thessalonians, epistle to, V.423, 447\n Thessalonica, IV.403f\n Thomas, IV.95ff, 216, 254, 306f\n \"Three Taverns,\" IV.477\n Thyatira, IV.396\n -- church in, message to, V.462\n Tiglath-pileser, III.295, 404, 408; V.267\n Timnah, III.172, 295, 493\n Timnath-serah, II.312\n Timothy, IV.395, 404, 411, 418\n -- first epistle to, V.444\n -- second epistle to, V.448\n Tiphsah, II.456\n Tirhakah, V.274\n Tirshatha, III.228\n Tirzah, III.364, 368ff, 403, 495\n Titus Justus, IV.411\n Tobiah, III.217f, 225\n Togarmah, V.349\n Topheth, III.327; V.304f\n Transfiguration of Jesus, IV.180\n Trees, what Jesus said about, I.109\n Tribute, question about, IV.240\n Triumph, song of, III.54ff\n Troas, IV.395f, 425, 495\n Trophimus, IV.433\n Tryphon, III.46Off\n Tubal, V.349\n \"Twin Brothers,\" IV.477\n Tyre, II.457, 497; III.233; IV.172, 429, 430; V.346ff\n\n Ur of Chaldees, II.21, 27, 487\n Uriah, II.430ff\n Uriel, III.242\n Urijah, priest, III.295f\n Uz, V.181\n Uzziah, III.287ff; V.264\n\n \"Valley of dry bones,\" V.352f\n Vashti, III.60If\n Vedan, V.350\n Vial, II.357, 494\n Vine, Jesus, the, IV.258f\n Vineyard, Naboth's, III.127ff\n -- parable of, Isaiah, V.280ff\n Vision of Peter, IV.353f, 357\n Visions, horsemen in the glen, V.402f\n -- City of Peace, V.403f\n -- golden candlestick, V.404\n -- flying book, V.405\n -- woman in the barrel, V.405f\n -- chariot of the four winds, V.406f\n -- of Heavenly City, V.476ff\n\n Water from the rock, II.247ff\n Widow, the poor, I.193\n Widow's mite, IV.243\n Winter, I.59\n Wise Men, I.249ff; IV.41f,485\n\n Zabad, III.280\n Zacchaeus, the publican, IV.221f\n Zadok, II.447f\n Zalmon, II.334f\n Zarephath, III.111, 114, 490\n Zebadiah, III.257\n Zebedee, IV.94\n Zebidah, III.344\n Zebulun, III.52, 306\n Zechariah, prince, III.256, 261, 266\n\n{525}\n\n Zechariah, prophecies of, V.401\n Zedekiah, king of Judah, III.348ff; V.309ff, 330\n Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, III.378, 380\n Zeeb, II.330\n Zemaraim, mount, III.242\n Zerah, III.248\n Zeresh, III.70ff\n Zeredah, II.466\n Zerubbabel, V.398f\n Zeruiah, II.443\n Zibiah, III.277\n Zichri, III.294\n Zidon, II.457, 497; III.114, 490; V.349\n Zimri, III.16l, 370, 373f\n Zion, II.470; V.373\n Ziph, wilderness of, II.406, 412\n Ziphites, II.406, 412\n Zipporah, II.141f\n Zoar, II.25,487\n Zophar, the Naamathite, V.184, 193, 196, 201, 204, 209, 213, 232\n\n\nINDEX TO BIBLICAL PASSAGES\n\nThis index gives the pages of The Bible Story on which the\ncorresponding passages in the Bible may be found.\n\nTHE OLD TESTAMENT\n Genesis\n 1-4, III.15-23\n 6-9, III.24-31\n 11:1-9, III.32\n 12-15, II.21-28\n 17-19, II.28-36\n 21-23, II.36-46\n 24, II.49-59\n 24:10ff, I.211ff\n 25:27-34, II.60\n 27-29, II.61-71\n 31:22-33:20, II.71-84\n 35, II.87f\n 37-50, II.91-132\n\n Exodus\n 1:8-15:21, II.137-188\n 2, I.117f\n 15:22-17:16, II.191-197\n 19-20, II.201-204\n 32, II.204-212\n 34, II.212\n 35-40, II.214-237\n\n Numbers\n 9:15-23, II.241f\n 10:11-13; 33-36, II.242\n 13:1-14:9, II.243-247\n 20, II.247-250\n 21, II.250-255\n 22-24, II.255-267\n\n Deuteronomy\n 30:11-20, II.271f\n 31:1-8, II.268f\n 32:45-52, II.272\n 34, II.272f\n\n Joshua\n 1-4, II.277-287\n 6, II.287-292\n 7, 8, II.294-300\n 9, 10, II.300-308\n 23, 24, II.308-312\n\n Judges\n 3:12-30, II.315f\n 4, 5, III.51-59\n 6-8, II.319-331\n 9, II.332-337\n 14-16, III.172-182\n\n Ruth, III.35-48\n\n I Samuel\n 3:2-10, I.135f\n 3-4, II.338-346\n 8-11, II.349-360\n 13-15, II.360-375\n 16, I.139ff\n 16-20, II.382-406\n 23:14-24:22, II.412-417\n 25, II.417-424\n 26, II.406-411\n 28, II.375-380\n 31, II.380f\n\n II Samuel\n 1, II.424-429\n 1:23-27, I.160\n 2:4-7, II.429\n 5:1-4, II.430\n\n{526}\n\n II Samuel\n 11:14-12:23, II.430-436\n 18, I.167ff; II.443-451\n 23:13-17, I.163f; II.438\n 24, II.438-442\n\n I Kings\n 2:1-4, II.451\n 3:4ff, I.170ff\n 3:4-15, II.452f\n 4:21-34, II.455f\n 5, I.205ff\n 5-8, II.457-478\n 10, II.478-483\n 12, III.238-240\n 12:25-14:20, III.353-364\n 14:21-31, III.240f\n 15:1-8, III.242f\n 15:25-16:28, III.367-374\n 17:10ff, I.193ff\n 17-19, III.113-127\n 21, III.127-130\n 22, III.377-381\n\n II Kings\n 1, III.382-386\n 2, III.130-137\n 3, III.387-392\n 4, 5, III.137-148\n 6:8-7:20, III.148-157\n 9, III.158-162\n 10, III.395-398\n 13, III.399f\n 13:14-20, III.162\n 14:23-29, III.40lf\n 15:8-31, III.402-408\n 16:7-10, V.267\n 17, III.411ff\n 24:18-25:21, III.348ff\n\n II Chronicles\n 13:4-19, III.242ff\n 14-16, III.247-254\n 17, III.255f\n 19, 20, III.256-265\n 21, III.266ff\n 22:1-9, III.269f\n 22:10-23:21, III.272-276\n 24-36, III.277-329\n\n Nehemiah\n 1, 2, III.212-218\n 4-6, III.218-227\n 8, III.227-231\n 12:27-43, III.23lf\n 13:15-31, III.233f\n\n Esther, III.60-79\n\n Job,\n Selections from, V.181-232\n\n Psalms\n 1, V.19\n 3, V.20\n 4, V.21\n 8, V.22\n 15, V.23\n 16, V.24\n 17, V.25\n 18:1-33; 46-50, V.26ff\n 19, V.30f\n 20, V.32\n 23, I.289f; V.35\n 24, V.36\n 25, V.37f\n 26, V.39\n 27, V.40f\n 29, V.42\n 30, V.45f\n 31, V.47ff\n 33, V.50f\n 34, V.52f\n 36:5-10, V.54\n 37:1-6, 23-27,\n 35-40, V.55f\n 40:1-11, V.57f\n 42, 43, V.61f\n 44, V.63ff\n 45, V.66f\n 46, V.68\n 47, V.69\n 48:1, 2, 9-14, V.70\n 50:1-15, V.73f\n 51:1-17, V.75f\n 57, V.77\n 61:1-4;\n 62:1,2,5-7, V.79\n 65, V.81f\n 66:1,2,4,8-10,\n 16-20, V.80\n 67, V.85\n 68:1-12, V.86\n 70, V.87\n 72:2-19, V.88f\n 77:11-20, V.90\n 80, V.91f\n 84, V.95f\n 85, V.97\n 86, V.98f\n\n{527}\n\n Psalms\n 87, V.100\n 89:1,2,5,\n 6,9,11-18, V.103\n 90, V.104f\n 91, V.106f\n 93, V.108\n 95, I.122\n 95:1-7, V.111\n 96, V.112\n 97, V.113\n 98, V.114\n 99, V.115\n 100, I.121f; V.116\n 102:24-27, V.117\n 103, V.118f\n 104, V.120ff\n 105, 106, V.123ff\n 107:1-43, V.130ff\n 113:1-8; 114, V.134f\n 115:1-8, V.136\n 116:1-18, V.137f\n 117, I.125; V.139\n 118, V.140ff\n 119:1-48,73-160, V.143ff\n 121, I.125; V.155\n 122, I.221f; V.156\n 126, V.157\n 130, V.158\n 133, V.159\n 134-136, V.160ff\n 137, I.222\n 139:1-12, 17,\n 18, 23, 24, V.164f\n 144, V.166f\n 145, V.168f\n 146-148; 150, V.170ff\n\n Proverbs,\n Selections from, I.501-504\n\n Proverbs\n 1:20-33, V.249f\n 3:1-20, V.250f\n 4:14-19; 6:6-8, V.255\n 8, V.252ff\n 31:10-31, V.256f\n\n Ecclesiastes\n 3:1-8, V.243f\n 12:1-7, V.245f\n\n The Song of Solomon\n 2:2-4, V.235\n 2:10-17, V.236\n 4:8-16, V.237\n 6:1-3; 7:10-13, V.238\n 8:6-7, V.239\n\n Isaiah\n 5, V.280-283\n 6:1-7:9, V.264-267\n 9:6,7, V.278\n 11:6-9, I.303\n 36,37, V.271-276\n 39, V.268\n 40:1-11, V.284f\n 42:10-13, V.279\n 52, V.286f\n 53, V.288f\n 54:11-17, V.290\n 55, V.291f\n 60, V.293-296\n\n Jeremiah\n 1, V.298f\n 18, 19, V.302-305\n 22, 23, III.335-344\n 36, V.305-308\n 37-44, V.309-331\n 50, 51, V.331-343\n\n Ezekiel\n 19, V.344-346\n 26, 27, V.346-352\n 37:1-14, V.352f\n\n Daniel\n 1-6, III.183-209\n\n Hosea\n 7, 8, V.363-365\n 11, V.365f\n\n Joel,\n Selections from, V.374-379\n Amos\n 3-5, Selections from, V.356-362\n 7, V.354f\n\n Obadiah, V.370-373\n\n Jonah, III.165-171\n\n Micah,\n Selections from, V.367-369\n\n Nahum,\n Selections from, V.385-391\n\n Habakkuk\n 2, 3, V.392-396\n\n Zephaniah\n 1:14-3:17, V.380-384\n\n Haggai\n 1:1-2:9, V.389-400\n\n Zechariah 1-6,\n Selections from, V.401-407\n\n Malachi\n 3, 4, V.408f\n\n\n THE APOCRYPHA\n\n I Esdras\n 1:1-32, III.329-331\n\n Judith, III.80-107\n\n The Prayer of\n Manasseh, III.320f\n\n I Maccabees, III.418-482\n\n{528}\n\n THE NEW TESTAMENT\n\n Matthew\n 2, IV.41-46\n 3, IV.65ff\n 5:1-12, I.130f\n 5-7, IV.105-118\n 6:26-30, I.106\n 7:16-20, I.109\n 9:27-31, IV.128\n 12:22-28, IV.170f\n 13:31ff, I.201f\n 18:1-5, IV.188\n 18:10-14, I.286f\n 18:21-35, IV.186\n 21:12-17, IV.237\n 25:14-46, IV.244-247\n 28:16-20, IV.310\n\n Mark\n 1:16-20, IV.94\n 1:21-2:12, IV.125-128\n 2:13-17, IV.94f\n 4:3ff, I.126ff\n 4,5, IV.133-142\n 5:21ff, I.110ff\n 6:21-29, IV.154\n 6:30-50, IV.144-148\n 7:24-9:29, IV.172-182\n 10:17-27, IV.211f\n 10:35-45, IV.185-187\n 10:46-52, IV.221f\n 11:1-11, IV.233f\n 14:1-16, IV.248f\n 15:6-15, IV.276f\n\n Luke\n 2:21; 29-30, I.109\n 2, IV.37-50\n 4:1-13, IV.70f\n 7:2-10, IV.121f\n 7:11-17, IV.130\n 7:18-35, IV.150-154\n 7:36-50, IV.169f\n 10:25-37, I.279f; IV.88f\n 12:16-21, IV.212\n 14, IV.207f\n 15, 16, IV.202-207\n 19:1-10, IV.222\n 20,21, IV.238-243\n 22:14-18, IV.249f\n 22:39-46, IV.264f\n 23:8-12, IV.275\n 24:13-35, IV.301f\n\n John\n 1:29-4:42, IV.74-87\n 3:22-36, IV.149f\n 4:43-53, IV.92f\n 5, IV.167-171\n 6:22-71, IV.161-166\n 7-10, IV.190-201\n 10:1-15, I.285f\n 11, IV.215-220\n 11:55-12:5, IV.229f\n 12:20-30, IV.243f\n 13-17, IV.249-263\n 18:10-38, IV.267-275\n 19, IV.279-287\n 20:1-18, I.267f\n 20,21, IV.297-309\n\n Acts\n 1:6-11, IV.31Of\n 2:1-5:11, IV.325-336\n 6-8, IV.339-349\n 9:1-31, IV.371-375\n 9:32-43, IV.350\n 10-12, IV.353-361\n 13-15, IV.376-391\n 15:36-18:22, IV.395-412\n 18:23-21:16, IV.418-430\n 21:17-28:31, IV.433-481\n\n Romans\n 8:18-25, V.454\n 8:31-39, V.454f\n 11:33-36, V.444\n 12, V.415f\n 13:8-14, V.416f\n 14:7-17, V.419f\n 15:1-3, V.422\n 16:25-27, V.443\n\n I Corinthians\n 3:9, V.443\n 3:10-15, V.440\n 3:16, 17, V.443\n 9:24-27, V.438\n 13, V.425\n 15:12-58, V.449ff\n 16:13, V.448\n\n II Corinthians\n 4:7-5:1, V.451f\n 11:24-27, IV.482\n\n Galatians\n 5:1, 7-9, V.439 {529}\n 5:22-6:10, V.422f\n\n Ephesians\n 2:19-22, V.440\n 3:14-19, V.443\n 4:1-16, V.420f\n 4:25-32, V.421f\n 6:1-3, V.419\n 6:10-17, V.447f\n\n Philippians\n 3:7-16, V.453f\n 3:20,21, V.453\n 4:8, V.424\n 4:11,12, V.420\n\n Colossians\n 3:1-4, V.453\n\n I Thessalonians\n 5:4-11, V.447\n 5:12-22, V.423\n\n I Timothy\n 1:17, V.444\n 4:6-8, IV.482\n 6:11, 12, V.448\n\n II Timothy\n 2:3,4, V.448\n\n Hebrews\n 12:1, 2, V.439\n\n Epistle of James,\n Selections from, V.426-434\n\n I John\n 3, 4, V.435-437\n\n Revelation,\n Selections from, V.456-478\n\n\n INDEX TO POEMS\n\n * Indicates titles of poems.\n\n A fair little girl sat under a tree, I.472\n A little word in kindness spoken, I.448\n A swallow in the spring, I.451\n Above the clear blue sky, I.242\n Abroad in the meadows, to see the young lambs, I.343\n All things bright and beautiful, I.476\n Am I a soldier of the cross, IV.58\n And now another day is gone, I.333\n *Ant, The, I.329\n April's gone, the king of showers, I.379\n Art thou weary, art thou languid, V.487\n As with gladness men of old, I.394\n Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, I.409\n\n *Baby and Mamma, I.372\n *Babylon, III.210\n Baby's in the boat, I.424\n *Belshazzar, III.211\n Belshazzar is king! Belshazzar is lord, III.211\n Blest land of Judea! thrice hallowed of song, II.15\n *Bridge, The, I.446\n Brightest and best of the sons of the morning, IV.26\n *Burial of Moses, The, II.274\n By Nebo's lonely mountain, II.274\n\n Calm on the listening ear of night, I.419\n *Calvary, IV.225\n Carol, sweetly carol, I.406\n *Cave of Adullam, II.437\n *Chambered Nautilus, The, I.477\n *Children, I.459\n *Child's Thought of God, I.483\n Christ, the Lord, is risen to-day, IV.291\n *Christmas Carol, A, I.393, 397, 402\n *Christmas Hymns, I.389-420\n *Christmas Tree, The, I.401\n Come to me, O ye children, I.459\n Comrades, haste! the tent's tall shading, II.198\n *Cow, The, I.369\n *Cradle Hymn, I.409\n *Crossing the Bar, V.490\n\n David and his three captains bold, II.437\n *Day by Day, I.239\n Dear Jesus, ever at my side, IV.292\n Deep was the furrow in the royal brow, II.395\n *Destruction of Sennacherib, The, III.315\n Down in a green and shady bed, I.376\n\n *Elixir, The, IV.157\n *Evening Song, An, I.333\n Every day has its dawn, I.239\n\n *Fall of Jericho, The, II.293\n *Farewell, I.471\n *Field Daisy, The, I.353\n *Finding of Moses, The, II.134\n *Flower and the Lady, The, I.352\n *Following the Master, V.487\n From all that dwell below the skies, V.494\n From Greenland's icy mountains, IV.318\n\n{530}\n\n *Gethsemane, IV.223\n *Getting up, I.361\n *Glorious Heavens, The, I.434\n Glorious things of Thee are spoken, IV.319\n *Glorious Zion, IV.319\n God rest ye, merry gentlemen; let nothing you dismay, I.397\n *Going to Bed, I.357, 371\n *Going to Jesus, I.235\n *Good Night and Good Morning, I.472\n Gracious Saviour, holy Shepherd, I.313\n *Guiding Star, The, I.394\n\n Hail the night! All hail the morn, I.398\n Hail to the Lord's Anointed, IV.102\n Hark, hark, my soul, angelic songs are\n swelling, I.487\n Hark! the clock strikes from the steeple, I.423\n Heaven is not reached at a single bound, I.77\n How doth the little busy bee, I.327\n How fair is the rose! What a beautiful flower, I.338\n How fine has the day been! How bright\n was the sun, I.346\n How gentle God's commands, I.241\n How glorious is our heavenly King, I.342\n How proud we are! how fond to show, I.328\n Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber, I.411\n *Hymn by the Euphrates, III.316\n\n I am a pebble and yield to none, I.438\n I heard the voice of Jesus say, IV.158\n I met a little cottage girl, I.454\n I sing th' Almighty power of God, I.341\n I stood on the bridge at midnight, I.446\n I think, when I read that sweet story of old, I.237\n If Fortune, with a smiling face, I.463\n I'm a pretty little thing, I.353\n I'm a very little child, I.354\n Immortal love, forever full, IV.54\n In heavenly love abiding, I.314\n *Innocent Play, I.343\n In the cross of Christ I glory, I.261\n It came upon the midnight clear, IV.25\n It chanced upon the merry, merry Christmas eve, I.402\n Jesus calls us: o'er the tumult, IV.l01\n Jesus, I my cross have taken, IV.57\n Jesus, lover of my soul, V.483\n Jesus, Saviour, pilot me, IV.100\n Jesus shall reign where'er the sun, IV.317\n Joy to the world, the Lord is come, IV.30\n\n *Kindness, I.448\n\n *Lamb, The, I.380\n Lazy sheep, pray tell me why, I.366\n Lead, kindly Light, amid th' encircling gloom I.467; V.491\n *Lead me on, II.238\n Let dogs delight to bark and bite, I.344\n *Light of Stars, The, I.452\n Little baby, lay your head, I.371\n *Little Child, The, I.354\n Little drops of water, I.384\n Little lamb, who made thee? I.380\n *Little Voices, I.427\n Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious, IV.226\n Lord of all being; throned afar, I.233\n *Lullaby, I.389, 484\n\n *May Day Song, I.379\n *Morning Hymns, I.71-78\n \"Morning Song, I.330\n My country! 'tis of thee, V.492\n My fairest child, I have no song to give you, I.471\n My faith looks up to Thee, V.485\n My God, who makes the sun to know, I.330\n\n *Nearest Friend, The, IV.292\n Nearer, my God, to Thee, V.481\n *New Year's Eve, I.475\n Now, my baby, ope your eye, I.361\n Now the day is over, I.468\n Now the spring is coming on, I.359\n\n O God, beneath thy guiding hand, I.276\n O little town of Bethlehem, I.250\n O Love Divine, that stooped to share, IV.155\n O Master, let me walk with Thee, IV.156\n O Thou that wilt not break the bruised reed, III.316\n Oft in the stilly night, I.445\n\n{531}\n\n Oh, what can little hands do, I.240\n Oh, where is He that trod the sea? IV.99\n Oh, worship the King, all-glorious above! IV.294\n On our way rejoicing, I.234\n Once in royal David's city, I.415\n *One by one, I.461\n One by one the sands are flowing, I.461\n Onward, Christian soldiers, I.255\n\n *Palestine, II.15\n Pause in this desert! Here, men say, of old, III.210\n *Pebble and the Acorn, The, I.438\n *Perseverance, I.451\n *Pilgrims of the Night, The, I.487\n *Praise for Creation and Providence, I.341\n *Praise to God, I.342\n *Prayers for Little Children, I.319-324\n Pretty flower, tell me why, I.352\n *Psalm of Life, I.440\n Put off, put off your mail, ye kings, and\n beat your brands to dust, I.300\n\n *Ready for Bed, I.423\n Ride on! ride on in majesty, IV.224\n Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, I.475\n Rock of Ages, cleft for me, V.489\n *Rose, The, I.338\n *Ruth, III.49\n\n *Saul and David, II.395\n Saviour, breathe an evening blessing, I.430\n Saviour, like a shepherd lead us, I.309\n See the dark vapors cloud the sky, I.375\n *Seventh Plague of Egypt, The, II.162\n She stood breast high amid the corn, III.49\n *Sheep, The, I.366\n *Shepherd Hymns, I.309-315\n Sleep, baby, sleep, I.484\n Sleep, baby, sleep. The mother sings, I.389\n Slow glides the Nile: amid the margin flags, II.134\n *Sluggard, The, I.334\n *Snowdrop, The, I.359\n Some murmur when their sky is clear, I.383\n *Song of Peace, I.300\n *Song of the Manna Gatherers, II.198\n Sound, sound for ever, Clarions of Thought, II.293\n *Star, The, I.350, 390\n Still, still with Thee, my God, I.464; IV.293\n Still, still with Thee when purple morning breaketh, I.78\n *Summer, I.349\n *Summer Evening, A, I.346\n *Summer Rain, I.433\n Sun of my soul, Thou Saviour dear, I.238\n Sunset and evening star, V.490\n\n Teach me, my God and King, IV.157\n Tell me not, in mournful numbers, I.440\n *Tempest, The, I.375\n *Thanksgiving, Song of, I.75\n Thank you, pretty cow, that made, I.369\n The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, III.315\n The breaking waves dashed high, I.271\n The cock, who soundly sleeps at night, I.358\n The day is done, and the darkness, I.481\n The heats of Summer come hastily on, I.349\n The King of love my Shepherd is, I.315\n The Lord is my shepherd; no want shall I know, I.291\n The Master has come over Jordan, I.235\n The moon is up, the sun is gone, I.357\n The morning light is breaking, IV.320\n The mountain streams are silent, I.433\n The night is come, but not too soon, I.452\n The spacious firmament on high, I.434\n The terror of the night has fled, I.268\n The twilight falls, the night is near, I.429\n The twilight is sad and cloudy, I.437\n There came three kings, ere break of day, IV.29\n There is a green hill far away, IV.225\n There's a wonderful tree, a wonderful tree, I.401\n These emmets, how little they are in our eyes, I.329\n They followed the star the whole night through, I.390\n They say that God lives very high, I.483\n This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign, I.477\n *Three Kings, The, IV.29\n\n{532}\n\n *Time to Get Up, I.358\n 'Tis midnight,--and on Olive's brow, IV.223\n 'Tis the voice of the sluggard: I heard him complain, I.334\n *To-day and To-morrow, I.463\n Traveling to the better land, II.238\n 'Twas morn,--the rising splendor rolled, II.162\n *Twilight, I.437\n Twinkle, twinkle, little star, I.351\n\n *Victor, The, IV.226\n *Violet, The, I.376\n\n Was there ever kindest shepherd, I.310\n *We Are Seven, I.454\n We plough the fields and scatter, I.75\n We see Him come, and know Him ours, I.412\n What a little thing am I, I.372\n *What can Little Hands Do, I.240\n What says the little brook, I.427\n What sweeter music can we bring, I.393\n Whatever brawls disturb the street, I.345\n When morning gilds the skies, I.71\n Whene'er I take my walks abroad, I.337\n While shepherds watched their flocks by night, I.405\n While Thee I seek, protecting Power, I.442\n Who am I that shines so bright, I.365\n Who am I with noble face, I.362\n\n\nINDEX TO AUTHORS OF POEMS\n\n Adams, Sarah Flower, V.481\n Addison, I.434\n Alexander, Mrs. Cecil Frances, I.415; II.274; IV.101, 225\n\n Baker, Sir H. W., I.315\n Baring-Gould, S., I.468\n Blake, William, I.380\n Bonar, Horatius, IV.158\n Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham, I.384\n Brooks, Phillips, I.250\n Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, I.483\n Burns, James Drummond, I.464; IV.293\n Burns, Robert, I.324\n Byron, Lord, III.315\n\n Chandler, John, I.242\n Claudius, Mathias, I.75\n Colesworthy, I.448\n Cooper, George, I.424\n Cornwall, Barry, III.211\n Croly, II.162\n\n Dix, William C., I.394\n Doddridge, Philip, I.241\n\n Edmeston, James, I.430\n\n Faber, Frederick William, I.310, 487; IV.292\n Fabin, I.240\n Fay, Ida, I.423\n\n Gill, Julia, I.235\n Gladden, Washington, IV.156\n Gould, I.438\n Grant, R., IV.294\n\n Heber, Reginald, IV.26, 318\n Herbert, George, IV.157\n Herrick, Robert, I.324, 412\n Holland, J. G., I.77\n Holmes, Oliver Wendell, I.233, 477; IV.155\n Hood, Thomas, III.49\n Hopper, E., IV.100\n Houghton, Lord, I.472\n Hugo, Victor, II.293\n\n Keble, John, I.238, 379, 476; II.198\n Kelly, Thomas, IV.226\n Kingsley, Charles, I.402, 471\n\n Lamb, Charles, II.437\n Leeson, Jane E., I.313\n Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, I.437, 440, 446, 452, 459, 481\n Luke, Jemima Thompson, I.237\n Luther, Martin, I.409\n Lynch, Thomas T., IV.99\n Lyte, Henry Francis, IV.57\n\n Milman, Henry Hart, III.316; IV.224\n Monsell, James Samuel Bewley, I.234\n Montgomery, James, IV.102\n\n{533}\n\n Moore, Thomas, I.445\n Mulock, Dinah Maria, I.397\n\n Newman, John Henry, I.467; V.491\n Newton, J., IV.319\n\n Palmer, Ray, V.485\n Procter, Adelaide Ann, I.461\n\n Ruskin, John, I.299\n\n Sears, Edmund Hamilton, I.419; IV.25\n Smith, Samuel F., IV.320; V.492\n Stowe, Harriet Beecher, I.78\n Symonds, John Addington, I.389\n\n Tappan, W. B., IV.223\n Taylor, Ann, I.365\n Taylor, Jane, I.349-362, 366-376\n Tennyson, Alfred, I.475; V.490\n Thrupp, Dorothy Ann, I.309\n Toplady, Augustus Montague, V.489\n Trench, Archbishop, I.383\n\n Waring, Anna L., I.314\n Watts, Isaac, I.327-346, 411; IV.31, 58, 317; V.494\n Wesley, Rev. Charles, IV.291; V.483\n Whittemore, J., I.313\n Whittier, John Greenleaf, II.15; IV.54\n Williams, Helen Maria, I.442\n Wordsworth, William, I.454\n\n\nINDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS\n\n Abraham, Traditional Oak of, II.24\n Acropolis at Athens, V.442\n Adoration of the Angels, _Adolph Bouguereau_, I.426\n Adoration of the Children, _Gherado delle Notte_, I.414\n Age of Innocence, _Sir Joshua Reynolds_, I.382\n Aijalon, Valley of, II.364\n Along the Appian Way, the Great Roman Aqueduct, IV.476\n Anathoth, the Home of Jeremiah, V.316\n Angel, Head of, I.486\n Announcement to the Shepherds, _Bernard Plockhorst_, I.388\n Antioch, V.446\n Aphamea, Site of, III.454\n Appian Way, IV.472\n Appian Way, The Great Roman Aqueduct, IV.476\n Ark, Building The, _W. Scott_, III.Frontispiece\n Ascalon, III.474\n Ascension of Christ, _G. Biermann_, IV.312\n Assos, Harbor of, IV.424\n Athens, Acropolis at, V.442\n Athens, Harbor of Piraeus, IV.398\n Athens, Parthenon, IV.406\n Autumn Woods, I.54\n\n Barley Harvest near Bethlehem, III.478\n Beautiful Nazareth: Outlook from Hills above\n Town to Historic Esdraelon, I.88\n Bedouins with Camels in the Plain near Mount Sinai, V.94\n Bethany, I.92; IV.218\n Bethel, II.86\n Bethel, Ruins of, III.498\n Bethlehem, I.138; IV.28, 32\n Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity, III.492; IV.36\n Bethlehem, at Sunset, I.248\n Beth-Shan, Ruins of Roman Bridge, II.372\n Boy and Dog, _Blume_, I.298\n Building the Ark, W. Scott, III.Frontispiece\n\n Caesar Augustus, IV.444\n Caesarea-Philippi, IV.174\n Camel Merchants, I.176\n Camel Rider, II.58\n Camels, Loading at Jerusalem, I.204\n Camp in the Desert, II.318\n Cana, Children at, I.172\n Capernaum, Ruins of the Synagogue, IV.120\n Cape Sunion, IV.432\n Caravan Loading for Journey, II.94\n Carpenter Shop, IV.56\n Carmel, Mount, V.154\n Child with Dog, _Sir Joshua Reynolds_, I.374\n Children at Cana, I.172\n Children of Nazareth, I.216\n\n{534}\n\n Children of The Shell, Murillo, I.480\n Christ and his Disciples on the Way to\n Emmaus, _Bernard Plockhorst_, IV.304\n Christ and John the Baptist, _Guido Reni_, IV.152\n Christ and the Rich Ruler, _Heinrich Hofmann_, IV.210\n Christ: Ascension of Christ, _G. Biermann_, IV.312\n Christ before Pilate, _Munkacsy_, IV.274\n Christ, Head of, _Leonardo da Vinci_, IV.256\n Christ in Gethsemane, _Heinrich Hofmann_, IV.266\n Christ in the Temple, Finding of, _Holman Hunt_, IV.52\n Christmas Bells, _Edwin Howland Blashfield_, I.474\n Coming of the Magi, I.408\n Corinth, Ruins at, IV.410\n Corinth, Ruins of the Temple of Jupiter, V.418, 432\n Corinth, Temple of Apollo, IV.402\n Corner of Old Wall at Damascus, IV.378\n Crete, Island of, \"Fair Havens,\" IV.454\n\n Damascus, III.406; IV.378\n Damascus, Corner of Old Wall at, IV.378\n Damascus, River Abana, III.410\n Dan, Site of Ancient, II.340\n Daniel in the Lions' Den, _Vernet_, III.204\n Dar el Bahari, Temple of, II.170\n David, _Michael Angelo_, II.384\n Dead Sea, I.228; II.34, 258\n Desert Warriors, II.322\n Divine Mother and the Child, _Murillo_, I.30\n Divine Shepherd, The, _Murillo_, I.336\n Dog, Head of, I.294\n Druse Family, I.134\n\n Easter Dawn, The First, _J. K. Thompson_, I.264\n Egypt, Date Palms, II.102, 148\n Egypt, Great Statues of Memnon, I.192\n Egypt, Luxor, II.128, 170\n Egypt, Nile, The, I.120; II.148, 154\n Egypt, Pyramids, I.124, 180;\n II.98, 110, 140\n Egypt, Pyramids and the Sphinx, I.124\n Egypt, Temple on the Island of Philae, I.116\n Egypt, Thebes, II.176, 182\n Elimelech, Family of, Going to Moab, _Bida_, III.38\n Elisha Raises the Shunammite's Son, III.140\n En-dor, II.378\n En-Rogel, from the South, II.490\n Ephesus, Ruins of the Aqueduct, V.458\n Ephesus, The Traditional Tomb of St. Luke at, V.466\n Esdraelon, Plain of, II.328\n\n Famous Monastery of Saint Catherine in\n the Shadow of Mount Sinai, II.210\n Finding of Christ in the Temple, _Holman Hunt_, IV.52\n Flight into Egypt, _W. A. Bouguereau_, IV.40\n Flood, End of the, _Moritz Oppenheim_, III.28\n Following the Star, _Sidney H. Riesenberg_, I.Frontispiece\n Four Thousand Years unchanged Patriarchal\n Life in Palestine To-day, II.234\n\n Galilee, Lake of, I.108; III.462; IV.146\n Gathering Tares in Stony Fields near Bethel, IV.22\n Gerizim, Mount, III.366\n Going to the Doctor, I.200\n Golden Gate, III.216; IV.322\n Good Samaritan, Inn of the, IV.90\n Good Shepherd, The, _W. C. T. Dobson_, I.288\n Good Shepherd, The, _Bernard Plockhorst_, I.308\n Great Stairway approaching Herod's Temple\n at Samaria, III.350\n Greek Temple, The, _C. A. Widmarsky_, V.Frontispiece.\n Greek Theater at Miletus, Ruins of, IV.420\n\n Hagar and Ishmael, _Cazin_, II.38\n Head of Christ, _Leonardo da Vinci_, IV.256\n Hebron, I.166; 11.44, 74\n Hebron, Traditional Oak of Abraham, III.24\n Hermon, Mount, III.372; V.60\n Hezekiah, Pool of, III.298\n Hill of the Golden Calf (Jebel Aaron) and\n its Moslem Tower below the Ridge of Sinai, II.206\n Holy Family, _Carl Mueller_, I.404\n Holy Family, Flight into Egypt, _W. A. Bouguereau_, IV.40\n Holy Family, Repose in Egypt, IV.44\n Holy Night, Correggio, I.396\n\n{535}\n\n Hor, View from Mount, II.230\n Horeb, Mount, II.240\n House, An Eastern, I.188\n Housetop, Praying on, III.192\n\n Inn of the Good Samaritan, IV.90\n Island of Naxos, IV.432\n\n Jabbok, Valley of, II.78\n Jacob's Dream, _Murillo_, II.64\n Jaffa, the Ancient Joppa, III.168, 458\n Jehoshaphat, Valley of, from North, III.264\n Jehoshaphat, Valley of, from South, III.252\n Jehoshaphat, Valley of, Tombs in, III.260\n Jericho, Fountain of Elijah, III.126\n --Mounds marking site, II.280\n --Plain of, II.290; III.394\n --Ruins at, III.390\n Jerusalem, III.230, 466, 470\n --Church of the Holy Sepulcher, IV.284\n --\"David Street,\" II.428\n --from Citadel, II.480\n --from Mount of Olives, II.474\n --from Northeast, II.496\n --from West, III.290, 342\n --from the Well of En-Rogel, II.446\n --Golden Gate, III.216; IV.322\n --Jews' Wailing Place, III.244\n --looking along the Northern Wall, III.484\n --looking toward Bethlehem, II.14\n --looking up through Valley of Hinnom, II.422\n --Mosque of Omar, II.468; III.224\n --Mosque of Omar and the Ancient Temple Area, II.464\n --Old Street of, III.334\n --outside East Wall, Golden Gate at left, III.216\n --Pool of Hezekiah, III.298\n --Saint Stephen's Gate, IV.338\n --Street in, II.416; V.300\n --Street Leading to the\n Church of the Holy Sepulcher, IV.278\n Jesus, Adoration of the Angels, _Adolph Bouguereau_, I.426\n --Adoration of the Children, _Gherado delle Notte_, I.414\n --and John, _Murillo_, I.436\n --and the Fishermen, _Zimmermann_, IV.76\n --and the Little Girl, _Gustav Richter_, I.112\n --and the Money Changers, _Heinrich Hofmann_, IV.236\n --and the Woman of Samaria, _Heinrich Hofmann_, IV.84\n --Announcement to the Shepherds,\n _Bernard Plockhorst_, I.388\n --at the Door, _Carl Schoenherr_, IV.184\n --Blessing the Little Children,\n _Bernard Plockhorst_, I.236\n --Boy, The, _Winterstein_, I.74\n --Boy, on his Way to Jerusalem, _O. Mengelberg_, IV.48\n --Coming of the Magi, I.408\n --Divine Mother and the Child, _Murillo_, I.30\n --Entering Jerusalem in Triumph,\n _Bernard Plockhorst_, I.254\n --Healing the Sick, _Heinrich Hofmann_, I.104\n --in the Home of Mary and Martha, _Siemiradski_, I.260\n --in the Temple, _Holman Hunt_, I.458\n --Knocking at the Door, _Heinrich Hofmann_, I.498\n --Lord, The, _Heinrich Hofmann_, IV.164\n --Preaching by the Seaside, IV.132\n --Preaching the Sermon on the Mount, IV.114\n --Shepherd, The Divine, _Murillo_, I.336\n --Shepherd, The Good, _W. C. T. Dobson_, I.288\n --Shepherd, The Good, _Bernard Plockhorst_, I.308\n --Taking Leave of his Mother, _Bernard Plockhorst_, IV.68\n --Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, IV.232\n --Women at the Tomb of, IV.300\n --Women at the Tomb of, _Bouguereau_, IV.290\n John, Saint, The Evangelist, _Dolci_, V.472\n Joppa, III.458\n --looking from the Sea, III.168\n Jordan, Lower Fords of the, II.284; IV.64\n --Plain of the, III.126\n --Sources of the, the Ancient Dan, II.340\n Joseph the Prime Minister Greeting his Family,\n _E. Martin Hennings_, II.Frontispiece\n\n{536}\n\n Joshua, Tomb of, at Timneh, II.31O\n Judaea, Wilderness of, II.404\n Kidron, Valley of, II.398; III.252, 274\n\n Lachish, Digging in the mound at, III.310\n Last Supper, The, _Leonardo da Vinci_, IV.252\n Lebanon, Cedar of, II.454\n --Range and a Grove of Cedars, II.460\n --Village in, V.44\n Lepers at the Leper Hospital, Jerusalem, III.150\n Light of the World, The, _Holman Hunt_, I.466\n \"Lo, I Stand at the Door and Knock,\"\n _Carl Schoenherr_, IV.184\n Looking across the Red Sea from Sinai toward Egypt, II.186\n Lost Lamb Found, _P. Giradet_, I.312\n Luxor, Cliffs near Temple of Dar el Bahari, II.170\n --View in, II.128\n Lydda, IV.352\n\n Madonna, _Murillo_, I.450\n --and Child, I.418\n --and Child, _Carlo Dolci_, I.340\n --and Child, _Georg Papperitz_, I.364\n --and Child, _Sichel_, I.392\n --della Tenda, _Raphael_, I.444\n --Granduca, _Raphael_, I.356\n --of the Angels, _Adolph Bouguereau_, I.332\n --of the Harpies, _Andrea del Sarto_, I.432\n --The Pitti, _Murillo_, I.348\n --The Sistine, _Raphael_, I.220\n Magi, Coming of the, I.408\n Malta, IV.468\n Mar-sarba, Convent of, I.154; V.358\n Massada, Ruins of Fortress at, II.404\n \"Mater Amabilis in Gloria,\" _Bodenhausen_, I.42\n Memnon, Great Statues of, I.192\n Merchants, Camel, I.176\n Miletus, Ruins of Greek Theater, IV.420\n Mizpah, The Ancient, II.356\n Moabite Stone, The, III.376\n Moses, _Sargent_, II.90\n --on Mount Nebo, _Thomas Nast_, II.270\n --Smiting the Rock, _Murillo_, II.246\n Mother, The Little, _Ferruzzi_, I.470\n Mountains, The, I.66\n Mount of Beatitudes, looking Northeast from, IV. 108\n --of Olives, IV.242, 260\n\n Nablous, Ancient Shechem, II.82\n Naxos, Island of, IV.432\n Nativity, The, I.400\n --_Lerolle_, IV.16\n Nazareth, I.88, 100; IV.60\n --Children of, I.216\n Nebo, Moses on Mount, _Thomas Nast_, II.270\n Nile, Banks near Cairo, II.148\n --The River, I.120; II.154\n Olympus, Distant Views of, IV.428\n Omar, Mosque of, II.464; III.224\n --Interior, II.468\n On Guard, I.302\n\n Palestine, On the Coast of, at Sunset, V.110\n Palms, Date, in Egypt, II.102\n Parthenon, IV.406\n Pass of Upper Beth-Horon from the South,\n the Scene of Many Hebron Victories, III.102\n Paul and the Roman Centurion, Shipwreck,\n _E. Martin Hennings_, IV.366\n --Appian Way traveled by, IV.472\n --Saint, _Raphael_, IV.366\n --Ship of, when Caught in the Euroclydon, IV.460\n --Ship on which he Sailed for Rome just\n before the Wreck, IV.464\n --Statue of, on the Island of Malta, IV.480\n Petra, Rock Temple in, II.252\n Philae, Temple on, I.116\n Philistia, Water Works in, I.142\n Plowing in the Lands of the Bible, I.84\n --in Palestine, I.50\n Praying on a housetop, III.192\n \"Prophets, The,\" _Sargent_, V.262, 372, 382, 390\n Puteoli, where Paul Disembarked, IV.440\n Pyramids and the Sphinx, I.124; II.98\n --One of the, I.180\n --with Village in the Foreground, II.11O\n\n Quiet Afternoon in the Upland Pastures, I.34\n\n{537}\n\n Rabbath Ammon, Ruins of, II.434\n Rebekah, _Goodall_, II.54\n --and Eliezer, _Thorwaldsen_, II.48\n Repose in Egypt, IV.44\n Resting beneath the Trees, _Corot_, I.38\n Resting Place under the Palms at the\n \"Spring of Moses\" in the Wilderness of Sinai, II.l94\n River, The, V.84\n River Kishon and Mount Carmel, III.56\n Road from Jerusalem to Jericho, III.132; V.270\n Road near Tiberias, I.196\n Road Running Eastward from Upper Beth-Horon, II.304\n Rock of Elijah's Altar on Mount Carmel, and\n Outlook North over the Plain of Esdraelon, III.118\n Ruins of an Ancient City, III.430\n Ruth in the Harvest Fields of Boaz, _Brueck-Lajos_, III.44\n Salonica, IV.436\n Samaria, from the South, III.384\n --Ruins of, III.156, 360\n Samuel, The Infant, _Reynolds_, I.46\n Scene of the Fight between David and\n Goliath in the Valley of Elah, II.388\n Sea, The, I.62\n Shechem, II.82, 336\n Sheep, V.34\n Sheep, _Jacque_, I.278\n --_Rosa Bonheur_, I.378\n Shepherd and Sheep, I.146, 210, 284;\n II.190, 410; V.72\n Shepherd, The Divine, _Murillo_, I.336\n Shepherd, The Good, _W. C. T. Dobson_, I.288\n Shepherd, The Good, _Bernard Plockhorst_, I.308\n Shiloh, Ruins of, II.344\n Ship of Paul when Caught in the Euroclydon, IV.460\n Ship on which Paul Sailed for Rome just\n before the Wreck, IV.464\n Shipwreck--Paul and the Roman Centurion,\n _E. Martin Hennings_, IV.366\n Shunammite Boy, III.146\n Shunem Village, III.136\n Sidon, on Road from Tyre, III.436\n --Ruins of the Castle at, III.442\n Siloam, Pool of, III.304\n Siloam, Village of, III.274\n Sinai, Wilderness of, II.200\n Sorek, Valley of, III.180\n Soul's Awakening, The, _James Sant_, I.322\n Sphinx, II.140\n Star, Following the, _Sidney H, Riesenberg_, I.Frontispiece\n Star, The Wise Men and the, _B. A. Devine_, IV.Frontispiece\n Street of an Ancient Eastern City, III.356\n Sunion, Cape, IV.432\n Syracuse, IV.440\n\n Tabor, Mount, V.102\n Tarsus, looking Northeast toward Taurus Mountains, IV.374\n Tempe, Vale of, IV.414\n Thebes, Temple at, I.184\n --Valley of Tombs of Kings, II.176, 182\n Threshing, I.128, 274\n --Floor, II.440\n Tiberias, I.96; IV.138\n Tomb at Timneh, called the Tomb of Joshua, II.310\n Tombs in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, III.260\n --near Jerusalem, II.450\n --of the Kings, north of Jerusalem, III.284\n --of the Kings, Valley of the, at Thebes, II.176, 182\n Tomb of Rachel, I.150\n Traditional Spot on which Moses read the\n Ten Commandments, II.224\n View from Ramah, the Traditional Home of Samuel, II.136\n View of the Dead Sea, II.258\n\n Warriors, Desert, II.322\n Water Works in Old Philistia, I.142\n Wilderness of the Brook Cherith, III.126\n --of Sinai, II.200\n --of the Temptation, IV.72\n --on the Road from Jerusalem to Jericho, V.270\n Winnowing, I.158\n Winnowing of Grain after Threshing in Egypt, I.162\n Winter, I.58\n Wise Men and the Star, _B. A. Devine_, IV.Frontispiece\n Women Grinding at the Mill, V.176\n Women at the Tomb, _Bouguereau_, IV.290\n Women at the Tomb, IV.300\n Wounded Lamb, The, _Von Bremen_, I.368\n\n{538}\n\n INDEX TO ARTISTS\n\n Bida, Alexandre,\n The Family of Elimelech Going to Moab, III.38\n Biermann, G.,\n Ascension of Christ, IV.312\n Blashfield, Edwin Howland,\n Christmas Bells, I.474\n Blume,\n Boy and Dog, I.298\n Bodenhausen,\n \"Mater Amabilis in Gloria,\" I.42\n Bonheur, Rosa,\n Sheep, I.378\n Bouguereau, Adolph,\n Flight into Egypt, IV.40\n Madonna of the Angels, I.332\n The Adoration of the Angels, I.426\n Women at the Tomb, IV.290\n Brueck-Lajos,\n Ruth in the Harvest Fields of Boaz, III.44\n\n Cazin,\n Hagar and Ishmael, II.38\n Corot,\n Resting Beneath the Trees, I.38\n Correggio,\n The Holy Night, I.396\n\n Devine, B. A.,\n Wise Men and the Star, IV.Frontispiece\n Dobson, W. C. T.,\n The Good Shepherd, I.288\n Dolci, Carlo,\n Madonna and Child, I.340\n Saint John the Evangelist, V.472\n\n Ferruzzi,\n The Little Mother, I.470\n\n Giradet, P.,\n The Lost Lamb Found, I.312\n Goodall,\n Rebekah, II.54\n\n Hennings, E. Martin,\n Joseph the Prime Minister Greeting his Family, II.Frontispiece\n The Shipwreck-Paul and the Roman Centurion, IV.366\n Hofmann, Heinrich,\n Christ and the Rich Ruler, IV.21O\n Christ in Gethsemane, IV.266\n Jesus and the Money Changers, IV.236\n Jesus and the Woman of Samaria, IV.84\n Jesus Healing the Sick, I.104\n Jesus Knocking at the Door, I.498\n The Lord Jesus, IV.164\n Hunt, Holman,\n Finding of Christ in the Temple, IV.52\n Jesus in the Temple, I.458\n The Light of the World, I.466\n\n Jacque,\n Sheep, I.278\n\n Lerolle,\n The Nativity, IV.16\n\n Mengelberg, O.,\n The Boy Jesus on his Way to Jerusalem, IV.48\n Michael Angelo,\n David, II.384\n Mueller, Carl,\n The Holy Family, I.404\n Munkacsy,\n Christ before Pilate, IV.274\n Murillo,\n Divine Mother and the Child, I.30\n Divine Shepherd, The, I.336\n Jacob's Dream, II.64\n Jesus and John, I.436\n Madonna, I.450\n Moses Smiting the Rock, II.246\n The Children of the Shell, I.480\n The Pitti Madonna, I.348\n\n Nast, Thomas,\n Moses on Mount Nebo, II.270\n Notte, Gherado delle,\n The Adoration of the Children I.414\n\n Oppenheim, Moritz,\n The End of the Flood, III.28\n\n Papperitz, Georg,\n Madonna and Child, I.364\n Plockhorst, Bernard,\n Christ and his Disciples on the Way to Emmaus, IV.304\n Jesus Blessing the Little Children I.236\n Jesus Entering Jerusalem in Triumph, I.254\n Jesus Taking Leave of his Mother, IV.68\n The Announcement to the Shepherds, I.388\n The Good Shepherd, I.308\n\n Raphael,\n Madonna della Tenda, I.444\n Saint Paul, IV.364 {539}\n The Granduca Madonna, I.356\n The Sistine Madonna, I.220\n Reni Guido,\n Christ and John the Baptist, IV.152\n Reynolds, Joshua,\n Child with Dog, I.374\n The Age of Innocence, I.382\n The Infant Samuel, I.46\n Richter, Gustav,\n Jesus and the Little Girl, I.112\n Riesenberg, Sidney H.,\n Following the Star, I.Frontispiece\n\n Sant, James,\n The Soul's Awakening, I.322\n Sargent,\n The Prophets, V.262, 372, 382, 390\n Moses, II.90\n Sarto, Andrea del,\n The Madonna of the Harpies, I.432\n Schoenherr, Carl,\n \"Lo! I Stand at the Door and Knock,\" IV.184\n Scott, W.,\n Building the Ark, III.Frontispiece\n Sichel,\n Madonna and Child, I.392\n Siemiradski,\n Jesus in the Home of Mary and Martha, I.260\n\n Thompson, J. K.,\n The First Easter Dawn, I.264\n Thorwaldsen,\n Rebekah and Eliezer, II.48\n\n Vernet,\n Daniel in the Lions' Den, III.204\n Vinci, Leonardo da,\n Head of Christ, IV.256\n The Last Supper, IV.252\n Von Bremen,\n The Wounded Lamb, I.368\n\n Widmarsky, C. A.,\n The Greek Temple, V.Frontispiece\n Winterstein,\n The Boy Jesus, I.74\n\n Zimmermann,\n Jesus and the Fishermen, IV.76\n\n\nINDEX TO MAPS\n\n Christ's Journey to Jerusalem, IV.123\n Christ's Last Journey, IV.213\n Elijah's Travels, III.112\n Palestine, Time of The New Testament, IV.24\n Palestine, Time of the Old Testament, III.14\n Paul's First Journey, IV.381\n Paul's Second Journey, IV.393\n Paul's Third Journey, IV.415\n Paul's Journey to Rome, IV.449\n\n\n[End of \"VOLUME FIVE: SONGS OF THE AGES\"]\n\n[End of volume set.]","title":"The Bible Story","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":470831}